20/03/2020
2020 FITNESS #4
I started writing this a couple of weeks ago before the COVID-19 crisis properly kicked off in the UK. Even though shows have been cancelled, I think there is some handy information in there. I hope everybody out there is keeping well. My animals are definitely keeping me sane. I’m taking their lead on being in the moment.
A quick reminder: This post is aimed at sports dogs with a reasonable level of fitness. Safety is key so I would always recommend that they are receiving hands on attention with an appropriate rehab professional and vet checks on a regular basis. If you have any uncertainty about your dog’s soundness or health they need to see a primary care vet.
THE MIGHTY PSOAS!!
We hear a lot about the Psoas muscle, especially around August each year in competition circles. Let’s call it the Psoas blues. It’s always towards the end of a busy season when the Psoas is feeling the fatigue.
When we talk about the Psoas muscle we are usually referring to the Psoas Major muscle. It is part of a complex of three muscles called the Iliopsoas. This consists of the Psoas Minor, The Psoas Major and the Ilacus muscle. The Psoas Major originates under the last two thoracic (chest) vertebrae and inserts on the inside of the femur at the top of the thigh near the hip. Above this is the Psoas Minor which originates around the last two thoracic and first five lumbar vertebrae and this inserts on the inside of the Ilial wing of the pelvis. The Ilacus muscle originates on the inside of the Ilial wing of the pelvis and inserts with the Psoas Major on the inside of the femur. Knowing the anatomy is not super-important to the canine sports person; but knowing that this is a large muscle with a wide anatomical influence is crucial. A small focal lesion or site of pain will potentially affect how the lower back and hind limbs move. This is the muscular relationship. When we start to think about fascia, which is the fibrous connective tissue which runs throughout the body and interconnects all of our muscles, the zone of connection widens further.
The Iliopsoas complex is situated deep, near the spine and the pelvis. When I am talking about palpating the Psoas I am usually palpating the muscles on top of it. It comes near the surface near the thigh crease.
Many dogs are reported to have Psoas strains. In real life, not many of these have an ultrasound scan at the time of concern. I suspect that only a small percentage of cases would show a visible lesion on a scan. Many cases I believe are experiencing pain here due to lack of appropriate local conditioning, overuse of the muscle and sometimes trauma. It is lack of appropriate conditioning, lack of recovery days and repetitive strain which will predispose a dog to having a more serious injury in a case of trauma. I suspect that the majority of injuries are a grade 1 which is a mild strain which has minimal effects on function. A grade 2 involves more extensive damage and a grade 3 is characterised by complete rupture. Grade 3 is unusual. Many cases are experiencing pain due to lactic acid build up and muscle ache.
The primary function of the Psoas Major is hip flexion. It also externally rotates the femur in the hip socket and contributes to bringing the hind limbs together (adduction). This is necessary for all forwards movement in all dogs. However, a sports dog is going to be doing this at an increased load because of the speed and force involved. Therefore they need to have stronger than the average Psoas. It is also the Psoas which prevents the hip from overextending during jumping. The psoas is also providing some caudal traction for the trunk in hip extension. As with all muscles, as well as having the obvious function of movement, they have the function of stabilisation. Imagine a dog walking in slow motion. As he moves the left hind forward, he is engaging the left psoas in movement. While the left hind is off the ground the right psoas is working to stabilise/brace the right hind so that the dog remains upright. It is also the psoas that can provide a small degree of spinal flexion when the hind limbs are fixed in stand. It forms part of the core musculature also, which is very important in protecting the back and limb joints.
The femoral nerve runs through the Psoas Major so it is common to get associated nerve pain when there is some swelling or spasm in the muscle.
I’m going to give a few pointers about how the Psoas Major can be kept as vital and strong as possible and hopefully prevent the August blues. We want to STRETCH IT, STRENGTHEN IT AND DE-STRESS IT.
It is not within the scope of this post to talk about passive stretching of the Psoas as this should be done by a professional therapist and would need to be demonstrated on an individual basis. One way that the Psoas can be gently and actively stretched is in a position where the dog’s hips are extended. Walking up hills and standing with the front feet on a small step (as long as the spine looks normal and comfortable- not hunched or diverted to one side) will stretch the Psoas. It is generally accepted that holding a stretch for 20 seconds or above will help to improve flexibility. So stand in posture for 30-60 seconds once or twice a day as long as the dog does not have any current mobility problems or injuries.
This stretch can be followed by a strengthener by using a treat to slightly (I’m talking 1-3cm) and slowly shift the dogs weight forwards and backwards in this position. The head needs to be neutral. This will provide some isotonic contraction. I.e. use of the muscle without lengthening or shortening of the muscle fibres in that moment. As with many effective exercises, it’s not very exciting. Keep with it. 30-60 seconds twice per day is enough.
Pole work at a slow walk is a really good exercise to condition the Psoas. Going back to imagining the dog in a slow motion walk, it is easy to visualise how both the movement and stabilisation fibres of the muscle are being worked. It balances the dog. On average, three to four poles placed one meter apart is fine. The height will depend on your dog. As a ball park, 5cm for small dogs; 10cm for medium dogs and 15cm for collies or above, assuming your dog is fit and well. However if the dog’s toes are touching the poles or if they are swinging their leg out to clear the pole rather than flexing the leg all in one plane then go lower. For a fit dog, 5 minutes of slow pole work 3-4 times per week should be achievable.
Slow lead walking will also help to condition the Psoas. Walking up hill, as mentioned above, is worthwhile as this will strengthen the hind limb muscles, particularly the Gluteals and Hamstrings and take the pressure off the Psoas. It is important that dogs do not become over-dependent on the Psoas. The hillwalker muscles (Gluteals and Hamstrings) have the opposite (antagonist) function to the Psoas and Quadriceps. Equality of function between the hip flexors and extensors is needed to create balance in movement.
Walking down hill serves to work the Psoas eccentrically. During an eccentric muscle contraction it is lengthening under load. I have talked before about slow lead walking but I can’t recommend it enough for Psoas conditioning.
Tight turns and high obstacles put the most strain on the Psoas so if you are told that your dog has Psoas pain at your next physio check then it is a good signal to reduce the intensity of the training and to up the conditioning.
Having a strong core is vital to maintaining Psoas health. The Psoas forms part of the core but the abdominal muscles also form part of this abdominal support girdle that holds everything together in the symphony of movement and protects the spine. Every dog is different and to work out what your dog needs to do to engage their abdominal muscles is best achieved hands on with a rehab professional. However, an innocuous and effective technique is the ‘tummy tap’, which I have mentioned before. Tap the soft part of the belly on the side with your fingertips for 30-40 seconds 2-3 times per day. Think raindrops in terms of pressure. Do not tummy tap if they are sensitive in this area, have digestive issues or if they are pregnant.
To protect the Psoas, avoid too much swimming as this encourages shortening of the hip flexors, which is not a pattern we want to reinforce. If the dog is physically well and without injury or imbalance then swimming in moderation is fine.
Ensure that warm up and cool downs are sufficient. Before training or competing ensure you have walked for 10 minutes, jogged for 5 minutes and sprinted a couple of times. The warm up is all about increasing the body temperature so that muscle metabolism is at peak efficiency. Flexibility will also improve with temperature. The cool down should involve at least 10 minutes of walking.
I hope that this gives some food for thought, even in these uncertain times when nobody knows if any shows are going to take place this year. Come summer, I hope we can look forward to enjoying our bonds with our dogs, our friendships and our beautiful countryside and it will be even better if people can come together on the sports field to do this again.
