Daily Mobility Exercises by Dr. Kelly Starrett Forums General Hip(?) (Iliopsoas? Pectineus?)issues in deep squat with upright torso

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    • #71030
      Avatar[email protected]
      Participant

      I’ve been noticing that when I am in a deep squat (not a problem getting there), with an upright torso (I DO have a problem with THIS and keep working at it), I feel a LOT of tension deep inside the area where my thigh meets my groin – sadly I’ve no idea what to call this. I looked at a diagram and wound up even more confused – probably either the Pectineus or Illiopsoas.

      This isn’t superficial, it doesn’t radiate, it isn’t a sharp pain, just a very deep ache. Simply seated at my computer at work, however, I am aware of some tension there.
      Any thoughts? I’ve been doing mobility work of every possible kind for over 2 years now, both upstream and downstream of that area. The deep mature of the tension/discomfort is, however, new. I’ve also been noting more and more of a problem with tight adductors, especially on that side.
    • #74979
      Avatar[email protected]
      Participant

      Sounds pretty much like what I am feeling at the moment. 

      Been getting much tighter in the adductor on my right side. And today when I attempted to squat and do powercleans I either pushed more on the pain-side or didnt go deep enough in the start of my powerclean on the same side. 
      Also I noticed yesterday when I went swimming that I get what some is calling snapping-hip when I’m doing breaststroke. From what I found on google this relates from one leg being longer than the other. Don’t really know what to do about this, but I hope someone gives you a good answer aswell. 
    • #74983
      AvatarJohn Terrier
      Participant

      Do either of you also have problems sitting on floor cross legged? Or pain when pulling your leg in deep flexion?

    • #74984
      AvatarNathan Richer
      Participant
    • #74985
      Avatar[email protected]
      Participant

      No problems with sitting cross legged, and I do the couch stretch all of the time. No problem – I can’t access the pro-episodes. Haven’t noticed a problem pulling my leg into flexion.

      It may also simply be that I’ve pulled something and need to let it heal. My coach had me do something yesterday that was a bit different and there was no pain. I am a competitive kettlebell sport lifter (GS), and thankfully none of my usual work seems to bother it. I DO, at times, feel soreness there where my inner thigh connects when I am seated at my computer, but that is getting less and less.
    • #74986
      AvatarJohn Terrier
      Participant

      Cathrine – I have a similar problem to yours where the pain seems to be in the same spot but I feel it at bottom of squat or really any time I bring my leg past parralell. Glute work has been what I feel has been the most helpful in makeing things less painful. Stretching for the most part has done nill for me and in some ways has made it worse. @David – couch seems to aggrivate my condition more than helping. but seems to maybe be helpful to Cathrine. Maybe two different issues?

    • #74987
      AvatarJohn Terrier
      Participant

      Oh and anything where my leg is flexed and in external rotation..ouch 🙁

    • #74988
      AvatarNathan Richer
      Participant

      Catherine – cool another KB person! generally if there is pain, you should do things to make the pain go away before getting back into it. of course if you’re like me, you ignore it sometimes and sometimes its ok. that is good that when you do movements there is no pain. it may increase the chance that you’ll pull something where the soreness is but i’ve also been in similar situations where some part of my body is sore, but i’ll work KBs anyways and i usually have to put an extra 200% into my form on each move and that usually works…but not always ;-).

      Sheldoneous – there are a lot of muscles crossing that area. trying to do a diagnosis on a forum is difficult!  can you see a PT? if there is pain, it would not be a good idea to suggest something here until the pain goes away.  Or just rest until you have no pain, and then we can work on mobs that loosen up things that got tight because of the pain.
    • #74989
      AvatarJohn Terrier
      Participant

      Hey thanks David. I have seen a PT and an Ortho. The ortho  took xray and did MRI which both came back negative for anything. Did PT for what I guess would have been considered an hipflexor strain (they never gave me a diagnosis) focus was on stretching the hipflexors and doing a bunch of glute activation stuff. quit PT after about 8 sessions because its expensive and at that point I saw some progress from like 7 to a 3 but it has stayed a 3 since then (last nov.) Glute activation stuff helps the most for me tho so I was just offoring up my experince to Cathrine but realize now we are prolly dealing with 2 different issues. I apologize for the thread jack Cathrine!!.

