Practitioner Spotlight: Alex O’Gorman

Alex has been to multiple world and European championships with athletics and cycling including Team Scotland at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and Team GB at Tokyo 2020. He has supported many training camps all over the world and worked with multiple World and Olympic Champions and medallists and World Record Holders across both sports.

Alex also lectures on the Msc Physiotherapy at St Mary’s University, Twickenham. As well as a BSc in Physiotherapy Alex has a MSc in Strength and Conditioning and is currently undertaking another MSc in Sport and Exercise Medicine. Alex continues to consult for British Athletics and British Cycling and individually with international athletes. As a former sub 30 minute 10km runner Alex now spends his spare time coaching international sprinters including British champions and European age group medallists.

What Alex has to say about the Psoas muscle and why it is important for cyclists:

The hip flexors work on the upstroke of pedalling and are active for 50% of the pedal revolution. The Psoas is one of those hip flexor muscles and, as well as flexing the hip, has a key role in stabilising our Lumbar spine and anterior hip. Cyclists can commonly get tight hip flexors. (Think sitting on the bike  in a flexed position and using the hip flexors for a good 4-6 hours each day.) If left neglected tight psoas and hip flexors can contribute to low back pain, breathing inefficiency, hip and knee overloading in cycling and saddle sores if you’re sitting on your saddle poorly. So we constantly try to maintain the strength of psoas and the other hip flexors and lumbar stabilisers as well as maintaining hip range of motion and good tissue quality.