Got a deep tissue massage last week. I asked the therapists to eval my tissues as she was working.
Looked above average she said. Couple minor knots in my traps and cervical regions. But nothing to be concerned with. Makes sense with lots of cervical flexion in my proffesion.
I asked her to primarily concentrate on my lower body and hip flexors. Said everything felt good there too. She explored a little bit and wanted to check my iliopsoas, since I complained of tight hip flexors.
BINGO!!! She found the cause of the tight hip flexors. She aksed if I wanted them ti be massaged. Warning me that many people don’t like it as it is very uncomfortable. I told her to go for it. She used almost all of her pressure, and the most I felt was a slight discomfort. But it felt great. I felt it the next day though, when showering. Very tender. But still felt better.
Ah, the tenderloin! Sometimes, when my lower back aches and the usual stretches for quad lumborum and piriformis don’t seem to touch it, I eventually realize it’s the tight iliopsoas pulling down on the back of my lower ribs. If leg workouts have led to sorenes that makes it difficult to raise my foot to put my socks on, I know it’s the iliopsoas.
A simple stretch for a tight one is to bend the knee so your foot is behind you, reach back and grab your ankle, and pull the foot back–you’re trying to open up the angle between your torso and thigh, not just stretch the quads.
Or find something butt-high that you can stand with your back to and put your foot on, then lean your upper body back.
Or lie face down, and do a pushup except just press your torso up; leave your hips on the mat. The compression on your lower spine might be a problem, depending on any other issues, so be careful when you finish and get up again.