Strengthening your dog’s iliopsoas muscle
Injuring the iliopsoas muscle is a common injury nowadays, in both athletes and pets, but we can reduce the chance of injury dramatically with strategic strengthening.
Muscles are much more likely to get injured when they are in a stretched position
Muscles are much more likely to get injured when they are in a stretched position, especially if there is an explosive motion that puts that muscle into that stretched position.
In the video below, I explain how to position your dog to create an iliopsoas stretch, putting the muscle in a "long" position.
iliopsoas muscle's anatomy and function
Let's start by discussing the iliopsoas muscle's anatomy and function.
The iliopsoas muscle has two muscle bellies – the psoas major and the iliacus. The psoas major muscle originates on the lumbar vertebrae and the iliacus originates on the wing of the ilium. They come together to insert on the lesser trochanter of the femur.
The main function of the iliopsoas muscle is to flex and externally rotate the hip, it also functions to help stabilize the lumbar spine. This is important because if the iliopsoas muscle is injured, it may show up as pain on hip extension, especially if the lumbar spine is in extension when the hip is extended.
An acute injury can happen when a dog splays their rear limbs behind them or by falling off the A-frame or dog walk when one leg tries to hold on as the rest of the body is falling off. It can also happen from a chronic repetitive motion or during explosive activity with a muscle that is not warmed up and strong enough to keep the lumbar and hip joints stabilized, such as a dog running full out.
Spotting an iliopsoas muscle injury
A person with a trained eye may see an agility dog limping or having a rear limb that’s lower than the other as the dog travels over a jump. But the injury can show up as a slight slowing down too, as the all-out explosive motion is uncomfortable because it puts strain or stress on the iliopsoas muscle.
Sometimes, however, there are no signs at all until on exam we find resistance to hip extension or extension with abduction or possibly just pain on palpation of the musculotendinous junction.
Why do we tell you all this? So you can start to look for these signs, understand what they mean, and catch iliopsoas injuries when they are minor rather than waiting until the dog is limping because every step hurts. But perhaps more importantly, I tell you all of this because we want you to be able to prevent these injuries in your pets and patients.
Preventing iliopsoas muscle injury
Strengthening the illopsoas muscle is the best way to prevent injury; however, the key to strengthening it is doing it in a "long", or stretched, position.
If we only strengthen the iliopsoas in a short position, the dog is more likely to injure it when they return to a long or stretched out position as in cantering or galloping, especially if they get to this position with explosive activity.
The same is true for rehabilitation of an iliopsoas muscle injury. If the muscle is only strengthened in a short position, when the dog returns to explosive motion, which is stretching the iliopsoas muscle, they are much more likely to reinjured it.
An underwater treadmill is a great tool overall (of course I believe this, I designed the first one for dogs) and it is especially great for strengthening the iliopsoas muscle in a shortened position, as it uses water to increase resistance for hip flexion. But, it is important to recognize that it can’t be the only exercise used for dogs as they do not have full hip extension while walking or trotting in the water; they tend to stay in a more hip flexed position with less drive than we will see on land.
Land exercises must be incorporated with the underwater treadmill for the best rehab plan to build strength in both a long and short position.
So, how do we strengthen the iliopsoas in a long or stretched position? Watch the video for images and videos for great examples.
The down and dirty to strengthening the iliopsoas muscle
The first thing to think about is that the goal is to end up with the dog’s lumbar spine and the hips in extension.
To reach this goal we have the dog stand with their front feet on a raised surface. This may be starting with the front feet raised only a few inches on a step or a block. If the dog is recovering from an iliopsoas injury, we definitely raise their front feet in small increments.Start by holding this position for 5-30 seconds depending on the ability and comfort level of the dog.
Using a muscle without changing the length of the muscle fibers is an isometric exercise. It is the safest form of exercise and can be great for strengthening when used for longer periods of time. Think of holding a plank for 1-5 minutes.The thoracolumbar spine should be straight – not kyphotic/roachy or lordotic/swayback. Both of these positions can put stress on the spine.
Slowly, over time, increase the height of the front feet.
The higher the front feet, the more the hips are in extension and the more the iliopsoas stretches
Over time, you will want to work up to longer iliopsoas stretch positions, but make sure the dog’s back always remains straight.
When should you stop? How high should the front feet be raised?
This position can actually be held for several minutes or several repetitions of one minute. This allows us to build individual muscle endurance. We will explore that concept in another Learn & Go, so stay tuned.
You do not want the front feet higher than the shoulders in the standing on two leg position.
You also want to make sure the dog’s front feet are resting on a surface.
If the dog is leaning forward while on only their rear limbs, it can put stress on the epaxial muscles of the lumbar spine. These are the muscles that balance the iliopsoas muscles as they sit dorsal to the transverse processes on the spine. They are the same muscles that we rub after leaning over and stressing our backs.
