The Psoas Edition

On anatomy, stretching, and release

You should subscribe to WITI’s paid tier if you haven’t yet.

Colin here. I recently bought an odd-shaped contraption called a Pso-rite. Though it feels and looks a bit like a torture device, it is a tool that releases one of the largest, most important, and misunderstood muscles: the psoas. As we get into this stuff, I’ll also caveat that I am not a medical doctor and am merely an interested party in figuring out how to fix parts of my body that cause me pain! 

According to the Cleveland clinic: 

The psoas muscle is located in the lower lumbar region of the spine and extends through the pelvis to the femur. This muscle works by flexing the hip joint and lifting the upper leg towards the body. A common example of the movement created from this muscle is walking. 

As I’ve done more digging into the role of this muscle, it is very common for it to be too tight in many people: this stems from sitting too much all day thanks to activities like computer work or long drives. 

Why is this interesting? 

A tight psoas also echoes outward and causes all sorts of other complications. Part of this stems from its structural role in the body: it attaches vertebrae on your lumbar spine, and then crosses the outer edge of each pubis (near your pelvis). It next joins with the iliacus muscle in your groin region, and finally attaches at the femur. A tight psoas can cause lower back spasms, lumbar disc problems, as well as general instability in your core. Because of the lack of core mobility, a lot of balancing work gets redistributed to your shoulders and knees, causing a stiff neck, tight shoulders, and wear and tear on the knees. 

The aforementioned torture device: the Pso-rite, allows a person to lay down onto it and use the device to directly release the hard-to-reach muscle. You need to sink into the two pointed parts of the device and let your muscles completely loosen. It takes a bit of practice and isn’t particularly comfortable at first, but it was a revelation for me when I started to loosen up the muscle. I also just gifted one to my dad, as he has lower back pain, cycles a lot, and needs to work on mobility. After using it, he said he felt two inches taller and a lot of pain and tightness had been alleviated. The work managed to mitigate a lot of the aforementioned knock-on effects by just releasing it. Also, serious yoga practitioners tout the benefits of specific stretches to release the psoas, and that release and flexibility of the muscle lead to overall mental wellbeing. (CJN)

Quick Links:

• Kinda loved the Willem cameo at the end of the “what are you wearing today” vid. (CJN)

• How Beijing influences the influencers (CJN)

• FT goes deep on the shoplifting wave(CJN)

• [Sponsored links: Atlas Bars are GMO-free and keto-friendly with 15 grams of protein and just a gram of sugar. We’ve tried Atlas and they are very good. Use this link (code WITI20) for WITI readers to get 20 percent off. Get started with the sample pack.]

WITI x McKinsey:

An ongoing partnership where we highlight interesting McKinsey research, writing, and data.

What happens when work disappears?

A new book shines a light on race, class, and American values, as well as how jobs inform identity and drive powerful social-justice movements. Go behind the scenes with its Pulitzer Prize-winning author in the latest from McKinsey's Author Talks. Read the interview.

--

Thanks for reading,

Noah (NRB) & Colin (CJN) 

—

Why is this interesting? is a daily email from Noah Brier & Colin Nagy (and friends!) about interesting things. If you’ve enjoyed this edition, please consider forwarding it to a friend. If you’re reading it for the first time, consider subscribing (it’s free!).