Psoas-asaurus

That title is for my eldest brother. He suggested it a while back and at the time I chuckled. As time goes on and it continues to bother me, it really has become a bit like a big, annoying dinosaur. So now, I find it appropriate.

I’m writing this post for a hip-y friend of mine who is currently 10 months post-PAO (go you!) and is having issues with their psoas. I wanted to just give a quick synopsis on what my journey with the psoas has been like.

Oh, the psoas and I…a somewhat tumultuous journey.

I’ll start by saying that (as of lately) my psoas pain has not been bad at all. It’s now more of a range-of-motion thing, as opposed to before when it was actually limiting my mobility. And also, overall, the pain has never been to the point of needing treatment (other than PT), I’ve always just worked through it.

So, the psoas pain really started after I was walking again in May and I first posted about it on May 24^th (Snappin’ Snappin’Snappin’). It happened, for me, after my second surgery. At first it was so tight that I would feel it pulling and rubbing over the front of the joint as I took a full step. It was so tight that it hurt to the touch. It was awful.

For a long time, it kept me from taking a full step and I’d have to limp as a result of it. I worked with Tom (my PT) to loosen it up and get me walking normally. We did a lot of focused stretching and several exercises to try and strengthen the area to help stabilize everything. Overall, it took me about 2 months to work this issue out. This included PT twice a week and working on it on my own as well.

For stretching, Tom had me do these stretches the most:

Stand with bad psoas leg in the back, make sure to tilt pelvis forward.

This one is really awkward...but it's so helpful. Bad psoas leg down, good up.

The exercises I did to help stretch it and also strengthen it were these:

 And also this exercise with the ab dolly:

 I would stand with RPAO-ed leg on the floor and my good leg on the dolly, I used my good leg to move the dolly forward in front of me as far as I was able, and then I would swing it out to the side and behind me in a circle. Then I would pull it straight forward into its starting position. This creates a big circle. While doing this, you’re obviously bending your right knee a little and you’re in the ever-popular “athletic position.” I also would go in only one direction as well. So, move the dolly back as far as I could, then bring it back forward, then to the front and back, etc. This one worked my psoas really, really hard.

Good leg on the dolly, foot in the center.

Just so you can see the way the dolly moves.

So, that's really it! I never called the doctor or considered having anything done for it. Personally, I just wanted to try and work on it on my own and try and address it with PT.  

Now, about a year after PAO, I still have some residual psoas issues. I have some range of motion issues some days, when the psoas is really tight. I still have to stretch it from time to time...but it's certainly come a long way over the last 5 months. 

I can't say that it really bothers me regularly anymore. I do feel it almost all the time. If I have to lift my leg for anything at all, I feel the soreness. But it is light-years better than it was. It is tolerable, and mostly just annoying at this point. I will say that I still, definitely, have weakness in the leg, and the psoas issues contribute to that.

Let me know if you have any further questions on how I addressed my psoas issues...I'm always happy to help!

Thanks guys!,

-D xox