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Updated: May 9, 2026

Posterior Approach for Debridement of the Psoas Abscess
Published on: March 2, 2020
Anatomy and biomechanics of psoas major
N Bogduk1, M Pearcy, G Hadfield
1Faculty of Medicine, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia.
Abstract:
The fascicular anatomy of the psoas major was determined by dissection in three cadavers. Its actions on the lumbar spine in the sagittal plane were modelled on erect, flexion, and extension radiographs of ten adult males. Calculations revealed that psoas exerts only very small moments that tend to extend the upper lumbar spine and to flex the lower lumbar spine, but at maximum contraction the psoas exerts severe compression forces on the lumbar segments, and large shear forces.
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