Back pain? Blame the psoas. Seems as if everybody wants to dive headfirst into their psoas at the first sign of trouble with the lumbopelvic-hip region. Perhaps no other muscle is blamed more for causing problems than the psoas. Yes, it is an important stabilizer of the lumbar spine, but it shouldn't be the only one on which you focus. There is another big player on the scene: the iliacus.
Mark Losack, DC, CCSP, FICC
Dr Mark Losack, a 1996 graduate of Southern California University of Health Sciences, served in the U.S. Marine Corps from November 2002 – August 2009. His term of service included time in the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. (See our May 19, 2003 article, "Chiropractic on the Front Line in Baghdad," to hear about Dr. Losack's experience.) He practices in Oceanside, Calif.