(The following is an excerpt from the crackin backs podcast with our guest, Dr. Gary Grey)
The Power of the Hip: The hip is a powerhouse—designed for loading, decelerating, and exploding. Every sprint, every throw, every leap uses the same three motions:
- Flexion
- Adduction
- Internal rotation
These are gravity-fed, ground-reactive force movements. They load the glutes, hamstrings, iliopsoas, and tensor fascia latae. What you could be experiencing is either a hypertonic psoas or an anterior labral tear which usually happen in the front—anteriorly—near the groin.
Why in this area? Because the muscles responsible for decelerating the opposite motions—extension, abduction, and external rotation—are undertrained. “The front butt,” The tell-tale sign? Pain in the groin when standing up from sitting.
Try to open up the pelvis with 3 movement patterns: These are conceived by Dr. Gary Grey
- Sagittal Plane: Step forward, arms overhead
- Frontal Plane: Step sideways, arms reach opposite
- Transverse Plane: Step with rotation, arms spiral with the body
Then combine all three into the 3D fascial stretch—a full-body, fascia-focused movement that teaches muscles to decelerate the very motions that tear labrums when left unchecked.
To learn how to take stress off of the iliopsoas or to reduce pressure let’s look at the opposite muscles.
Opposing Muscles of the Iliopsoas (Psoas Major in particular)
The iliopsoas is a powerful hip flexor, and its chronic tightness (hypertonicity) is often not because it’s strong — but because its opposing muscles are weak, underactive, or neurologically inhibited. When these muscles fail to balance out the psoas, the body compensates, and the psoas stays short, tight, and dominant. Even look to the opposite side.
The Key Opposing Muscles Are:
1. Gluteus Maximus
- Primary role: Hip extension
- Why it matters: The glutes are the functional antagonist to the psoas. If the glutes are inhibited (from too much sitting, weak motor control, or poor activation patterns), the psoas takes over.
- Overlooked fact: You can’t “stretch” the psoas into submission if you’re not activating the glutes in coordinated movement.
2. Hamstrings (especially the long head of biceps femoris) This is a big one.
- Role: Assist in hip extension and pelvic control
- Why they matter: When the hamstrings are weak or shortened, they fail to stabilize the pelvis properly, which can increase anterior pelvic tilt — a posture that chronically shortens the psoas.
3. Posterior Adductor Magnus
- Role: Works as a hip extensor when the hip is in flexion
- Why it matters: Often missed in rehab and strength programming, the posterior fibers of the adductor magnus play a stabilizing role, especially in decelerating flexion and internal rotation — just like glutes.
4. Deep Core Stabilizers (Transverse Abdominis, Multifidus)
- Role: Stabilize the spine and pelvis
- Why they matter: If the spine lacks true stability, the psoas will overcompensate to create it — especially during gait, running, or standing tasks.
5. Thoracic Spine Rotators (e.g., multifidus, rotators, obliques)
- Indirect role: When thoracic rotation is limited, the body uses the psoas to create compensatory rotation at the lumbar spine and hip.
- Result: This overuse can tighten the psoas, especially during locomotion and throwing activities.
How This Leads to Psoas Hypertonicity: Also, In your sport if you tend have a split stance that you are comfortable with you tend to overstress one part of the pelvis and understress the opposite one.
When these opposing muscle groups (especially the glutes and posterior chain) are weak, inactive, or poorly coordinated:
- The pelvis tips forward → increasing lumbar lordosis
- The iliopsoas is put in a shortened resting state
- The nervous system over-recruits the psoas to compensate for poor hip extension or poor trunk control
- Over time, this results in a chronically tight and fatigued psoas, not because it’s strong, but because it’s overworked
Clinical Application:
When you have a “tight psoas,” don’t just stretch it — train its opposites:
- Activate glutes with bridges, hip thrusts, or loaded lunges
- Improve posterior chain endurance
- Add deep core stability drills (bird dogs, dead bugs)
- Mobilize (a good sports DC)thoracic rotation
- And check foot mechanics (because subtalar motion impacts hip rotation!)
- Would give it a day of doing counter measures after a tough workout or competition to re balance the hip before you hit it hard again.
When it comes to “Hip Pain” broaden your thought process and learn the anatomy, this change in thought will lead to better outcomes.
CSI Longevity and Human Performance clinic is located at 2277 Townsgate Road, Ste 101, Westlake Village, Ca 91361
