Massage Therapy for Triathletes
-The Triathlete’s Nemisis
Hello PSOAS!
Allow me to count the ways this muscle drives
me crazy. (When it’s not working properly that is)
Let’s take a
look at the task of this ever so powerful hip flexor.
The job of our Psoas muscle is to bring our torso towards
our thigh, bring our thigh towards our torso.
It can work bilateral or unilateral it also rotates the hip externally,
and aids in side bending and stabilization of the lumbar spine. Basically
it manages every sport we do as triathletes!
Let’s dive in to this
muscle shall we?
Very seldom is there a single triathlete I treat that I
don’t get to go after their Psoas
(grin).
The swim: This muscle gets worked in a lengthened
position when we swim; is asked to contract when we flip turn, it’s helping
with slight rotation as we breath, and it’s also helping us maintain balance in
the water. (do you every get a sore low back after a long swim session?)
The bike: Once we are out of the water and on to the
bike, we ask this Mr. Psoas to work REALLY hard in a shortened position. (I mean
look at those watt averages) The more aggressive areo position we are in on the
bike, the more we need to focus on the health of our hip flexors during our
recovery and foundation training. We spend
how much time on the bike- In a race it could be 15, 25, 56, 112 miles? I’m
guessing most of the triathletes reading this are more often in the 56 and 112
mile range. That’s a ton of time working
for those suckers in a shortened position.
At least you know if you’ve got hills, you’ll spend some time out of the
saddle climbing, standing and lengthening that hip position slightly. But what about those really flat fast races
where you’re hunkered down in a tight aero position for the entire race? Are
your hip flexors ready for that? Are
they elongated and healthy enough to set you up for a really fantastic
run? Or are they going to hold you back?
The run: We begin our run and pray Psoas isn’t cranking
our pelvis down and shortening our pelvic angle, pulling on our hamstrings
while we are running. (I’m sure no one
reading this has ever gotten off the bike and it took them a minute or 5 to feel like they can straighten
all the way into a standing position…think about it!) Just think how much longer and more powerful
our stride is when it’s just that, a full
stride. If our Psoas is allowed to
lengthen, giving more extension through our hip flexors, then a fantastic
phenomenon is achieved. Happy glute
muscles! We all know…it’s all about the
BUTT in the run! If your pelvis is
rotated forward, (pretend you’re running in 5 inch heels) you can’t properly
engage your glutes…which really means… Oh heck, I’m not even going to get into
all the issues that come from not utilizing our glutes properly, let’s just
surmise, it’s not pretty.
Ok, on second thought…I am going to give you a little list. The Psoas- this “Triathlete Nemisis”, is time and time
again know for causing low back pain, overstretched hamstrings (which most people
don’t realize are actually overstretched they just keep trying to stretch them
more -PLEASE STOP THAT- *breath*). In reality the Psoas is actually doing really
dirty work (and I’m not saying in a good way) pulling our pelvis into an
anterior tilt pulling our low back forward causing a strong lumbar curve. More-?.....side stitch when running, externally
rotation of the hip, tight IT band, secondary tugging at the knee causing a
torque at the knee. Knee cap not
tracking properly due to that external rotation of the hip; which then leads to
lower issues, possible Tibial fracture, plantar fasciitis….this list goes
on. Often times, there are even neck
imbalances due to a tight Psoas. Oh man,
maybe we’ll save the neck for another article.
The point of all of the above is
this:
What does this look like for you, the speedy, powerful,
unstoppable (until Psoas seizes) “Big
Sexy” Triathlete?
Find a therapist that’s REALLY good about evaluating your
imbalances. A massage therapist that can gently loosen, stretch and elongate your
Psoas muscles is a must; this work needs to be done properly. Now, allow me to explain; this is not
something that can happen in just one massage session. Psoas work is something that needs to take
place gradually, done too quickly and you’ll have a lot of rebalancing pain
that’s not necessary. As your Psoas muscle
lengthens, your posterior chain needs to have time to adapt to these
changes. It’s a bit of a pulley
system. Give a little, take a
little. Now, I’m not saying that gentle
work on the Psoas muscle won’t be painful.
There are times when working with clients; I can use just a couple of
lbs of pressure and they feel as if I’m driving a hot poker through the abdomen
to the back. It needs to be gradual, consistent
work.
A good therapist will be able to work all along the belly of
the Psoas muscle (see above diagram) from
just under the rib cage, following along the spine (through the abdominal wall) to just above the inguinal
ligament. The muscle goes under the
inguinal ligament, so they’ll need to pick it back up at the insertion on the
femur (thigh bone). Sometimes the point of attachment on the
femur can be pretty painful. Sometimes
it can feel like a groin pull or deep-aching, throbbing or sharp pain. The upper portion of the Psoas (just under
the rib cage but very deep) when worked on can give referral pain. Sometimes the discomfort goes straight
through to the back; sometimes it transfers through the entire stomach like a
burning sensation. It can feel like a
line that travels straight up and down, like a pain line from the center of the
trigger point, or it can be fascial adhesions that create a tearing
sensation. When your therapist is
working, you may have one side that is tighter than the other. The left and right sides are not always
equal, in fact, most often they are not.
Again, I reiterate, have this
work done gradually, over several weeks of time.
Your list- 1. Have a
therapist that knows how to work with the Psoas muscles. If your therapist doesn’t, ask them if
they’ll do a workshop on hips and pelvis with Psoas as a component. Then the two of you can grow together and you
don’t have to find a new therapist. 2.
Have Psoas worked on regularly (I have mine loosened with EVERY session that a
therapist treats me). 3. When you’re Psoas is happy and you feel the
difference, let me know! I love hearing
how much a healthy set of hip flexors changes an athlete’s life!
Best wishes
for a healthy, fast, powerful racing season!
Cindy McGuire, Licensed Massage Therapist
Owner of -Hands On Sports Massage
Article created by Cindy McGuire for “Big Sexy Racing”,
February 2014
