The Unsung Heroes of Muscular Contraction

Muscles you may not have heard of that have vital roles

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Your pecs, lats, biceps, triceps, quads, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, and of course, your well-developed six-pack (?!) abdominal muscles are some of the muscles which get all the praises, the oohs and aahs, and focus of your selfies. But what about the others that still contract and relax to serve you? Even though you may not know them, they’re there to perform essential roles.

By the way, there are three kinds of muscles found in your body: smooth, cardiac, and skeletal muscles. All of the muscles mentioned here are skeletal muscles, meaning they can be controlled and moved voluntarily. Some of them may not be isolated and moved as an individual unit but as part of a muscle group. Still, you can consciously exercise and stretch them.

Here are some muscles you may not have heard of:

Psoas muscles. Some medical experts don’t comprehend the complexity of the psoas muscles. It’s also common for people to be given misdiagnoses and wrong treatments for psoas-associated pain. The psoas muscles are located in the deepest parts of your core. They originate from your spine and pass through your pelvic bone and attach to both of your femurs (the long bones in your thighs). They’re the only muscles that connect the spine to the lower extremities. Furthermore, they stabilise your torso and spine during sitting and movement.

The psoas muscles permit you to flex (bend) your hips and legs toward your chest. This is evident when you climb stairs. They also contribute to moving your leg forward when you run or walk. When you drop something on the floor, your psoas muscles bend your torso forward to pick it up.

Below are some things you can do to take care of your psoas muscles:

Try not to sit for long periods. Stop every two to three hours when driving long distances to walk and stretch for 10 minutes.
Rest and recover adequately from strenuous workouts and injuries. Have a clear recovery plan for physical rehabilitation after an injury. You can also try some resistance, flexibility and strength training.
Loosen your stressed-out psoas muscles with a professional massage.

Psoas syndrome is a rare condition which is often misdiagnosed as lower back pain that doesn’t go away. It’s common among runners, athletes, and those who engage in plyometrics. It can cause you to limp, have groin pain, or difficulty when trying to stand from a seated position. The exact cause for psoas syndrome is still unclear.

Gluteus medius. Did you know that your arse (or butt) muscles are actually made up of three muscles? They’re gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. The layers of soft (and squishy?) fat tissue aren’t included. The function of your gluteus medius is to internally rotate and abduct your thigh (move your thigh away from the midline). As a group, they extend, abduct and rotate your hip joint both internally and externally. Strong tension is generated when your gluteus medius muscle contracts. This contributes to the stabilisation of the pelvis during your gait cycle when you walk. Your gluteus medius also helps absorb force from the ground pushing back against your foot and leg. It's a fan-shaped muscle found in the posterior hip that extends from the ilium of your hip bone to your femur.

Your gluteus medius muscles never get the spotlight, thanks to your gluteus maximus taking the limelight. Particular exercises that build strength and shape in your gluteus medius include glute bridges and dumbbell squats.

Are you familiar with Dead Butt Syndrome (DBS)? You should be. It happens when your gluteus medius becomes inactive. It’s caused by too much sitting…in the car, on the couch, on a chair. The clinical term for this is gluteal amnesia or gluteus medius tendinopathy. Basically, your gluteus medius muscles forget what they’re supposed to do, and your body loses pelvic support and has improper alignment. Your gluteus medius muscles feel sore after hours of sitting, and pain and numbness may radiate to the back of your thigh (like sciatica). To take care of your gluteus medius muscles, follow the same tips as for the psoas muscles above.

Piriformis. The piriformis is a small and flat muscle deep in the buttocks area. It rotates the femur during extension of your hip. It also abducts the femur during hip flexion. The abduction function is essential while walking because it transfers your body weight to the opposite side. This prevents you from falling. This muscle is part of a group of six small muscles that externally rotate the hip. It stretches from the sacrum and attaches to the femur.

Do you experience frequent buttock pain that’s worse when you sit down? You may have piriformis syndrome. It happens when your sciatic nerve is irritated or compressed by the piriformis muscle. It can lead to sciatica. Stretching, massage, cold or warm compresses, and over-the-counter pain medications may be used to alleviate the pain.

