Iliac psoas tendonitis and how to treat it

To avoid injuries it is necessary to know the structure of the body and its limitations, the psoas muscle, for example, is involved in the functioning of the lower back, hips and pelvis.

All sports or sudden movements in this area can cause overstretching of the tendonor at its tendon point and generate a limiting injury.

If you want to know more information about psoas tendonitis, continue reading because we will tell you about its symptoms, causes and possible treatments.

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What is psoas tendonitis?

When we refer to tendonitis we are talking about an inflammation of the tendon, producing pain and limitation in the movement of the joint.

In the case of psoas tendonitis, we refer to the same condition on the psoas muscle, which extends from the transverse area of the spine, passes through the hip until it reaches the lesser trochanter of the femor, constituting the strongest flexor system of the hip and the one responsible for external rotation.

It is a rare condition and tends to be confused with others when hip pain occurs. However, the review and diagnosis of an orthopedic doctor will help you define and treat it properly.

Symptoms of psoas tendonitis.

Like any tendon condition, it is characterized by limiting pain during sports activity that requires movement of the psoas.

It is distinguished as a type of pain in the groin area, although it can also present as low back pain or pain in the front of the hip.

At first, it begins during sports activity, running, jumping, pedaling, however, the passage of time without adequate treatment causes the inflammation to cause pain even at rest.

There are patients who describe the onset of discomfort after hearing a snap in the hip.

Causes of iliac psoas tendonitis.

Most cases of psoas tendonitis occur due to overexertion of the tendon in sports and/or repetitive activities. For example, soccer players, dancers, athletes in general, even anyone who does a repetitive push-up in the hip area either as a result of a sport or work can be at risk of suffering from this condition.

On the other hand, patients with vertebral blocks in the lower thoracic spine area, as well as with incorrect body alignment may be prone to long-term psoas tendonitis.

Diagnostic process of psoas tendonitis.

It’s not enough to know the symptoms of this condition because many other hip injuries can cause groin pain.

The orthopedic doctor must do a physical examination to rule out the possible injuries that he suspects, among this examination is the palpation of the areas of the hip in order to find pain points, as well as movements to determine the strength of the muscles.

There is an exam that helps diagnose psoas tendonitis called the “Ludloff test” consists of laying the patient on a table and requesting that they flex the hip with the knee extended. If pain occurs, it will give a positive result for the injury.

Once the type of injury is defined, the doctor will need imaging tests that check the progression of the injury in order to determine the appropriate treatment. Among the options we have: CT scan or magnetic resonance imaging.

Treatments for psoas tendonitis.

There are several types of treatments for this joint condition, depending on the intensity of your injury, your doctor may recommend the most appropriate option.

Conservative treatment with rest:

It is recommended to suspend physical activity for as long as the doctor deems appropriate. At the same time, cold therapy is proposed, which consists of placing ice on the affected area.

Anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs are also prescribed to help relieve pain and reduce inflammation of the tendon more quickly.

It is important to fully comply with the treatment to obtain a lasting improvement and maintain the health of the hip.

Specialized exercises:

Guided physiotherapy movements are excellent for promoting psoas regeneration. These professionally directed exercises stimulate muscle strengthening and help restore flexibility to prevent the injury from recurring.

The therapies do their best to help the body recover its initial condition and leave the patient prepared on the correct and incorrect postures.

Invasive treatments:

They are uncommon, so they are recommended when options are exhausted.

This is arthroscopic surgery, it is a minimally invasive procedure that stretches the tendon to relieve it, at the same time the surgery allows the release of the psoas.

Prevention of psoas tendonitis.

We already know that iliac psoas tendonitis is due to overexertion of the tendon, therefore a timely prevention of this injury is by minimizing the rate of demand on the joint.

High-performance athletes are recommended to schedule rest sessions between each workout, as well as establish a psoas muscle preparation routine before training.

The routine consists of alternating stretching exercises of the psoas muscle in order to give it long-term flexibility and prevent its overextension.

What happens if I don't treat psoas tendonitis?

As time goes by without treatment, the more the injury worsens, causing the hip to become more and more limited due to pain and inflammation until it can no longer be used naturally.

This will only lengthen the discomfort and recovery time.