This week our theme has been "front to back," as in "what is the relationship between the front and the back of my body, and more specifically, between the muscles at the front and the back of my hip joint?"

~ we need active stabilization in every step of the walk – when we transfer weight from one foot to the other

~ gluts are the primary hip stabilizers; if they are sleepy / inhibited (as in when we spend a lot of time sitting on them!) – we will most likely overuse other hip / leg / abdominal muscles for stability, thus compromising hip and knee health and alignment.

~ healthy gluts support correct pelvic alignment and appropriate length of the pelvic floor muscles, especially at the back of the pelvic floor. Tight gluts can and often will contribute to tight back of the pelvic floor (vice versa is also true!).

~ in order for us to stabilize well, we need to know how to engage and also release / relax the glut. We spend a fair bit of time talking about hip flexion and mastering glut release in hip flexion; moving forward we need to focus on finding + activating the gluts.

~ when the gluts aren't doing their job someone else has to - one common strategy is to grip abdominal muscles or hold the breath to execute the movement.

~ gluts work as a reciprocal pair to the hip flexor group: part of their job is to pry tight hip flexors open.

~ they also function as a primary stabilizer so that we don't have to grip the abs (or other parts) to get where we are going!

Sleepy gluts can lead to tight hip flexors.

Tight hip flexors can lead to no hip extension when walking.

No hip extension when walking can lead to unhealthy changes in gait leading to hip, knee, and spine damage.

Here is what happens in the rest of the body when the hip flexor group (particularly psoas - the long muscle of the hip flexor group that starts deep in the groin and attaches all along the entire length of the lumber spine} is shortened:

Psoas has a lot of influence on the lumbar section of the spine. If / when it is shortened, it can pull the lumbar spine forward, changing the relationship between the front of the body (lengthens) and the back of the body ( shortens) 

~ back bottom ribs might slide down toward pelvis, and also forward, jutting the entire bottom rib cage forward (this will affect shoulder girdle function and breathing.)

~ it can also tip the pelvis forward, creating a more pronounced lumbar curve.

This is, of course if both left and right side are uniformly short, which, of course, never ever happens. In real life situations all of the above most often will be accompanied by a rotation of the rib cage or pelvis - because one side might be shorter / longer than the other.

A psoas that won't release can compress the disks in the spinal column, contributing to degenerative disk disease, prolapsing discs, and damaged spinal ligaments.

Psoas runs the entire length of the digestive system, so tension in psoas can also create a "standstill" in the intestines.

Psoas houses the lumbar plexus - a dense collection of nerves responsible for innervating abdomen, pelvic floor, deep hip rotators, and most of the muscles of the thigh. Contracted psoas can and will contribute to chronic pain below the deck.

If fact, symptoms of psoas syndrome may include:

(I've experienced most of these. Seriously, when psoas isn't happy, no one is!)

Lower back pain

Pain in the lumbosacral region (between lower back and buttocks) when sitting or changing positions

Pain when trying to stand in a fully erect posture

Pain in the buttocks

Radiation of pain down the leg

Groin pain

Pelvic pain

Limping or shuffling gait

Now that I've scared you enough, we'll spend the majority of our time together focusing on harmonious engagement through the back and front of the hip joint.

Hip hip hooray!