Question regarding client- Young man, mid thirties, trained ballet dancer since early childhood experienced a “psoas tear” on left side in Feb.
2004. He never had an MRI so doesnt exactly know if it was tear or strain or what, but it moved his navel over to the right (I think) pretty far and he was incapacitated. He started yoga classes with me in June and has loved it and regained lots of strength and no more pain on the left side. We worked privatly today and I did a very basic assesment, and found his left psoas extremely weak and he seems to be compensating using his sartorius alot more on left then right. Also he pointed out that his left QL has become noticably larger then his right. Also left SI is frozen. I told him to do SI isolation series and we worked it so he doesn’t use his gluteals or other superficial muscles as he had been doing in class. He claims to feel a dramatic difference. (working with him this way it showed both of us how he uses these superficial muscles to compensate for weak core, which he says he felt has always been a problem for him.) back to the sartorius- his left one he says feels inflamed and irritated towards the middle to end of day. I showed him ho to work psoas by sitting in staff, slight arch in lower back, leg up and out to side with toes turned out. He felt like that hit the spot, but he is having difficulty in not engaging sartorius. I wondered if there was a sartorius fatiguing excercise that he could do similar to the psoas or tfl one that you prescribe to people with the corresponding tight muscles, and if so, would that be the correct course of action. my other question is should I have him work the right psoas as he is doing the left, or leave it completely alone for now until he regains some balance?
we worked the tfl move from the JFS standing which is pure genius as it is working both TFLs at the same time as he tries to balance- hurray for efficency! as is typical for a dancer he has extreme turnout but no ROM for internal hip rotation.
A - This situation requires a set of backbends that can move the navel back to central location. I learned it from Delhi Yogi intriguing when navel goes off one looses energy too. Series is very strong cobra, locust, bow, wheel, then knee to chest. All poses are pushed to capacity.
In that order with mild counter poses as needed. Try and see if you are replace the navel. If so that should relieve much of the central and lower back issues. Good that you gave him S/I exercises and psoas isolation toning. It is natural that sartorius will assist with psoas as they are both hip flexors and external rotators. I would work only the weakened side for now. Wait until muscle testing reveals that both sides are similar in tone. So with lack of ROM in hip internal rotation be sure to also put in JFS #5 so to build him up. Sounds like you are doing good job with him. namaste