Iliacus Muscle and the Pelvic Floor

The iliacus muscle sits inside the pelvis and helps pull the femur deeper into the hip socket. This muscle is critical for prevention of:
Piriformis pain
Hip impingement in the front (labrum, soft tissue)
IT Band syndrome
Pelvic floor function
In short: it’s a muscle with a big role to play!
Let’s strengthen that iliacus muscle with the following exercise:
Lay on your side, knees bent to 90-degrees, feet against the wall
Put something between your thighs, just above your knees yoga block, preferably, but you could also use a towel roll.
Lift your belly just a little bit
Pull in and lift ribcage just a little
Think about pushing your hip toward the wall your feet are resting on (try not to arch your back)
Squeeze the block between your thighs and try to slide your femur back into your hip socket
Use your inner thigh. You don’t want to use your hip flexors, quads, or hamstrings, and you do not want to clench your glutes!
If you’re having difficulty with this exercise, try the regression exercise in the video.
You’ll flip over to your hands and knees, both perpendicular to your trunk.
Keep your toes on the ground and tuck your chin.
Think about lifting your knee off the ground by bringing your hip up (don’t shift your weight to the side and lift).
Try several sets of these. This will put you on the path to strengthen your iliacus muscle and help alleviate a wide variety of pelvic pain symptoms. To learn more, visit our website at
www.coreexercis....

[@agnostellar]

Would it help for those with hypertonic pelvic floor? Or in your experience makes things worst.

[@CoreExerciseSolutions]

It depends on what is causing your pelvic floor to be tight but it could possibly help.

[@godblessamerica9356]

Hi! This is exactly what i need. Thanks. How many times should I do the exercise at one sitting?

[@godblessamerica9356]

And it seems like it’s a very subtle movement to create so much relief. You’re not really supposed to bring up the knee so much that your whole pelvis flips over, right? Just lift the knee an inch or two?

[@CoreExerciseSolutions]

correct - just an inch or 2 and 2 to 3 sets of 5 breaths is a good place to start.

[@robk9330]

Would these exercises help me fix internal snapping hip which is coming from a tight iliopsoas?

[@CoreExerciseSolutions]

Have you ever watched this video? ruclips.net/video/hmhypRXd8dE/видео.html

[@ljmariposa]

Are these exercises safe if one has active SI dysfunction in addition to hip impingement?

[@CoreExerciseSolutions]

This would be a good one to check with your care provider!

[@egcorral]

I just discovered your video and tried your PRI variation for my right piriformis. Thank you so much! I immediately felt a huge relieve from pain in the butt. My right glute medius is so weak. Have you made a video about how to strengthen it? Subscribing to your channel now. Thank you again!

[@CoreExerciseSolutions]

You can check out this video out to start :)
ruclips.net/video/cw3ysSQ-BOE/видео.html

[@daniellestine2250]

What if you can’t even lift your hip in the variation ?🙋🏻‍♀️😭

[@geertruivanbroekhoven7209]

I just tried this. I' m sure I didn't 'twist' the hip (moving the knee to the side when lifting (second exercise) and that I had the slide of the hip. I felt it most in the middle of my back ( which is not flexibel and hurts many times). Could it be that the pelvic area is overcompensating for the lack of flexibility in the middle of the back ? What to do to get more flexibility in the middle of the back ? The exercise I just did triggers a bit of pain in the pelvic bottom so I maybe need an exercise to loosen the middle back first ?

[@CoreExerciseSolutions]

I would need to see you move to be able to help further. Sounds like there are some compensations going on and we would need to figure out exactly what those are. Have you ever worked with an in person physical therapist for help?