One muscle that deserves special attention is the psoas (pronounced so as). The psoas connects the torso to the legs, with the main attachments located anteriorly at lumbar spine.  More specifically, it originates at the twelfth thoracic vertebrae and all five lumbar vertebrae (deep to the belly button, lower abdominal muscles, and behind the intestines) and travels down to attach to the top of the femur (upper leg bone).  The action of the psoas is to flex the thigh at the hip and assist in extension of the lumbar spine.  In other words, it helps us to stabilize and bend forward and backward from the lower abdomen, take a step forward, and walk up and down stairs.

 

When the psoas is strained, tense or weak, we may feel pain in our lower back, sacrum and lower abdomen while performing simple movements such as walking or getting up from a chair.  Since this muscle is so deep inside the body, treatment of an over-strained, weak or tight psoas muscle must include safe and specific stretching and strengthening exercises.  Pilates and Yoga are excellent choices as the instructors are highly trained professionals with your safety in mind.

 

Knowing that the action of the psoas muscle helps us to take a step forward, this easily brings us to thoughts about the emotional aspect of the muscle.  Whether it is a welcome or unwelcome change as we take a step in a new direction such as a new job or relationship, sometimes people experience tension within this muscle.  This is also the muscle that contracts as we curl up into a fetal position during an intensely fearful or traumatic event.  Muscles will sometimes stay tense long after the event is over.

 

As far as acupuncture is concerned, a muscle this deep is not reachable using acupuncture needles.  However, the Stomach channel (the channels in Chinese medicine are named after organs) follows the path of the psoas major and minor muscles interiorly and exteriorly.  With this in mind, we can energetically reach the psoas in order to help balance the system by using the points along the Stomach channel.  Since Chinese medicine and acupuncture addresses the whole person physically and emotionally, people find that they receive much more than they thought they would from their acupuncture visits.