Transcription

• Speaker #0

  Hi, and welcome to a new episode. Today we're exploring the tree exercise on the short box on the reformer. This exercise is often associated with stretching the hamstrings. However, I would like to draw your attention to another dimension, opening the hip of the leg secured under the strap, and how this relates to spinal extension. First, let's distinguish between two stages. In the initial version, you roll back onto the sacrum. while maintaining spinal flexion. Moving into full extension beyond the box is a progression. It requires preparation. It is neither compulsory nor a range of movement to achieve at any cost. Let's set up. Foot bar in position for two springs and the head rest flat. Check that the box is stable and the foot strap is secure. Sit on your sit bones, keeping your pelvis square to the front and your spine. As neutral as possible, without gripping through the hip creases. Keep one foot firmly secured under the strap. The other leg is bent. The inside hand supports the leg underneath the knee, while the outside hand reaches towards the ankle. Grow taller through your spine without drawing your shoulders towards your ears. Inhale to prepare. Exhale, straighten the knee while keeping your torso upright. Inhale, bend the knee again. Repeat three times. The quadriceps produce knee extension while the hamstrings lengthen. Do not aim for a perfectly straight leg at the expense of allowing your pelvis to collapse backwards. On the third repetition, keep the leg extended and bring both hands towards the ankle. Exhale. Initiate a posterior pelvic tilt by rolling the bony points at the front of your pelvis away from the fronts of your thighs. Gradually round your lower back and roll onto your sacrum while walking your hands down the back of the leg. This is not about leaning your torso backwards as one rigid unit. It is an articulated rolling movement. Inhale into the sides of your ribcage while maintaining this flexion. Then exhale to return, initiating with your abdominals and walking your hands back up the leg. Bend and then straighten the knee between each rollback. Complete three rollbacks on each side. But what is happening at the opposite hip? The foot under the strap provides an anchor. This allows the pelvis to move in relation to the relatively stable femur. As the pelvis rolls backwards, the amount of flexion at this hip decreases. The movement is towards extension, even without moving beyond neutral. This mechanical relationship explains why we seek to lengthen the hip flexors on the side of the anchored foot. rather than on the side of the raised leg. What matters is the relationship between the pelvis and the femur. During the controlled descent, the hip flexors on this side can work eccentrically. They develop tension while lengthening to slow the movement. A muscle being stretched is therefore not necessarily a completely relaxed muscle. Here we are looking for controlled lengthening, not for the body to simply fall backwards. To understand this lengthening, let's look at two deep muscles, the psoas major and the iliacus. Together, they form the iliopsoas. The psoas major originates from the lateral surfaces of the vertebral bodies from T12 to L4 and the corresponding intervertebral discs, as well as from the transverse processes of L1 to L5. It descends through the pelvis, passes beneath the inguinal ligament and inserts onto the lesser trochanter, a bony prominence on the upper posturomedial aspect of the femur. It therefore connects the lumbar region directly to the thigh. Its nerve supply comes from branches of the lumbar spinal nerves. The levels commonly cited are L1 to L3, with contributions that may extend to L4. Branches from L2 and L3 feature prominently in anatomical studies. Its main action is hip flexion, bringing the thigh towards the trunk. It can also contribute to external rotation of the hip. When the femur is fixed, it contributes to movement of the trunk in relation to the thigh and to lumbar control. Acting on one side, it can help bend the trunk towards that same side. Its effect on the spine depends on position, however, describing it simply as a muscle that arches the lower back would be inaccurate. The iliacus originates mainly from the upper two thirds of the iliac fossa, the broad concavity on the inner surface of the pelvic bone, with attachments to the iliac crest and the wing of the sacrum. Its fibers join the psoas, tendin to insert onto the lesser trochanter. Some fibers also attach directly to the femur. It is supplied by the femoral nerve, which arises from the L2 to L4 nerve roots. It also flexes the hip. When the femur is fixed, it can tilt the pelvis forwards over the thigh. Unlike the psoas, it has no attachments to the lumbar vertebrae. Its direct action therefore primarily concerns the hip. Both muscles pass in front of the hip joint's axis. Moving towards extension tends to lengthen their muscular tendinous path. For the psoas, however, we also need to consider the position of the spine because its upper attachments are on the vertebrae. The position of the thigh alone therefore does not tell the whole story of its stretch. This is why we need to distinguish between two movements, extending the hip and extending the spine. They can occur together, but one does not replace the other. To encourage lengthening of the hip flexors, we seek a genuine opening between the pelvis and the femur. An increase in the arch of the lower back does not prove that this opening has increased. Now let's return to the progression into full extension once the descent is controlled. and with appropriate guidance, the spine can gradually open into extension beyond the box. Imagine a long curve rather than a sharp hinge at the waist. The lumbar spine participates, the chest opens, the sternum moves away from the pelvis, and the head follows the continuity of movement rather than dropping backwards. Full does not mean maximal movement at every joint. Think of extension distributed throughout the spine. within your available range. The aim is not to lower your head as far as possible, but to coordinate spinal extension with the opening of the anchored hip. Above all, you must remain able to return with control. Here is an image I would suggest. Allow the front of the hip to open while the chest continues moving backwards. Do not try to gain the entire range from one area. The leg under the strap remains your anchor. but it should not become something you pull against forcefully. Allow your breathing to accompany the opening without abandoning abdominal support. Then exhale to organize the return. Gradually move back into flexion and walk your hands upwards without pulling yourself up solely with your arms. Keep the pelvis free from rotation. It moves over the femur, but one side should not drift behind the other. If the back of the thigh limits the movement, Keep the upper knee bent. If the rollback is not controlled, stay with the seated preparation only. And if extension causes pain or a pinching sensation, stop this progression and have the exercise adapted. Remember this idea. In the tree, one leg rises, but the opposite hip deserves our full attention. The spine moves while the pelvis learns to move over the femur without losing its organization. Pilates is not about going further and further. It is about understanding where the movement takes place, which muscles make it possible, and how to return with just as much control as you had on the way down. Thank you for listening, and until next time.