Understand Psoas Syndrome, Can It Cause Back Pain?

Causes, Symptoms, Impacts, How to Prevent and Treat Psoas Syndrome

The psoas muscle is one of the main motor muscles in the hips and contains a pair of long muscles (psoae). Psoae extends from the lower back to the upper hips on both sides of the spine and is attached to every 5 vertebrae. Psoae fuses with the muscles of the Iliacus so this group of muscles is called the Iliopsoas.

The role of the Iliopsoas muscle group is to make it easier for the body to walk, lift the upper leg closer to the body (flexion position), flex the hip joint, and help the sitting position when lifting the knee. However, just like other muscles, the psoas muscle can also experience tension and injury known as psoas syndrome. If left untreated, psoas syndrome can spread to other parts of the body, causing back pain.

To understand psoas syndrome further, let's look at the following explanation.

A. Causes of Psoas Syndrome

Generally, psoas syndrome occurs because the psoas muscle is overused or, conversely, moves too little. Psoas syndrome can occur in anyone, although most cases occur in athletes and dancers. Some of these things can cause psoas syndrome:

1. Unhealthy lifestyle such as being lazy and not doing enough physical activity (sedentary lifestyle);
2. Sleep in a curled up position;
3. There are chronic problems in other muscle areas, such as the abdominal muscles, posterior spinal muscles, and back or hip muscles so that the body is unstable and the psoas muscle works hard to maintain body balance;
4. The psoas muscle is too stretched during activity or exercise;
5. Using too many hip muscles; And
6. In some cases, psoas syndrome can occur without a clear cause which is called idiopathic psoas syndrome.

B. The link between Psoas Syndrome and Back Pain

The psoas muscle is located in the front of the body and doesn't seem to be directly related to the back, but the psoasis syndrome can actually cause back pain. (back pain). It's because the psoas are attached to the facet joint to make the lower spine shift while putting pressure on the lower disk. As a result, when the psoas muscle is tense, it can affect the pelvis and change the posture of the body causing pain in the sacroiliac joint.

C. Symptoms of Psoas Syndrome

1. Pain and/or stiffness in the thighs, hips, pelvis, buttocks and groin;
2. Pain that gets worse when bending the hip, such as walking, standing up straight, stretching your legs, going up and down stairs, squatting, or rising from sitting;
3. Hip or groin sounds that can be heard and felt when doing activities using the psoas muscle;
4. The hip and groin area experiences pain when pressed; as well as
5. Limping or having difficulty walking due to pain that radiates to the leg.

D. Tips for Preventing and Overcoming Psoas Syndrome

1. Try to continue to pay attention to good and correct body position when sitting and sleeping. Sit in an upright position and lie down in a position that is not curled up.
2. Do stretching regularly so that your body muscles don't become stiff because they don't move. Stretching can increase muscle flexibility, increase blood circulation to the muscles, and carry oxygen and nutrients needed to strengthen and repair muscles. Stretching can also be done briefly after waking up or during work breaks. Stretching can be done for 20-30 seconds and can be repeated 10 times a day. Quoting Body and Health Creation, the body stretching methods that can be done are as follows:
   • Start by positioning your body half kneeling
   • One hand is placed on the inside of the front leg, while the other arm is raised upwards
   • Turn your hands towards your knees that are on the ground and bend your body to the side in the direction of your front leg
   • Do it on both sides of the body alternately
3. If you just want to start a new exercise routine, such as lifting weights, start with small targets first on a regular basis and don't force your body to immediately exercise at high intensity, for example, starting from lifting the lightest weights first. Likewise, if you have to do activities such as going up and down stairs or squatting, prepare your muscles so you don't feel shocked.
4. Warm up before exercising and cool down after completing exercise. Exercising without proper warm-up and cool-down can make muscles stiff and tense. Warming up makes the muscles feel more ready for use. This is because when exercising, muscles produce lactic acid as a result of anaerobic metabolism. Then, cooling down will help reduce the production of lactic acid in the muscles so that muscle stiffness and fatigue are reduced, as well as the risk of muscle injury.
5. When your psoas muscle starts to feel sore, painful, or tense, avoid activities that use the psoas muscle too much. You can also apply the RICE method as first aid, namely:
   • Rest (R): rest the muscles that feel sore
   • Ice (I): Cool your psoas muscle with ice for 20 minutes to reduce pain
   • Compress (C): If possible, bandage the painful part of the psoas muscle to limit blood flow
   • Elevate (E): Position your psoas muscle higher than the rest of your body. If possible, lie in a supine position so that your psoas muscles are not crushed and bear the weight of your body.
6. According to Metro Pain, one way to treat psoas syndrome is with massage treatment. So, come to PHRM Indonesia to get Remedial Massage treatment and care consultation. PHRM will help return muscles to their normal position and shape. Immediately schedule your arrival and choose the therapist you want. PHRM Indonesia will provide a specialist full body muscle massage, without oil, fast, precise and hassle-free!

By: Rastianta Rinandani dan Glen Tanihatoe

Source:

• https://www.metropain.com.au/psoas-syndrome
• https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15721-psoas-syndrome#symptoms-and-causes
• https://www.verywellhealth.com/iliopsoas-syndrome-3119340
• https://www.bodyandhealthcreation.com.au/where-is-the-psoas-muscle-find-out-how-it-connects-with-low-back-pain/
• https://www.freepik.com