The Iliacus portion of the muscle originates from the upper two thirds of the Iliac Fossa and then joins the Psoas and inserts at the Lesser Trochanter. The Psoas Major portion of the muscle originates from the lumbar vertebrae while its insertion is at the Lesser Trochanter. She will report a reduction of her symptoms when lying down. Functionally, these trigger points can be activated with any type of weight bearing activities. She may report increased discomfort when attempting to perform sit-ups or when jogging. Functional symptoms may include the report of increased pain of these regions with prolonged sitting and/or standing. The woman with Iliopsoas trigger points may experience lower quadrant pain, low back pain with symptoms radiating slightly into the superior gluteal region, or they may report symptoms of the anterior thigh. Travell and Simons discuss these trigger points in their book Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction The Trigger Point manual Vol 2. Trigger points are generally the result of the muscle being overloaded following an acute, prolonged, or repetitive incident. In addition, compression of the trigger point may produce referred tenderness as well as an autonomic phenomena.

When this muscle area is compressed, it is locally tender and can give rise to referred pain. (1999), a trigger point is associated with a hypersensitive nodule of tissue.

A trigger point: a hyper-irritable area of the muscular tissue. We often find Iliopsoas trigger points in women with a history of chronic pelvic pain.

Travell and simons pain referral book