PSOAS Muscle !

[Twp06242014]

There is talk onthe Ejaculatory Anhedonia forum about the Psoas Muscle which is inthe lower back and pelvis area and has a wide ramge of affects on the body, impacting the vagus nerve, body relaxation, ejaculation, stress, digestion, etc.

The muscle can become too tight and wound up after trauma or stressful experiences.  Through proper exercises the muscle can be "released" which can have a profound impact on wellbeing.

One member on the other forum mentioned that after managing to "release" his Psoas muscle, he now feels like his brain is "turned on" and he can feel his pineal gland and vagus nerve and his ability to orgasm is coming back and lots of other positive improvements in his wellbeing.

I think this might have some benefit to us.  I am going to read up on this Psoas muscle in the coming days and hopefully will report back my findings and personal experience trying to release it.

[Quantum]

There is talk onthe Ejaculatory Anhedonia forum about the Psoas Muscle which is inthe lower back and pelvis area and has a wide ramge of affects on the body, impacting the vagus nerve, body relaxation, ejaculation, stress, digestion, etc.

The muscle can become too tight and wound up after trauma or stressful experiences.  Through proper exercises the muscle can be "released" which can have a profound impact on wellbeing.

One member on the other forum mentioned that after managing to "release" his Psoas muscle, he now feels like his brain is "turned on" and he can feel his pineal gland and vagus nerve and his ability to orgasm is coming back and lots of other positive improvements in his wellbeing.

I think this might have some benefit to us.  I am going to read up on this Psoas muscle in the coming days and hopefully will report back my findings and personal experience trying to release it.

Interesting, Twp.  I also have EA, and I have always thought that there is a link between my EA and my POIS.  I have started working with a tennis ball and a softball, a few days ago, probably after having read the same thread you have on the EA forum.  I have found supplements that help prevent my POIS symptoms, but they do nothing so far for EA.  I started this fascia release work mostly to help with EA, but it could help also to lower POIS intensity.

I will sure be interested to hear about your personal experience of releasing the psoas and pelvic muscles.

[Twp06242014]

Interesting, Twp.  I also have EA, and I have always thought that there is a link between my EA and my POIS.  I have started working with a tennis ball and a softball, a few days ago, probably after having read the same thread you have on the EA forum.  I have found supplements that help prevent my POIS symptoms, but they do nothing so far for EA.  I started this fascia release work mostly to help with EA, but it could help also to lower POIS intensity.

I will sure be interested to hear about your personal experience of releasing the psoas and pelvic muscles.

Yes it is interesting, i believe more and more that all of this stuff is delicately interconnected.  depression, anxiety, digestive disorder, brain fog, fatigue, EA, acne, flu-like illness symptoms, poor sleep, appetite problems..... the list goes on.  Its interesting because some years ago when my problems began to unfold over time, i did not connect them together but as time goes by i see more relationships between everything.  When the body is in balance, mentally physically socially emotionally etc, it becomes a virtuous circle and when things are not in balance it becomes a vicious cycle tough to break out of.   From what i am learning, the PSOAS muscle is at the core of our being, and it needs to be in a relaxed state most of the time. 

Please keep me updated on your progress and i will keep you updated on mine.

[Nightingale]

Very interesting. I recently became a personal trainer, and the psoas mucle has been a fascinating one to learn more about. I have a significant anterior pelvic tilt (lumbar lordosis), and one of my main symptoms after ejaculation is tight, painful muscles. I have been doing a lot of abdominal strengthening and overall body stretching, but I recently got some bad news about my back. I have degenerative disc b/t L5 and S1, and my doc says that there isn't anything to do except strengthen and stretch. I know I need to strengthen my abs (they are weak, but strangely by lower back is very muscular. Kurtosis also mentioned something like this), but what should I be stretching that I'm not?

I think targeting the psoas is a missing piece, and what reading I've done I think it would help correct my hip and possibly reduce the forces that led to this degenerative disk. I found a nice video on how to stretch it!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEbvVwuBnzg

I also believe myofascial release is excellent, I need to learn how to access the psoas and use something like my Theracane.

Thanks for bringing this up!

