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Several years ago I began experiencing a sharp pain deep in my left gluteal muscle that was made worse after sitting or even laying down. After many fruitless trips to various doctors and practitioners, I discovered the problem muscle when looking at a poster of the muscles of the human body–the piriformis! As I did some Internet searches, it seemed that I fit the bill of someone who suffers from piriformis pain: desk worker who also likes to run long distances on the weekend. Ever since this ah-ha moment, I have sought out exercises that I can do to relieve this pain and how to prevent future episodes of my piriformis acting up.
The piriformis is a deep deep muscle that connects the low back to your hip. It helps the leg rotate and is a hip stabilizer. When my pain was at its worst, my low back felt locked and going up and down stairs was excruciating. Chiropractic care as well as these exercises helped me to rehabilitate so that I’m now focusing on preventative care.
Piriformis pressure point release.
Piriformis muscle release with tennis ball.
A tennis ball of all things became my best friend and helped me release some of the tension in my piriformis. There is a trigger point right in the middle of the butt to release tension in the piriformis. