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psoas muscle pain

updated mon 13 may 02

 

e wilson farrington on sat 11 may 02


Jon,
I am fortunate to be married to a gifted massage therapist who LOVES =
deep work--especially that pesky psoas muscle. Maybe it's because he's a =
little sadistic--I'm not sure. But as far as I know, the psoas can only =
be accessed abdominally since it really lies against the back wall of =
the midsection. My psoas causes me many problems after I have been =
lifting items I shouldn't have been. It can impinge on the bowel, among =
other things. It can be a little painful to have it worked on by a =
trained professional, but it is worth the discomfort and the price to =
have an experienced therapist work on that area. (I was just thinking =
about that today as I was moving my large indoor plants in large heavy =
planters to the side porch for the summer. I could just feel my psoas =
having a freak-out attack...) The psoas can become so contracted that in =
the past my doctor thought I had some type of tumor upon abdominal =
palpation. Not to worry--only a psoas in spasm! Prevention is key; =
however, if you are like me you do lots of things you shouldn't because =
it is in your "vision" of what you need to accomplish. If you do not =
have someone locally, contact the American Massage Therapy Association =
(AMTA) for a list of certified massage therapists in your area. =
Cheers!----Wilson

Gavin Stairs on sun 12 may 02


At 07:43 PM 11/05/2002, e wilson farrington wrote:
>... But as far as I know, the psoas can only
>be accessed abdominally since it really lies against the back wall of
>the midsection. ...

I once had the good fortune to consult a massage therapist who had a
technique for the psoas which got at the very end of it where it inserts
into the thigh, just in the crack of the joint, from the posterior. What
she did was to palpate for the right spot, and then press steadily, quite
hard, for a long time-- I think well over a minute-- with her finger tips,
to induce a relaxation reflex. It worked, and no deep abdominal stuff
required.

Gavin