    • #74991
      Avatar[email protected]
      Participant

      No problem Sheldoneous, and your posts were helpful. I am feeling much better, and it is starting to look like I may have simple pulled something that is healing. We can’t figure out how I did that, but my adductors are feeling much better.

      I do wonder if you are dealing with the consequennces of what they call “gluteal  amnesia”. I’ve also dealt with this, basically our quads, hammies, and hip flexors start doing work that our glutes SHOULD be, and this can lead to an entire host of problems. I do deal with this, and I suspect that I always will. No matter what I do, my glutes seem to stay on the weak side. They are stronger than they used to be however 🙂
    • #74992
      Avatar[email protected]
      Participant

      David, thankfully nothing I do with the KB hurts, and since I’ve a competition in December I want to keep it that way 😉

    • #74993
      Avatar[email protected]
      Participant

      I did break out the foam roller tonight again, and rolled my adductors for the first time in awhile. I wasn’t sure that I should have done that before. I did find tenderness when I was rolling it, looking at an anatomy chart it looks like the tenderness is in either the Adductor Longus or Magnus (or both). It isn’t painful, just tender. I did tweak my knee on that leg last month and while that has calmed down, I do wonder if that is somehow related. Thankfully the adductor symptoms have decreased a lot over the last couple of days and as long as I don’t do something stupid I think it will be fine. I’ve never done this before however, I wish I knew what caused it…

    • #76215
      AvatarAntonio DeAscanis
      Participant

      @Sheldoneous I know this is an older post, but I’m having the exact same pain and issues! Mine has been occurring for several months now, and was brought on by a ‘squat test’ at my gym, where we try to sit in the bottom of a squat, comfortably, with our chests up for around 4-5 minutes. I’ve always had difficulty coming out of a ‘squat test’, and I sort of have to tumble out of it, and let my hips/legs re-group before standing up all the way again, but this time resulted in an unreal and unshakable pain, that took minutes to ease up. Now it always comes back when I go back into that sort of position. I usually only feel it when doing squats (no more squat tests for me!) but it goes away right after. Heavier squats create the same pain, but because those exercises are quick movements for me, I’m in and out of the position and the discomfort goes away. Pause Squats are out of the question, too. 🙁 The REAL issue is when I’m um ‘with my husband’ and regardless of position, when my left hip/leg is bent past parallel and opened for a prolonged period of time (same with frog pose in yoga, for a non-sexual reference!). It’s painful and it hasn’t gotten better, even with time off (like a week+). I’m discouraged by PTs and doctors, since it’s always a “rest and we’ll see” prognosis, it seems like. I wanted to see if your pain went away, and if so, how did you go about it? 🙂 I’ve tried stretching, foam rolling, rest.. I’m over it. 🙁 Thank you!!

    • #76400
      AvatarZachary Daines
      Participant

      I wonder if anyone is following this thread because I have much to add.  Over 32 years I have seen 18 doctors about groin pain and most of them offered no opinion while one or two misdiagnosed it.  When I caused a bad and lasting flair up a year ago it became apparent that the problem was my psoas, which doctors know little about, and it seems that those of you here are describing psoas injuries.  I have done enough research on this muscle to do a masters thesis.  My symptoms have included but are not limited to: general groin pain (sharp) which occurs after rather than during exercise in many cases or from simply walking; discomfort while sitting with a “fullness” in the groin area; extremely painful external rotation of the leg; pain when foam rolling my rectus femoris; sleeping with my leg hiked; internal snapping hip.  Google Thomas test to determine psoas tightness.    Sit straight up in a chair and lift your straightened leg completely off it.  If you experience groin pain it’s due to psoas tendonitis. 

      For strengthening, use a theraband on your foot while lying on your back.  Place one hand under your lower back and pull your knee past 90 deg. and hold for 2-3 sec.  2 sets of 10, both legs for balance.  Train your glutes also.
      For release, get a lacrosse ball and roll your femoral triangle with it.  If you are in pain you will find it with this.
      For stretching/mobility:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g70Jq2NjQwY.  You can do the stretch shown separately.
      [email protected] if you want to discuss this.
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