[G-man]

Very interesting. I recently became a personal trainer, and the psoas mucle has been a fascinating one to learn more about. I have a significant anterior pelvic tilt (lumbar lordosis), and one of my main symptoms after ejaculation is tight, painful muscles. I have been doing a lot of abdominal strengthening and overall body stretching, but I recently got some bad news about my back. I have degenerative disc b/t L5 and S1, and my doc says that there isn't anything to do except strengthen and stretch. I know I need to strengthen my abs (they are weak, but strangely by lower back is very muscular. Kurtosis also mentioned something like this), but what should I be stretching that I'm not?

I think targeting the psoas is a missing piece, and what reading I've done I think it would help correct my hip and possibly reduce the forces that led to this degenerative disk. I found a nice video on how to stretch it!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEbvVwuBnzg

I also believe myofascial release is excellent, I need to learn how to access the psoas and use something like my Theracane.

Thanks for bringing this up!

I have what is described as lower cross syndrome. It is characterized by weak abdominals, tight hip flexors, weak gluteus maximum, and tight thoracolumbar extensors. I have been doing the stretches and exercises on this site, hopefully you can find the information useful.
https://coastchiropractichove.wordpress.com/2012/04/04/lower-cross-syndrome/

[Quantum]

I have what is described as lower cross syndrome. It is characterized by weak abdominals, tight hip flexors, weak gluteus maximum, and tight thoracolumbar extensors. I have been doing the stretches and exercises on this site, hopefully you can find the information useful.
https://coastchiropractichove.wordpress.com/2012/04/04/lower-cross-syndrome/

Many thanks, G-man, very useful information for me.

I already knew about my tight psoas, and have noted for a long time that the muscles of my inner thights were tensed after an O.  This page gives a much more detailed and overall view of the muscles to either stretch or strengthen. I will work along these guideline for my muscle stretching and muscles exercise.

Did you get any results, G-man, from using those exercises?



 

[Quantum]

From what i am learning, the PSOAS muscle is at the core of our being, and it needs to be in a relaxed state most of the time. 

Please keep me updated on your progress and i will keep you updated on mine.

Sure, Twp.

A short update for now.  I have been working on my psoas for a few days, mainly by doing rolling work with a softball on my inner thighs, from knee to groin, and then up on the sides of the abdomen, in line with the psoas position.  I am also doing stretching I have learned from yoga pose as well, but what can be found on the page G-man linked to is pretty equivalent.  I have noticed, even before reading about the "Lower cross syndrome", that my shoulders were a bit more straight. 

I had to take a break on rolling and stretching, my psoas stretching caused what I figure out to be the release of stuck "emotions" or frustration, maybe those tensions that have led to tense them in the first place. ( decades of stress in there, after 36 years of POIS ! ).  I was getting a bit edgy, so I will go slowly.  My POIS made me have mood swings and irritability for years, so my wife is very sensitive about any emotional tension from my part.  I will then go sowly, maybe every other day or every other 3 days, at least for the start.  Didn't do any stretching today, and I am calmer than yesterday.   Protecting my relationship and family life is very important to me, and comes before anything else.

Let me know if you experience similar emotional effects or not.

[Twp06242014]

Quantum -- Wow that is amazing thank you for the update.  I also read that it can lead to releasing deep emotions somehow.  I only tried laying down in the constructive rest pose for about 5 or 10 minutes but I did not really feel anything at all.  Maybe my psoas is just way too tight.  I want to get a small ball like they show in some exercise videos.  Do you know where I can find the right ball to use ?  I don't really have anything to use currently, not even a yoga mat, just a bed blanket and pillows . But I am ready to buy some stuff to use,just not sure what to get

[Quantum]

Quantum -- Wow that is amazing thank you for the update.  I also read that it can lead to releasing deep emotions somehow.  I only tried laying down in the constructive rest pose for about 5 or 10 minutes but I did not really feel anything at all.  Maybe my psoas is just way too tight.  I want to get a small ball like they show in some exercise videos.  Do you know where I can find the right ball to use ?  I don't really have anything to use currently, not even a yoga mat, just a bed blanket and pillows . But I am ready to buy some stuff to use,just not sure what to get

Hi Trp,

Well, interesting that you have read somewhere about deep emotions releasing related to psoas stretching, it looks like that is what I had.  I knew from previous experiences, like massotherapy, that working at releasing deep, chronic muscles tension, like in the back and abdomen, could un-block some buried emotions  (my massotherapist has warned me about that).  Releasing the muscle tension allow to feel the emotions that has been avoided and repressed.  If all goes as I foresee, less emotions will surface next time, it is more intense in the beginning.

