Psoas Muscle Pain: Causes, Symptoms, and How to Find Relief

Lower back pain and hip discomfort are common. The hips and lumbar spine are complex structures, comprising multiple joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Stress and strain on any of those structures can lead to pain.

One of the possible causes for hip and back pain is strain or inflammation of the psoas muscle. The psoas muscle is a deep hip flexor that connects the spine to the hips to support leg movement. When it gets injured or irritated, the pain can make it difficult to go about daily activities.

The good news is that psoas muscle pain will go away with proper care, but you may need to see a healthcare provider to get a diagnosis and the right treatment plan.

What Is Psoas Syndrome?

The psoas major muscles are a pair of muscles that extend from each side of your lower spine to the top of the leg. The psoas muscles are located deep below the surface, positioned beneath the gluteus and quadratus femoris muscles.

The psoas muscles stretch or flex every time you lift your legs or bend at the waist. They help stabilize the spine, as well as facilitate movements like walking, standing up, or sitting down.

If you strain, irritate, or injure one or both of the psoas muscles, the result is lower back and sit bone pain that can radiate down into the upper leg. Experts sometimes refer to it as “psoas syndrome” or “psoas tightness/strain.”

In some cases, psoas major muscle pain can be severe enough that you limp or shuffle your feet when you walk.

Because the muscle is placed so far below the skin, you might not be able to tell exactly where the pain originates. You might also find that you can’t easily massage or stretch the muscles to relieve the pain.

Common Causes of Psoas Muscle Pain

Psoas pain is typically caused by injuring or straining the muscles. That can happen through repetitive motions or from keeping the muscles in one position for long periods of time. Common reasons for psoas syndrome include:

• Prolonged Sitting: If you spend many hours per day in a seated position, the muscles can tighten into that shortened position. When you are standing or active, the muscle feels stiff and sore, which can make it difficult to move.
• Poor Posture: Unbalanced posture, especially if you spend a lot of time on your feet, can lead to psoas pain, as can sleeping in positions that strain or twist the muscles.
• Repetitive Movement: Intense exercise that requires continuous hip flexor motion can lead to strain and inflammation of the psoas. Running, cycling, dancing, rowing, or sit-ups can cause or aggravate psoas syndrome.
• Sudden Trauma or Injury: You can injure the psoas muscles by tearing or straining them. Sudden, awkward movements, improper lifting technique, or injuries from falling or twisting can all affect the psoas muscles.

Symptoms of Psoas Syndrome

Psoas syndrome has some characteristic symptoms. These can help you recognize when your lower back pain is caused by psoas strain or inflammation:

• Deep, dull ache in the lower back
• Pain in the front of the hip or groin area
• Difficulty standing up straight after sitting for a long time
• Pain when lifting the knee
• Difficulty walking
• Radiating pain down the leg

There are other issues that can cause lower back, hip, and leg pain, including:

• Sciatica: Intense shooting pain down the sides of the leg can occur due to compression of the sciatic nerve.
• IT Band syndrome: This involves hip, leg, and knee pain due to irritation of the iliotibial band (IT band), a tendon that runs down the outside of the leg from the hip to the knee.
• Piriformis syndrome: The piriformis muscle runs from the lower spine through the back of the pelvis to the top of the thighs. It can get inflamed, leading to muscle spasms, pain, numbness, or tingling in the back and legs.

Managing Your Psoas Muscle Pain

A combination of home care and stretching can help with psoas muscle pain relief. Reducing inflammation will help with pain in the short term, and consistent stretching will keep the muscles flexible so they don’t get tight and sore again in the future.

Relief for Muscle Pain

• Heat/Cold Therapy: A combination of heat and cold therapy can reduce inflammation and loosen tight muscles. Wrap a cold pack in a towel to protect your skin and apply it to the affected area for 10 to 15 minutes. For heat, you can use a heated towel or heating pad, or soak in a warm bath. You can apply heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Physical Therapy: A physical therapist can assess your needs and provide exercises to relieve pain and prevent recurrence.
• Medication: Over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen can help with psoas muscle pain. If those medications aren’t working, a healthcare provider can prescribe stronger pain relievers or muscle relaxants to reduce spasm and tightness in the psoas.

Psoas Syndrome Exercises

Gentle stretching can loosen tight muscles to make movement easier:

• Knee-to-chest stretch
• Pigeon pose (90/90 hip stretch)
• Side-lying hip stretch

In addition to stretching, try doing sets of psoas muscle pain relief exercises, such as:

• Hip flexor raises
• Bridge pose
• Lunges

Prevention

You can prevent future episodes of psoas pain by keeping the muscles strong and supple and being conscious of how you sit, sleep, and move. Take some common-sense steps to avoid flare-ups of psoas pain, including:

• Use correct posture when standing and sitting
• Take regular movement breaks on the job to avoid workplace injury to the psoas muscles
• Make your workspace more ergonomic
• Find a balanced workout plan
• Do a proper warm-up and cool-down
• Take time for rest and recovery

When To Seek Medical Help

If you have persistent back or leg pain, you can see a healthcare provider. They can determine the cause of your pain and suggest treatment. You should make an appointment with a healthcare provider if:

• Pain is sudden and intense
• Pain does not improve after several days of rest and at-home care
• You have difficulty walking or bearing weight on the affected side
• You need to rule out another cause of pain, such as kidney stones, appendicitis, or a herniated disc

Urgent care facilities can see you quickly and offer the same level of care you would get in your primary care provider’s office. Urgent care providers can give you an accurate diagnosis, perform X-rays on-site if needed, and refer you to a physical therapist when appropriate. They can also prescribe anti-inflammatories to ease symptoms.

Fast Diagnosis and Relief are Available Today

If you’re experiencing persistent or worsening lower back pain that doesn’t improve after a week or so, Next Level Urgent Care can help. Visit one of our convenient locations daily between 9 AM and 9 PM or download the Next Level app to schedule an appointment.