Psoas muscle stretches: What to know

The psoas is a large muscle located in the lower lumbar region of the spine. it extends through the pelvis to the thigh bone (femur).

It plays an important part in hip mobility and movement, so it is important to understand how to stretch and strengthen the area correctly.

How does the psoas work?

The psoas muscle works by flexing the hip joint and lifting the upper leg toward the body — for example, when walking, running, or going up and down stairs.

It is responsible for external hip rotation, like when you get into a car or pitch a baseball. It also stabilizes the lumbar region of the spine when you’re sitting and flexes the femur when you’re lying down or standing.

While everyone has a psoas major, only around 40% of people worldwide have a psoas minor. Not everyone develops it because this muscle is not an evolutionary necessity. This minor muscle is responsible for slightly flexing the lumbar spine.

Psoas injury

If you sit for long periods of time or do not stretch correctly, the psoas can shorten. When it shortens, it becomes tight, which causes pain in the lower back, hips, and legs and restricts movement.

People who live more sedentary lives — for example, by working at their desks for hours on end — are at a higher risk for psoas pain or injury.

In contrast, people can also strain the psoas from overuse or from excessive strenuous exercise. This is often the case with runners, dancers, high jumpers, and other athletes.

An overuse strain of the psoas muscle is often referred to as psoas syndrome or psoas tendonitis. Psoas syndrome is also common in people who have osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Muscle weakness can also result in psoas injury, causing the spine to round. This is a major trigger for lower back pain. It may also cause pelvic pain and poor posture.

Strengthening exercises

These exercises may help strengthen your psoas muscle and activate the surrounding muscles.

Lying leg raise

1. Lie on your back and lift one leg up at a time, keeping the knee straight.
2. Once both legs are lifted, lower both legs slowly down to the ground. Hover the heel about 6 inches from the ground, then bring the legs back up.
3. Repeat 10–15 times or as many as you are comfortable doing.

This exercise will also work your abdominals, obliques, and hip flexors.

Psoas crunch, or Bird Dog

1. Start in a tabletop position, with hands and knees on the ground.
2. Keeping the spine neutral, engage your midsection by tightening up the core muscles. Then, reach your right arm in front of your head and extend your left leg back.
3. Bring both your right elbow and your left knee toward your midsection, so the elbow meets the knee. Then, extend back out.
4. Repeat around 8–12 times with the right arm and left leg.
5. Perform the exercise on the opposite side.

This exercise will also activate the abdominals and glutes.

Standing hip flexion

1. Stand up straight and lift one knee up so it is at a right angle with your hip. Hold for several seconds.
2. Release, then perform the exercise on the opposite side.
3. Repeat 10–12 times on each side.

This exercise will test your balance as well as strengthen your quadriceps, so you may need to hold on to the back of a chair for support.

Alternatively, if you find this exercise too easy, you may wish to add a resistance band around your ankles.

Stretching exercises

These stretching exercises will help elongate the psoas while activating the surrounding muscle groups.

Boat Pose

1. Sit on a mat with your torso in an upright position, your knees bent, and your feet flat on the ground.
2. Lean back slowly, tucking your tailbone under to relieve pressure in the lower back.
3. As you lean back, extend your legs into the air and place your spine in a neutral position to eliminate any arching. Lift your chest and keep your shoulders down while contracting your abdominal muscles.
4. Hold this position for as long as you feel comfortable.
5. Repeat 3–5 times.

The boat pose will stretch the psoas and strengthen the core, adductors, inner thighs, and the erector spinae, which play a role in the thoracic spine, ribcage, and head movement.

Lunge stretch

1. Maneuver into a lunge position, placing the left or right knee on the ground. Keep your chest upright.
2. Ensure your hips are square, and gently push your back hip forward so that you feel a deep stretch in your inner thigh.
3. Hold this position for 30–60 seconds.
4. Repeat 3–6 times on each side.

If it feels comfortable, lean your torso slightly backward to increase the stretch. This also stretches and strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, quads, ankles, and core.

Frog stretch

1. Lie on your stomach with your legs straight behind you.
2. Bend one knee to 90 degrees and extend it opposite the same hip. Ensure your leg stays flat on the ground, with your knee at a 90-degree angle and calf parallel to the straight leg.
3. Hold this pose for up to 1 minute. As your muscles strengthen, you may eventually be able to hold this pose for longer.
4. You can repeat this pose once per day, or a few times per week to build strength.

This stretch helps improve overall flexibility and range of motion. It also stretches the back muscles and relieves lower back tension.

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Benefits of strengthening the psoas

Strengthening the psoas offer the following benefits:

Sports performance improvement

Strengthening the psoas may help improve your mobility and strengthen the lower body. When the psoas is tight or weak, it affects hip mobility and shortens and weakens the glutes, which may impact sports performance, such as playing soccer or performing squats.

If you are a runner, strengthening the psoas can give you a greater ability to drive off the ground and run faster. This is because the length and strength of the psoas will affect hip extension. A tight or weak hip flexor means that the hip will not go into full extension and may slow you down.

Reducing back pain

As the psoas attaches to the lower back and femur, it acts as a back stabilizer and connector between the lower and upper body. A tight or short psoas can pull the lower back into a further curvature, causing a pelvic tilt and making you prone to lower back pain. 

Additionally, when we spend too much time sitting, the psoas can round, which will then pull on the back, possibly making you more prone to back pain and injury.

Helping with posture

The psoas supports good posture because your lumbar curve bears and transfers the weight above it.

It helps to create the lumbar curve as it pulls your vertebrae forward and down, playing an essential role in standing, walking, jogging, running, and sprinting.

Contacting a doctor

You should speak with a doctor if you are experiencing chronic lower back pain or discomfort that seems to worsen.

Pain radiating from the lumbar region into the thoracic and cervical areas could be a sign of a contracted psoas, which can lead to muscle spasms or tearing. It can possibly also lead to injuries in other surrounding muscles. If left untreated, this may lead to a disc herniation.

You may also have an underlying condition, such as arthritis of the hip, a psoas abscess, or iliopsoas bursitis, which is an inflammation of the bursa in the hip joint.

A doctor or healthcare professional can help diagnose or rule out these conditions.

Summary

The psoas muscle is a large muscle that is responsible for hip mobility and movement. Sitting for long periods or overusing the psoas muscle can weaken and shorten it, leading to pain and restricted movement.

Strengthening and stretching the psoas muscle can reduce the risk of injury and improve posture and quality of life.

If you experience any long-term pain, such as back pain or severe mobility issues in the hip flexor area, it is a good idea to have this checked by a doctor or healthcare professional. They can rule out any possible underlying conditions.

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