The psoas is a deep muscle that runs from your lower spine to your inner thighbone, and stretching it requires positions that extend the hip backward while keeping your lower back stable. Because the psoas sits so deep in the body, a basic lunge won’t always reach it effectively. The key is understanding which positions target it specifically and how long to hold them for real results.
Why the Psoas Gets Tight
The psoas major attaches along the sides of your lowest thoracic vertebra and the first four lumbar vertebrae, then angles down through the pelvis to connect at a small bony bump on the inner upper femur called the lesser trochanter. This means the muscle literally bridges your spine and your leg. Its primary job is flexing your hip (bringing your knee toward your chest), but it also stabilizes your lumbar spine when you’re sitting upright.
That sitting detail matters. When you sit for hours, the psoas stays in a shortened position. Over time, the muscle adapts to that shortened length. When you stand up, a shortened psoas pulls forward on the lumbar spine, which can increase the curve in your lower back and contribute to stiffness or discomfort. People with psoas-related problems typically feel deep pain in the front of the hip or groin that gets worse when they extend the hip backward or resist hip flexion. Some notice the pain radiating into the lower back, buttocks, or thigh.
How Long to Hold Each Stretch
Research on the iliacus (the psoas’s partner muscle in hip flexion) gives useful guidance on timing. A study using ultrasound elastography to measure actual muscle stiffness found that a single 1-minute static stretch reduced stiffness measurably. But repeating that stretch five times, for a total of 5 minutes, produced significantly greater reduction than a single round. The takeaway: brief holds aren’t enough. Aim for at least 60 seconds per side, and if you have time, repeat the stretch multiple times to get a cumulative effect. Doing this daily will produce more lasting changes than occasional deep sessions.
The Half-Kneeling Psoas Stretch
This is the most accessible and effective starting point. Kneel on one knee with your other foot flat on the floor in front of you, both knees at roughly 90 degrees. The psoas of the kneeling leg is the one being stretched. Before you move anything, tuck your pelvis slightly underneath you by gently squeezing your glutes and drawing your belt line upward in front. This posterior pelvic tilt is critical because it prevents your lower back from arching and compensating for the stretch.
From that tucked position, shift your weight forward just enough to feel a deep stretch in the front of the hip on the kneeling side. You should feel this well below your belly button, deep in the crease of your hip or upper groin area. If you feel it in the front of your thigh instead, you’re likely stretching the quadriceps more than the psoas. Re-tuck your pelvis and reduce the forward shift slightly. Hold for 60 seconds, breathing normally. Repeat on the other side.
Adding a Reach to Target the Spinal Attachment
Because the psoas attaches along the lumbar spine, you can deepen the stretch by adding a gentle side bend. From the half-kneeling position with your pelvis tucked, raise the arm on the same side as the kneeling knee overhead and lean slightly away from that side. This lengthens the psoas along its full path from spine to thighbone. The stretch sensation should deepen in the hip and you may feel it extending up into the side of your lower torso. Keep the lean small. A few inches is enough. If your lower back starts arching, you’ve gone too far.
The Supine Edge Stretch
Lie on your back at the edge of a bed or sturdy table so that one leg hangs off the side from mid-thigh down. Pull the opposite knee toward your chest with both hands and hold it there. The hanging leg’s weight creates a gentle, gravity-assisted stretch on the psoas. This position is particularly useful because the surface under your back prevents your lumbar spine from arching, which means the stretch goes where it’s supposed to. This is essentially a self-administered version of the Thomas test that physical therapists use to assess psoas tightness. If your hanging thigh rises above horizontal or you can’t let it relax downward, that’s a sign of significant tightness. Hold for 60 seconds per side.
Standing Psoas Stretch
If kneeling is uncomfortable or impractical, you can stretch the psoas standing. Take a long split stance with one foot well behind you. Bend your front knee and keep your back leg relatively straight. Just as with the kneeling version, the key move is tucking the pelvis under before shifting forward. Without the tuck, your lower back will simply arch and absorb the motion instead of letting the psoas lengthen. You can place your hands on your front knee or on your hips for balance. This version is less intense than the kneeling stretch because your back leg’s hip flexors are partially supporting your weight, but it works well for people who are very tight or have knee sensitivity.
When Stretching Isn’t Enough
A psoas that feels perpetually tight may actually be weak rather than short. When a muscle lacks the strength to do its job, it can spasm or guard protectively, creating a sensation of tightness that stretching alone won’t resolve. If you’ve been stretching consistently for several weeks with no improvement, or if the tightness returns within hours, strengthening may be the missing piece. Core stabilization exercises that train the psoas to work as a spine stabilizer, not just a hip flexor, address this. Slow marching drills (lying on your back and alternately lifting bent knees toward the ceiling while keeping your lower back pressed flat) are a simple starting point.
Sharp pain in the groin during any of these stretches is a signal to stop. Deep anterior hip pain that worsens with hip extension can indicate psoas syndrome, a labral tear, or hip impingement, all of which require different management. A catching or snapping sensation in the groin when bending the knee to 90 degrees is another sign that something beyond simple tightness may be going on.
Putting It Together
A practical daily routine looks like this: pick one or two of the stretches above, hold each side for 60 seconds, and repeat for a total of 3 to 5 rounds per side. That gives you the 3 to 5 minutes of cumulative stretch time that research suggests produces meaningful stiffness reduction. Do this daily, ideally after sitting for long periods or at the end of the day. Pair it with occasional psoas strengthening work, especially if you sit for most of your working hours. The combination of lengthening a shortened psoas and teaching it to stabilize under load is what produces lasting change rather than temporary relief.