What's the Root Cause? by Dr Vikki Petersen
"What's the Root Cause?" is brought to you by Root Cause Medical Clinic, featuring Dr. Vikki Petersen—renowned doctor, functional medicine expert, author of "Hiatal Hernia Syndrome" and host of a highly popular YouTube channel.
Dr. Vikki Petersen and her team of clinicians provide cutting-edge solutions in gut health, hiatal hernia syndrome, nutrition, food, hormones, genetics, lifestyle, and more.
You don’t have to accept feeling unwell or struggling with chronic health issues. Your body has the power to heal, and with the right approach, reversing many health conditions is possible. We're here to help you do just that.
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What's the Root Cause? by Dr Vikki Petersen
Is This Muscle Making Your Acid Reflux Worse?
Do you have acid reflux or a hiatal hernia, are you sometimes short of breath or anxious?
We're going to discuss the connection these symptoms can have to your low back and hip. An unlikely connection on the face of it, but highly important once you understand how the connection occurs.
We're talking about your psoas muscle (the "p" is silent - SO-as) which runs from your lower back to your thigh bone (femur). It's a hip flexor, so if you're sitting right now and you lift your thigh up to the ceiling, you're engaging your psoas muscle.
The diaphragm also attaches to the low back spine via fibers and these fibers (crura) are interwoven with the psoas fascia (a sheath that surrounds the muscle).
Tightness or weakness or dysfunction of one will affect the other.
A tight psoas is common and it creates a downward or rotational tension on the diaphragm which can distort the hiatus, or opening that the diaphragm passes though. This tension can contribute to widening of the hiatus, thus aggravating or creating a hiatal hernia.
A dysfunctional psoas is often associated with an exaggerated curve of the low back (duck butt) and poor core muscle support. These postural imbalance raise intra-abdominal pressure. Chronic slouching pushes abdominal contents upwards against the diaphragm and lower esophagus, potentially causing acid reflux and hiatal hernia.
A tight psoas restricts the descent of the diaphragm during inhalation resulting in chest breathing. Over time the tone of the diaphragm is reduced and its ability to restrict acid reflux from occurring is similarly compromised.
Finally, the psoas is tied to the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) and it contracts during stress. The tight psoas reinforces the sympathetic state which reduces digestive function.
Incredible how this one muscle can influence so much about digestion!
Treatment involves:
targeted stretching of the psoas
diaphragmatic breathing
postural correction involving the core and pelvic stability
nervous system regulation which involves the normalizing vagus nerve tone
This involvement, which can be quite instrumental in the success or failure of treatment, is why we actively include structural evaluation as part of our programs.
If you'd like help we're here for you. The best next step is to contact us for a consultation and then we can determine if what we do is a good fit for you. Call 727-335-0400.
#acidreflux #hippain #rootcausemedicine