Hi,
I just started a new exercise regime (a 6 week class I am paying for, its an hour a day every week day) - I am a 37 year old woman, in good physical shape and no health problems... I was doing well for my first week... Until friday rolled around and I started to get this stabbing pain (very painful) right next to my left hip... I went to my chiropractor later in the day and she said it was my psoas muscle... She showed me a technique to release it which does help some, but as soon as I start exercising the pain comes back pretty quickly... it's not there at all when I run or jog - but when I try to do sit ups, crunches, leg lifts, etc thats where it hurts... Its a little over from my left hip... After I did some digging on the internet I learned that the muscle doesn't get exercised much normally and can get shortened which I am betting is what happened... Any suggestions on what I can do - I am paying a lot for this 6 weeks class and will just cry if I am going to have to not go, and therefore kiss goodbye the money I spent... I can deal with a little pain, but not this stabbing pain, not to mention I don't want to completely destroy a muscle or cause some major problem for myself... Any suggestions?
help - having pain in my psoas muscle!
Re: help - having pain in my psoas muscle!
Sounds like you are getting professional advice already and know what you are up against, since you have seen your chiropractor, but if it is still a puzzle, perhaps worth exploring.
Can you describe the 5X/week exercise regime that led to your injury? What did you do for exercise before starting this 6-week class? What is the technique your chiropractor showed you to release the psoas muscle?
As Kurz often points out, if anything hurts, cease the exercise that causes the pain until you feel better.
Rest can mean as little as 2-7 days off, depending on nature of the injury. If you feel the stress deep in a muscle, perhaps it is possible to get back into your routine within 3 days; if closer to the tendons, or sharp muscle pain, give it a week or more. Typical of a tendon pain is that it feels better once you have warmed up, but hurts continually when you are cold. Deep but not sharp muscle pain (the ok kind that follows a strong workout), should respond well to a somewhat lighter workout of the same type 2-3 days later, then subside.
Sounds like a type of hip flexor strain to me. See: http://www.exrx.net/Muscles/Iliopsoas.html or http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/sma/sma_iliopsoa_sma.htm
I had one a few weeks back, gave it one week with rehab and was fine in seven days. The key, however, is I ceased doing anything that made it hurt and worked in both stretch and strengthen rehabilitative exercises using body weight and resistance tubing. My injury wasn't quite like yours. I injured the pectineus ("g" in the illustration), so crunches didn't hurt, but leg lifts did. Walking or running didn't hurt, either.
Might not hurt to stretch and strengthen the illiotibial band, as well. http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/sma/sma_knee-ili_sma.htm . This muscle runs from the top of the outside hip to the outside of the knee. My left is tight and I feel that stretch the most just outside the top of the hip. To strengthen this muscle, work on hip articulations (which also may be found at exrx.net)
Tough as it may be to sit out of class, especially when you have paid for a fixed time frame to work out, it may be worth it in the long run.
Best regards,
Cindy
Can you describe the 5X/week exercise regime that led to your injury? What did you do for exercise before starting this 6-week class? What is the technique your chiropractor showed you to release the psoas muscle?
As Kurz often points out, if anything hurts, cease the exercise that causes the pain until you feel better.
Rest can mean as little as 2-7 days off, depending on nature of the injury. If you feel the stress deep in a muscle, perhaps it is possible to get back into your routine within 3 days; if closer to the tendons, or sharp muscle pain, give it a week or more. Typical of a tendon pain is that it feels better once you have warmed up, but hurts continually when you are cold. Deep but not sharp muscle pain (the ok kind that follows a strong workout), should respond well to a somewhat lighter workout of the same type 2-3 days later, then subside.
Sounds like a type of hip flexor strain to me. See: http://www.exrx.net/Muscles/Iliopsoas.html or http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/sma/sma_iliopsoa_sma.htm
I had one a few weeks back, gave it one week with rehab and was fine in seven days. The key, however, is I ceased doing anything that made it hurt and worked in both stretch and strengthen rehabilitative exercises using body weight and resistance tubing. My injury wasn't quite like yours. I injured the pectineus ("g" in the illustration), so crunches didn't hurt, but leg lifts did. Walking or running didn't hurt, either.
Might not hurt to stretch and strengthen the illiotibial band, as well. http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/sma/sma_knee-ili_sma.htm . This muscle runs from the top of the outside hip to the outside of the knee. My left is tight and I feel that stretch the most just outside the top of the hip. To strengthen this muscle, work on hip articulations (which also may be found at exrx.net)
Tough as it may be to sit out of class, especially when you have paid for a fixed time frame to work out, it may be worth it in the long run.
Best regards,
Cindy
-
marinasusan
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Jun 15, 2008 20:56
Re: help - having pain in my psoas muscle!
Hi Cindy!
I was physically active before - but I will admit it was mostly through workout tapes, belly dance type and aerobic type tapes primarily... Which I would do every other day generally. The exercise regime I started was extreme boot camp - and actually overall I feel real good. The psoas muscle I understand can also shorten, and I suspect thats what happened instead of really pulling it... The exercise is stretching or lengthening the muscle which is where the pain comes in. Thats what I think is happening. Because the pain is not as much as it was... It seems the more exercise I do now, the less the pain is... Of course I have other pains and aches from my workout (although nothing that is too horrible) - that too is lessening the more I do, the better condition my body gets in...
Extreme boot camp is a 6 week class, an hour every day at 5:30am and although it sounds harsh - the guys who run it all have degrees in phys ed of some kind. They run it as a very nice version of military boot camp - never harsh or mean. if you have a problem or an injury tell them and they will help where they can. If you can't do something although they would like to know why - you don't have to do it... Just like when we are stretching there are a few stretches that hurt too much, put too much of a stain on the psoas which I am having a problem with, so I do a variant of it as much as I can instead... It's actually one of the best programs I have done. It's putting me into the best shape I have ever been in, and I am only into my second week of the program. Am running much further and having much more stamina/strength than ever... Of course like I said I do have aches and pains afterwards but thats only temporary and certainly worth it in my opinion... Sorry - didn't want to sound like a commerical there, but just wanted to voice my opinion on the program cause I know what people think when you say extreme boot camp
....
I was physically active before - but I will admit it was mostly through workout tapes, belly dance type and aerobic type tapes primarily... Which I would do every other day generally. The exercise regime I started was extreme boot camp - and actually overall I feel real good. The psoas muscle I understand can also shorten, and I suspect thats what happened instead of really pulling it... The exercise is stretching or lengthening the muscle which is where the pain comes in. Thats what I think is happening. Because the pain is not as much as it was... It seems the more exercise I do now, the less the pain is... Of course I have other pains and aches from my workout (although nothing that is too horrible) - that too is lessening the more I do, the better condition my body gets in...
Extreme boot camp is a 6 week class, an hour every day at 5:30am and although it sounds harsh - the guys who run it all have degrees in phys ed of some kind. They run it as a very nice version of military boot camp - never harsh or mean. if you have a problem or an injury tell them and they will help where they can. If you can't do something although they would like to know why - you don't have to do it... Just like when we are stretching there are a few stretches that hurt too much, put too much of a stain on the psoas which I am having a problem with, so I do a variant of it as much as I can instead... It's actually one of the best programs I have done. It's putting me into the best shape I have ever been in, and I am only into my second week of the program. Am running much further and having much more stamina/strength than ever... Of course like I said I do have aches and pains afterwards but thats only temporary and certainly worth it in my opinion... Sorry - didn't want to sound like a commerical there, but just wanted to voice my opinion on the program cause I know what people think when you say extreme boot camp
....