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Some muscles just seem to grab our attentionand dominate our awareness while stretching:quads, hamstrings and abdominals are all toofamiliar. But ask anyone where their iliacusmuscle is and the response most often will beone of uncertainty. And yet the iliacus directlyinfluences range of motion within the hip socketsand maintains pelvic integrity so essential tof lexibi l i ty and strength.

Lining the internal pelvic girdle the i l iacus opens l ike afan, creating a healthy bowl-like structure for allabdominal organs and viscera. lt is the well-functioningiliacus that maintains full-centered sockets for the femurball and helps stabilise the sacral iliac joints by counter-balancing the large and powerful gluteus maximusmuscles (buttock muscles).

The lliacus is a posterior abdominal wall muscleoriginating from the superior part of the iliac fossa (theinside of your hip). lt is innervated by the femoral nerve inthe abdomen (at lumbar 2 and 3) and its' fibres passinferiorly and medial ly beneath the inguinal l igament.Sharing a tendon at the lesser trocanter of the femur (i.e.the inner leg), with the psoas muscle, the iliacus is part ofthe core i l io-psoas muscle group.

Together the psoas and iliacus form a full stable pelvicbowl and centered hip joints for maximum rotation andfreedom of leg movement. Health or disease in one willbe reflected in the other. lf for example the psoas muscleshortens, tipping the pelvic bowl forward (i.e. flexing thepelvis), the internal abdominal space will narrowrestricting the function of the iliacus muscle to fanlaterally open. A constrained iliacus muscle pulls thepelvic crests together, narrowing the width of the pelvicbasin and compressing the hip sockets. Limiting thepsoas muscle as it passes over the hip socket therestricted iliacus effects range of motion in the leg andcan compromise the sacraliltac (Sl) joints.

Shallow, the pelvic bowl no longer provides a structuralcontainer for the organs and viscera. Without pelvicsupport the organs fall forward and the abdominalmuscles lose tone. The congestion translates intoabdominal problems such as poor absorption and difficultelimination. Reproductive dysfunctions such as whetheror not a woman has menstrual cramps, and the vitalityand success of pregnancy, how she carries her baby toterm and even the success of vaginal birth is in partdependent upon the i l iacus.

inferioriliac spine

rectusfemoristendon

gluteus minimusmuscle,and attachmentsite on greatertrochanter

ischium andischial tuberosity

Recently two women who attended an llio-psoas retreatreturned home and immediately conceived. Both womendid not believe they would ever be able to becomeimpregnated or hold a pregnancy. In fact they were noteven relating their ilio-psoas explorations to theirinfertility. lt was an assumed condition. But there is aconnection. When the pelvis tips forward narrowed by theiliacus muscle, the uterus also tips forward. A forwardtipped uterus is often synonymous with miscarriage. lt'simpossible to tell all that goes into creating the rightconditions for a successful pregnancy, but deeprelaxation is associated with ilio-psoas release and thefreedom of pelvic function may have contributed to theirsurprising success.

A narrow pelvic basin also affects the low back, neckand'shoulder girdle. Compensating for the t ipped pelvisthe upper structural integrity becomes compromised andalters in an attempt to re-establish balance. The iliacusfans the pelvic lower body open and the shoulder girdlematches the width of the upper body. The suscapularismuscles l ining the inside of the scapula, mirrors thebreath and width of the iliacus muscle.

site ol attachment offibrocartilagenouspubic symphysis

inferiorpubicramus

I|Iustrations courtesy otthe excellent, ANATOMYOF HATHA YOGA byDavid Coulter, publishedby Body & Breath lnc, US,www. b ody an d b reath. co mand distributed in the UKby the Himalayanlnstitute,Tel:020 8991 8090.

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IACUSBy Liz Koch

anteriorsuperior ,1"i l iac spine - I,_\ l ____=_ |anterior ---\-

pubofemoral ligament

www.yogaand health mag. co. u k

Most importantly a fanned iliacus matches the powerand strength of the gluteus maximus (gluts) muscles. In aforward bend the gluts, especially when over developed,can pul l on the deep l igaments of the pelvic basin andover time cause pelvic instability and sacral iliac (Sl joint)pain.

The Sl joints are a web of ligaments, weaving the threepelvic bones together. Sl joints give the sacrum itssuppleness but they are also vulnerable to slow or fastpowerful stretching. Within the Sl ligaments theproprioceptive neuro-receptors register both physical andemotional stress. lmbedded within the ligaments, thesemajor receptors co-ordinate alignment and balance.

When under stress the receptors, structural andelectrical in nature, become over-loaded. What iscommonly referred to as blowing out the Sl jointshappens when a force stemming from physical oremotional trauma puts excessive pressure on the pelvicattachments. Powerful and shocking experiences short-circuit the Sl Joints. Burdened Sl joints no longerdecipher accurate neurological and energetic information.Years of slow intentional stretching can also slowly pullthe vulnerable Sl joints apart. Like Turkish toffee softensfrom continual kneading, continual static stretchingabsent of counterbalance and skeletal alignment beginsto stretch ligaments. A fanned open iliacus can providethe stability to prevent destabilisation of the pelvic basin.

The pelvis expresses not only our physical butemotional stability. Instability in the core has a ripplingaffect throughout our whole being affecting every aspectof our health. A part icipant exploring her i l iacus in aworkshop noted how releasing and fanning open theiliacus muscle soothed and calmed her. She related thesensations she normally had to an image of a cat. Sheexplained that usually she felt like a cat whose tail wasup and its fur on end. She felt bristly and often irritatedbut releasing her iliacus muscle centered her pelvis,stabilised her sacral joints (Sl joints) and calming herentire nervous system.

right and left crura ofrespiratory diaphragm(cut ends)

right quadratuslumborumpsoas minor

psoas major

il iacus

intervertebral diskbetween L5 and thesacrum

joint insertion of rightiliopsoas combination

To be physically and emotionally stable involves thepelvis to be in a right relationship to every other bone andin harmony with the earth. Balancing the pelvis byfanning open the iliacus provides an important steptowards maintaining and/or re-creating core integrity.

twelfth thoracicvertebra (T12)

twelfth rib

transversusabdominis

left quadratuslumborum

crest of thelefi ilium

cut end of leftpsoas muscle

superior pubicramus

greater trochanter

Liz Koch is aninternationally knownteacher with 27 yearsexperience and is theauthor of 'The PsoasBook' a comprehensiveguide to the lliopsoasMuscle and its profoundaffect on thebody/mind/emotions,'Unraveling Sco/losisCD'which offers a newparadigm for skeletalal ignment&anewbook'Core Awareness:Enhancing Yoga, Pilates,Exercise & Dance'. Lizwill be teaching threeCore Awarenessworkshops in Englandand lreland in June/July04. To find out moreabout workshops andfhe psoas muscle youmay visit

inferiorpubicrami

left femur

www.yogaand health mag.co. uk