jellybeanbutterfly wrote:
Have your client scootch to the side of the table you're working on, and dangle his/her leg off of the table, with your hip against the table at his/her hip so the client doesn't fall off. You may need to brace yourself with a hand on the opposite Ilium for support. The edge of the table should be underneath the middle of the back of the leg. Now, press the knee down a little until you get a slight stretch, and after 15 seconds, have your client lift the knee resisting your hand for a brief moment. When the client releases, press the knee further, and continue this pattern until the client's toes touch the floor. This will gently stretch and release the psoas.
reneeb wrote:
I'm not sure if I can explain it well in writing, but have client supine, with knee bent and foot flat on table on the side you are on. Locate psoas by pressing lateral and downward to rectus abdominus and then do a knee jerk to feel muscle contract so you know you have contacted muscle. Then have client lower leg and raise arm above head at same time several times to release muscle, while you keep static pressure on the muscle. I have found this usually releases the psoas quite well.
You can also do the PIR for psoas, which is to have client sitting at edge of table, pull one knee to chest, tuck chin, and roll back onto table, still holding knee to chest. You then press on their extended leg down towards table and hold for 5 seconds while the client is resisting your pressing him to table. Have client relax and you press his leg further towards table. Do this at least 3 times, each time pressing his leg further into extension.
jay wrote:
There is a really great article in this month's Massage magazine about Psoas release. I have never worked with releasing the psoas, but this article describes some excellent self-administered techniques for working with the psoas, and also presents a different way of looking at it too. The authors say that the psoas is an extremely 'emotional' muscle, that is used by the body to protect against trauma, and so releasing it can release a lot of emotional/trauma issues. They recommend that any practitioner should spend a lot of time working with their own psoas, and understanding it, and releasing their own stored tensions there, before they work with a client's, otherwise they could get badly bitten by the counter-transference.
SATmassage wrote:
You can also do the PIR for psoas, which is to have client sitting at edge of table, pull one knee to chest, tuck chin, and roll back onto table, still holding knee to chest. You then press on their extended leg down towards table and hold for 5 seconds while the client is resisting your pressing him to table. Have client relax and you press his leg further towards table. Do this at least 3 times, each time pressing his leg further into extension.
With the client supine lift the leg of the affected side a few inches off the table, laterally rotate, and abduct a few inches off of center. From this position gently apply pressure into the hip along the long axis of the femur...wait for the release 15-60 seconds. This should not cause pain, but is very relieving to the client. Of course depending on the client you may have to adjust the leg's position slightly for best results. There are also variations that include movement of the ribs and lateral flexion of the trunk. It works very well.
Jenbo wrote:
Be careful hanging the leg off the side of the table and doing PNF on someone with an exaggerated anterior pelvic tilt. That technique is great to release psoas with someone who has 0 degrees of anterior tilt or even posterior tilt, which is not very common, but it can actually increase anterior tilt. Remember how many actions the psoas has. The best way I know to release psoas when the person has an exaggerated anterior tilt is this: have the client lie supine with one knee up and foot on the table. To locate the psoas draw a line from the navel to the ASIS. Then place your fingers just medial to that line about half way between the navel and ASIS. Place your elbow on the clients knee and have them gently pull the knee toward the chest. If you feel the muscle push against your fingers you are on it. Then have the client slowly slide the leg down the table and straighten the knee, dorsiflex the foot and laterally rotate the femur, and bring it back to neutral. Then slowly bring the knee back up. To increase the release they can extend the same arm above the head. Then move your fingers distally, find another point and have them do the motion again. You can also use this technique to release the Iliacus and the transverse and obliques.
2kneadyou wrote:
Try having the client lay in supine position, bring leg up with knee bent (ankle parallel with knee), push foot inward toward your client's superior and perform your PNF three times. You can also have client (in same position) bring foot out in opposite direction (laterally) and PNF this as well.
Texas-Gal wrote from rolfing experience:
A sample of the "psoas work"
Client supine (on the spine) with knees bent and soles of feet flat on the table
Practitioner stands at side of client facing toward the clients head
Practitioner places the fingers (hands in a knife edge type hold - lateral edge of hand is perpendicular to the floor and fingers are pointed toward the clients head) into the psoas region, firm but not so deep, and the client is asked to raise the sacrum/pelvis toward the ceiling. As the client does this, the therapist is able to go deeper with the fingers into the bilateral psoas and apply pressure. Client lets sacrum down as best possible, which is somewhat prohibited by the locking in of the fingers. (I felt an immediate sense of improvement in my psoas areas.) Practitioner removes fingers by "jiggling" them side to side as they come away from the tissue.
yrusore wrote:
The first thing to remember with the psoas, is that it is surrounded by guts, and neighbor to some large veins and arteries. I'm a believer inusing very light compression and high-intensity energy to gain access to deep tissues any where on the body. Dance with the tissues and you'll waltz your way in. The psoas requires your greatest patients here. Time and tenderness will get you there better than trying to force it. The ab. muscles may tense up to force you out if you use too much force. Likewise, there may be emotional guarding, ticklishness, or smoker's cough keeping you out.
Have you tried putting your client into a sidelying posture? I've had good results with this one when supine hasn't worked out. Not only does it shorten the muscle, but gravity does the job of displacing the internal organs. Gravity also gets excess ab.-fat out of the way, so it is usually the first approach I'll take on a larger client.
Taken from: http://www.bodyworkonline.com/forum/vie ... php?t=2556
) is that it eliminates the bad odor. I keep a pump bottle of it at the foot of my table and use it on everyones feet - not just the smelly ones! Most people do not seem to be aware that I am using something different when I get to their feet. It also leaves no residue, so no chance of them slipping when they get off the table like you might get with other products !
). The one part of the technqiue that I think is special, is the 