I used to have a little chuckle to myself when I saw gardening ads for strap on knee pads.  Designed for people with hip issues who had to kneel while fossicking around in the garden.

They always featured elderly nana style women with grey hair.

Well in my late 50’s and with greying hair….I’m not laughing to myself anymore.  It’s more….“What a bloody good idea!”

I have a niggly hip.  So squatting for hours in the garden is not my friend anymore.  The only other option is…kneeling!  And these knees now need a bit of padding!

The Psoas Muscle

One muscle that WILL negatively affect your hips and lower back, if it’s tight….is the Psoas Muscle.

This muscle should be stretched….daily.  It sits at the top of your groin and intersects with your QL muscle which is in your lower back.

If you sit a lot (or bend a lot) this psoas muscle tightens and shortens.  Which then pulls on your QL muscle and ends up giving you a sore lower back and hip issues.  This is a basic analogy of it!

So if you’re having lower back issues…stretch your psoas muscle.  You’ll be amazed how quickly it fixes your achy lower back.

The deepest stretches for this muscle often involve kneeling.  So if that puts you off because of dicky knee issues…

Give this stretch below a try..

It’s a cool alternative.  Plus at the same time, you get a strong hamstring (back of the leg) stretch on the opposite leg.

It feels soooo good!  And no pressure on your knees….win/win!

Start:

• Lay on your back.  Bend your knees and lift your butt up off the ground.
• Place the roller directly under your sacrum.  The bony part at the top of your butt.
• Check your head position. If your head’s at an awkward angle and the muscles at the front of your neck feel tight (touch them lightly with your fingertips to check), place a small folded up towel under your head.
• Extend one leg to straight.
• Clasp your hands around the back of your other leg and draw your knee in towards your chest.
• Stay for one minute and play around with the intensity of the position if you need to.
• Then repeat on the other side.