I am using my yoga mat, but if you don't have one, a bedside rug can do the trick.  A bed is too soft - any ball you will use will not press enough into the muscles.  Same thing for stretching.  If you do the stretching lying on a bed, far less stretching happens.  It may be good only for a very slow start.

I did not buy a foam roller yet, but i intend to.  All I have been using so far is what I had around. I use a tennis ball, and, for more intense work, a softball (in case you are not familiar with this, a softball is a larger version of a baseball.  It is a rather hard ball.  If you are in North America, you sure know what a baseball and a softball are ! ).  I use my own weight to apply pressure, so I am face down, and sometime slightly sideway, to work my inner thighs, using the weight of my leg.  If you have no mat, you could always do it directly on the floor. A mat is just more comfortable to work on.  I worked my back as well, face up.  I worked the lower back, but between the shoulder blades as well - it hurts so good

I have found that the yoga I have been practicing for some years had already help me a bit, but it was less specific, general begginer yoga, and wasn't aiming particularly at the psoas or lower cross syndrome.  Now I have a more "personalized" routine I can build for that specific problem.

On the NS forum, Nathan123  has recently suggest a specific yoga asana that helps him relieve and prevent his POIS symptom (thanks, Nathan).  This yoga pose helping him is Ardha Matsyendrasana.  I guess this asana helps with stretching the psoas ans other muscles that are overtightened in what is called lower cross syndrome.  I have found this page to learn how to do this pose:  http://www.yogajournal.com/pose/half-lord-of-the-fishes-pose/ .  I took a break with this one too, because of the emotional releasing that happened, and will reintroduce it slowly in my yoga routine. 

This morning, I have re-started slowly with some exercices suggested on the page G-man gave the link for.  I did some stretching, and tried the "wall angel" exercise.  I am still very calm    I did not re-used the softball yet, but will tomorrow.

Hope that will help you getting started!

[G-man]

Many thanks, G-man, very useful information for me.

I already knew about my tight psoas, and have noted for a long time that the muscles of my inner thights were tensed after an O.  This page gives a much more detailed and overall view of the muscles to either stretch or strengthen. I will work along these guideline for my muscle stretching and muscles exercise.

Did you get any results, G-man, from using those exercises?

I have not been doing the exercises regularly, or long, enough to notice a big difference. However, after I do them walking feels so much more natural and fluid, maybe even foreign or strange. I also am very sore so I know it was productive. Now after reading about the possible link with POIS here, I will do the exercises every other day and report back in a month or so.

[G-man]

I am curious, has anyone else here broken their tailbone at some point? Or maybe fallen on it really hard? I remember falling hard on my tailbone twice during the time I was in puberty. I did not find out until years later that my tailbone has been broken at least once. So it is possible to break it and to not be aware.

[FloppyBanana]

G-man,

I haven't been on this forum for a while and its such a coincidence that I was thinking yesterday that I may have damaged my tailbone because I remember falling really hard on it a couple of times when I was younger than eleven. The question I have is: how can I can I get my tailbone x-rayed??? Does anyone fix broken talk bones? I hope so.

I also found this trail interesting because I have a severely damaged PSOAS muscle on my left side. I'm sure POIS caused it. When I was 18 I had an excruciating spasm in my left hip after it being tense there for a few years.

Apparently, amongst many things progesterone relaxes the hip muscles. Perhaps thats why is works for me. Because I take progesterone my PSOAS muscle is slowly but surely experiencing greater movement but even still after two years of taking progesterone (as and when required) I got a long way to go until it is even as strong as my right side.

FloppyB

[Nico]

I had a similar injury...

[G-man]

Considering how similar the symptoms of POIS and food sensitivities are...

https://straightspine.wordpress.com/2011/11/14/sacrumthe-emotional-bone/

"A subluxated sacrum can do much more than just cause discomfort or sciatic type pain. Reproductive problems, bladder dysfunction, and digestive difficulties may all occur when the sacral bone is not aligned properly (what chiropractors call a subluxation). But the most problematic side effect of a sacral subluxation may be the emotional component. I have seen several patients with chronic sacral subluxations who were being medically treated for depression.

