Understanding the Psoas Muscle: How This Hidden Hip Flexor Impacts Back Pain and Stress — Chiropractic Care in Sanford, FL
- Dr. Sammer Yacoub
- Oct 16
- 4 min read
Why the Psoas Matters More Than You Think
If you’ve been dealing with stubborn low back or hip pain and nothing else seems to help, the psoas might be the missing piece. Many patients are surprised to learn that this deep core muscle can silently contribute to years of discomfort, even when imaging or other treatments haven’t revealed a clear cause.
The psoas muscle is one of the most overlooked but important muscles in the body. It connects the lower spine to the femur, playing a key role in posture, stability, and movement. When tight or shortened, it can contribute to back pain, hip tightness, and even affect your breathing and digestion. Because it sits deep within the core, tension in the psoas often goes unnoticed—yet it influences nearly every step you take and every breath you draw.
At Journey Spinal Care in Sanford, we often see this pattern in desk workers, athletes, and even those under chronic stress. The psoas isn’t just another muscle—it’s a core stabilizer, a posture influencer, and even part of your body’s stress response system.
When this muscle tightens, it can contribute to lower-back pain, pelvic imbalance, hip stiffness, and even shallow breathing.
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Anatomy 101: Attachments, Function, and Innervation
The psoas major originates from the sides of your T12–L5 vertebrae and travels down to attach to the lesser trochanter of the femur. Alongside it, the iliacus muscle originates from the inner surface of your pelvis (iliac fossa). Together, they form the iliopsoas complex—the body’s main hip flexor.
Innervation: The psoas is supplied primarily by the lumbar plexus (L1–L3), while the iliacus receives input from the femoral nerve. Because of this connection, tension in the psoas can directly affect lumbar nerve roots, influencing back and leg sensations.
The psoas also shares fascial connections with the diaphragm, linking your breathing patterns to your posture and stress levels. When breathing becomes shallow, the diaphragm and psoas both tighten, reinforcing physical and emotional tension.
👉 Learn more about Dr. Sammer’s holistic approach here
The Biomechanical Chain: How the Psoas Affects Movement and Posture
The psoas plays a critical role in the gait cycle, especially during the swing phase, when it lifts the leg forward. A tight or shortened psoas pulls the pelvis into an anterior tilt, increases lumbar compression, and limits hip extension.
Over time, this leads to compensations in nearby muscles:
Glutes become underactive,
Hamstrings overstretch,
Low-back muscles work overtime to stabilize the spine.
Real-life examples we often see:
Desk workers: Prolonged sitting keeps the psoas in a shortened position, leading to hip and back stiffness.
Anxious individuals: Shallow breathing tightens the diaphragm and psoas together, fueling the stress-tension cycle.
Athletes and runners: Overuse without proper stretching or balance work leads to chronic tightness and pelvic misalignment.
👉 Read our related post on Posture to see how small changes can improve your biomechanics.
The Mind-Body Connection: Stress, Breathing, and the Fight-or-Flight Response
The psoas is often called the “emotional muscle.” When the body senses stress, the nervous system triggers a fight-or-flight response—tightening the psoas to prepare for movement.
But when stress becomes chronic, that muscle never fully relaxes. This can result in persistent low-back tension, hip discomfort, fatigue, and even digestive issues from constant abdominal compression.
At Journey Spinal Care, we take a whole-body approach—combining chiropractic adjustments, bodywork, and breathing retraining to help reset your nervous system. Relaxing this chain not only relieves pain but also restores your body’s sense of calm.
👉 Learn more about our integrative approach with Marcus, LMT and explore Thorne supplements that may support muscle relaxation when appropriate.
How Chiropractic Care and Bodywork Help Release the Psoas
Addressing psoas tension effectively means treating both the mechanical and neurological causes.Here’s how we help in-office:
Gentle chiropractic adjustments restore pelvic and lumbar mobility.
Flexion-distraction technique and intersegmental traction relieve spinal pressure and encourage mobility.
Soft-tissue therapy and stretching reduce tightness through direct and indirect psoas release.
Targeted home exercises—like 90-90 breathing and pelvic tilts—help retrain posture and promote long-term stability.
This combination promotes balance through the entire kinetic chain—not just the symptom.
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When and Why to Seek Care
If your psoas is chronically tight, you might experience:
Ongoing low-back or hip pain
Uneven posture or a noticeable pelvic tilt
Hip clicking, limited range of motion, or gait changes
Fatigue, shallow breathing, or stress that feels “stuck” in the body
Ignoring these signs allows compensation patterns to worsen over time, leading to SI joint dysfunction, disc irritation, or altered lumbar curves. Early treatment helps your body move naturally again—before chronic tension becomes structural.
👉 Book online or contact us to start your recovery journey.
Your Journey to Recovery
If you’ve been struggling with persistent hip or lower-back pain and nothing seems to help, it may be time to look deeper. The psoas muscle could be the key to understanding — and finally relieving — your discomfort.
At Journey Spinal Care in Sanford, FL, we take a whole-body approach to identifying root causes, combining chiropractic care, bodywork, and tailored movement strategies to help you move and feel better.
💚 Ready to take the next step? You can book your appointment online, explore our FAQs for common questions about treatment, or contact us to learn more.
You can also call or text 321-926-4565 — we’ll be happy to answer your questions and help you schedule your visit.t.
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