Home » Anatomy » SMRT Move for Psoas
  • SMRT Move for Psoas

    SMRT Move for Psoas

    Two mornings ago I woke up with a pain in my back that felt like a knife was stuck in my back. It was on the right side of my vertebrae at about T7 and T8. I could hardly move my back or my right arm. Breathing was difficult. I had my husband do some SMRT on me, about 5 minutes worth before he had to leave, while I was standing up. It eased the pain.

    The pain got worse again by Sunday night. By Monday morning, I could feel the entire right side of my body reacting. Today, Tuesday, is my birthday and I scheduled a massage for my birthday with a therapist named Veronica. Veronica is at a local spa and typically does full body Swedish and/or deep tissue work. We have an understanding that when the door to the room shuts, we can do whatever we want to. She loves to learn new things and I love to get the work my body needs.

    That’s it?

    Today I had her work on my rib cage, which eventually led to abdomen work. At one point, I showed her how to do an SMRT move for psoas. We use the leg. She said, “this is it?” She was confused. “Yes, that’s it.” I said. She said, “I don’t need to push into it or anything?” “No, just hold the leg in that position for a bit longer.” I said. She let go of my leg to recheck, then sank into my abdomen. I had no pain, and she was shocked by how easy, fast, and painless working with psoas had been.

    SMRT is Easy on the Hands

    After the anterior rib cage and abdominal work, I told her we should focus the last 20 minutes on my back. I really wanted the pain gone, so we particularly focused on the ribs. She had me flip over and began to warm up my back. She said, “these ribs feel high.”. “To the back?” I said. “Yes.” She said. I coached her in how to position ribs 5 through 7 on the left. She rechecked, and deemed the change “amazing.”. After a few nice effleurage strokes later, she moved to the top of my shoulder where she found that my left levator and middle trap were tight (as well as tender).

    I had her move my scapula into a specific position and hold it. Forty seconds passed. She let go and checked again. The entire area had completely softened. She said, “fantastic, and I just saved my hands completely. I’m going to use this on my next client! I kill myself on him!”

    Veronica worked with ease, didn’t overuse any part of her own body, and I am completely out of pain. I call that a win-win! We would love to teach you how to use SMRT for the rib cage and shoulder girdle. Start your SMRT journey today by registering for this Charleston, SC SMRT: Shoulder, Axilla, Ribcage, & Upper Back course here 10% early registration discount ends January 23, 2018.