Clinically, I have seen this correlation happen so many times now that it has caused me to incorporate the question “Do you have difficulties with depression?” in my initial examination. Recently a patient reminded me that many old-time chiropractors and osteopaths used to refer to the sacrum as “The Emotional Bone.” Without going into too much depth here, let me try and give you a brief glimpse into the neurology of “why” the sacrum may influence our emotional well-being.

The autonomic portion of the nervous system regulates organ and gland function. This is broken down into two parts: the sympathetic and the parasympathetic. The sympathetic nervous system is in charge of revving things up (fight or flight). The parasympathetic is in control of “resting” activities such as digestion, urination, salivation, and sexual arousal (things that we can take our time with and provide relief). Where do these parasympathetic nerves come from? The upper (cranial) and lower (sacral)  part of the spinal cord.  This is why it is called craniosacral outflow and it might also be why a subluxated sacrum can put an individual in a sour mood. A subluxated sacrum may interfere with proper parasympathetic outflow, causing a dis-ease within the system.

I am not saying the all depressed people have a sacral subluxation or that anyone with a sacral subluxation will become depressed. But I can say that I have seen people’s moods completely change when I adjusted their subluxated sacrum. I have seen it enough times that I believe it warrants more attention from the medical community and more research from the chiropractic community."

[G-man]

Found an article about how to release the psoas for those who are interested. Below is a brief introduction

http://www.tenderfoodie.com/blog/2013/1/1/exercise-the-immune-system-2-releasing-the-psoas-spine.html

"The psoas is a major muscle that is in charge of several complex actions like lifting your legs and even moving your intestines.  Thus, it is called the Fight or Flight muscle.  The psoas major attaches at the bottom of the thoracic spine (T12) and along the lumbar spine (through L4), then threads through the pelvic bowl, runs over the front of the hip joint, and attaches at the top of the femur (thigh bone). It is the only muscle that connects the spine to the leg, but it is much ignored because we can’t really see it.  The psoas is also intimately connected to our adrenal glands, which makes this a very important muscle to release in today’s stress -filled culture."

"What does the psoas have to do with food allergies?  Most of our immune system (75%) is in our gut, and a healthy psoas is meant to massage our organs and intestines as we breathe and walk.  During the fight or flight response (read more about "modern day bears" here), our intestines are told to shut down and all of our energy is diverted to the legs.  This amazing design lets us run away from lions and tigers and bears, ah ha.  If our body thinks it is in constant danger, and the psoas is chronically tight, chronic constipation and anxiety can ensue.

Conversely, if your intestines are inflamed because of food sensitivities, celiac disease, auto-immune issues, Irrittable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or allergic reactions, this may also influence the psoas to tighten.  Releasing the psoas can bring great relief."

[G-man]

Last night I used a foam roller to release the psoas with the cobra pose described in the last post. It took a considerably long time (35 minutes), and about 30 minutes in an unusual thing happened. When I applied pressure to a specific area of the pelvis with the foam roller, it caused me to have a spontaneous erection and ejaculate all in about 10-15 seconds. Maybe POIS has some connection with nerves and/or muscles?

[Nightingale]

Last night I used a foam roller to release the psoas with the cobra pose described in the last post. It took a considerably long time (35 minutes), and about 30 minutes in an unusual thing happened. When I applied pressure to a specific area of the pelvis with the foam roller, it caused me to have a spontaneous erection and ejaculate all in about 10-15 seconds. Maybe POIS has some connection with nerves and/or muscles?

That is bizarre! Never heard of any ejaculation happening that quickly

[b_jim]

Interesting. Some Poisers reported they  have improvements with muscle relaxant meds.

[Nightingale]

Sitting here right now really thankful that this was discovered. I just used my Theracane to really hit deep in between the illiac crests (hip/waist area), and I'm feeling quite relaxed. And the best part? My chronic back pain responds to psoas release! I've done everything else, physical therapy, massage, chrioprator (damn chiropracters seemed to make things worse in my case), but really working those psoas must loosen them up so that they aren't pulling on my lumbar spine. It's amazing, because the area you are working seems totally unrelated. It's when I get up from the ground where I am doing my release when I feel immediate loosening and absence of pain. Just plain cool! I hope that this will allow me to get back into mountain biking!

[G-man]

That is bizarre! Never heard of any ejaculation happening that quickly

There are many articles on the web about the link between premature ejaculation and the psoas muscle. However, during my brief search, none of the articles appeared to have any scientific backing.