So last time we talked about the intricacies of the hip system, and the means by which pain can be caused by the “system of pulleys” breaking down due to sedentary lifestyle. Let’s talk today about the TFL/IT vs. Illiopsoas involvement. The TFL muscle is a long muscle which wraps around the greater trochanter of the femur (bony thing on your side), and connects/merges with the IT band and attaches to the knee. It can, at times, become so tight that it grind the bursa into the trochanter. But this is a rare cause of “hip pain.” More likely it is tight, short, and inflexible. So its opposites, particularly illiacus and psoas, which attach to the inner or lesser trochanter in your groin portion of the femur, will react and shorten, and become intractable.
The result can be a standoff of two large groups of muscles which as they compress, then compress your low back/discs and of course, this causes problems in the hips as well. Therefore, the natural ramification of this is that the low back and hip get into an “arms race” or competition. The result: difficult to cure chronic hip and low back pain. This is the kind you need a 2x/week chronic care plan. Don’t kid yourself, this is absolutely related to your weight gain or obesity, to your lifestyle and eating habits, to your work and posture routines, and will only be fixed if you can return the shape to its original structures.
So come in today and get started, because it won’t go away with a little chiropractic and some massage. You need a Plan. You need training. You need multiple modalities. And you can only get a chiro+massage like effect combination from tuina. You need cupping, and acupuncture as well for sure.