8 Psoas Stretches Worth Trying If Your Hips Feel Perpetually Tight

The psoas is one of the most talked-about and least understood muscles in fitness circles — a deep hip flexor that connects your spine to your femur, running right through your core. When it’s chronically shortened from sitting, it can pull on your lower back and throw off your whole standing posture.

Why it gets tight so easily

Sitting keeps the hip in a flexed position for hours at a stretch, which the psoas adapts to by shortening over time. Because it attaches directly to the lumbar spine, a tight psoas can translate into lower back tightness that feels unrelated to your hips at all.

8 stretches to work through

• Kneeling hip flexor stretch. Half-kneeling position, gently push the hips forward without arching the lower back — hold 30 seconds per side.
• Low lunge with a reach. From the kneeling stretch, reach the same-side arm overhead for a deeper stretch through the hip and side body.
• Couch stretch. Back foot up on a couch or bench, front foot forward in a lunge — a deeper variation for once the basic version feels easy.
• Pigeon pose. Front leg bent in front of you, back leg extended straight behind — targets the hip flexor of the extended leg along with the glute of the front leg.
• Standing quad and hip flexor stretch. Pull one heel toward your glutes while keeping your knees close together and hips pushed slightly forward.
• Supine psoas march. Lying on your back, slowly lift one knee toward your chest while keeping the lower back pressed into the floor — more of a controlled mobility drill than a passive stretch.
• Bridge pose. Lifting the hips from a lying position lengthens the psoas through active hip extension rather than passive stretching.
• Standing figure-four hip opener. Cross one ankle over the opposite knee and hinge forward slightly — helps release tension around the hip that compounds psoas tightness.

Consistency matters more than depth here — a few minutes most days beats one long stretching session on the weekend. If hip or back pain is sharp, radiates down a leg, or doesn’t ease with a few weeks of stretching, get it checked by a physical therapist rather than assuming it’s just tightness.

Kurt Greiner

Kurt is a digital strategist and IT professional blending emerging technology with practical application to help businesses and individuals streamline their digital presence. His current work focuses on the intersection of intentional living and technological resilience, exploring how individuals can leverage modern tools to navigate the second half of life with purpose.