Popliteus. The popliteus muscle is a small muscle located at the back of your knee. It’s part of the deep posterior leg muscles. It originates from the femur and inserts at your tibial bone. This extraordinary little muscle is referred to as the “key to unlock the knee”. It starts the flexion of the fully extended knee when walking. It also helps in stabilising your knee.

It's difficult to injure your popliteus alone without damaging other areas of your knee. It’s usually injured as part of a ligament injury of the knee.

Levator scapulae. The levator scapulae is a thin, long muscle that belongs to a group of muscles which move your scapula. It originates from the sides of your cervical spine to insert at the scapula. You might have already guessed its function from its name, which is to elevate and stabilise your scapula when you’re carrying heavy loads. If one levator scapula contracts, your neck will bend to that side.

Levator scapulae is prone to chronic pain (neck pain) and stiffening, which is secondary to poor posture. Common culprits include sleeping on one side without proper neck and head support and carrying heavy loads or shoulder bags. To take care of this muscle, try to avoid these things.

Sartorius. This ribbon-like muscle holds the record for the longest muscle in the human body. Along with the quadriceps femoris muscle, the sartorius belongs to the anterior muscles of your thigh responsible for extending your leg. It originates from the anterior superior iliac spine of your pelvic bone (one on each side) and inserts down at your tibial bone. It actually crosses two joints, the hip and knee joints. That’s how long it is. It elicits movement in both joints and allows you to sit in a cross-legged position. The tree pose in yoga (vrikshasana) is an excellent example to showcase all the functions of your sartorius muscle: hip flexion, hip abduction, external hip rotation, and knee flexion.

The soft tissue cushion where your sartorius inserts at your tibial bone may be inflamed if you overstrain it. This condition is called pes anserine bursitis, which is common among runners. Swelling, pain, and difficulty moving your leg are the main symptoms. If inadequately treated, the condition can become chronic.

Exercises that include a well-balanced lower extremity routine (e.g. lunges, squats, jogging, or simply walking) usually strengthen your sartorius muscles. Unfortunately, two of its functions, external rotation and hip abduction, aren’t utilised as well as the others. Clamshell exercise, lateral band walks, and lateral step-ups are exercises you can do to address those two neglected functions. Insert this image (but make it small)

Sternocleidomastoid. Your sternocleidomastoids (one on each side) are one of the largest and most superficial neck muscles. The contraction of one results in rotation of your head to one side. The contraction of both leads to flexion of your neck. This two-headed neck muscle originates from two points, the sternum and the clavicle. It attaches to your temporal bone behind each ear. It divides your neck into two triangles, an anterior triangle and a posterior triangle. Your carotid pulse can be felt in the middle third of the anterior triangle, at the front edge of the muscle. The muscle also helps during inhalation by elevating your clavicle and sternum to expand your chest cavity.

Tonic spasm (cramps) of the sternocleidomastoid is referred to as torticollis. You can experience difficulty moving your head and neck and difficulty in swallowing. The exact reason why this happens remains unclear. Abnormal neck position while sleeping is a contributing factor. Most cases of torticollis among adults occur upon waking up in the morning. Torticollis is also common among newborn babies, with an incidence that can reach as high as 16 per cent.

Give your sternocleidomastoids ample love and care by:

Aside from proper neck exercises and stretching, your posture significantly affects the condition of your sternocleidomastoids and ultimately your neck. Avoid bending your neck like it’s the capital letter L when you use your phone. Adjust the height of your computer monitor. Your eye level should be at the top of the screen or slightly below it.
Make sure your neck has enough room to move and breath when you wear ties and shirts.
A memory foam pillow can help relieve neck pain as it offers the best balance of pressure relief and support.
Professional massages and breathing techniques can help you relax and remove tension from your sternocleidomastoid muscles.

You can now safely say that the muscles mentioned above are muscles you have already heard of (or read about). Keep them in mind the next time you exercise and move your body. Remember their purpose and significance in your daily life and be sure to take good care of them.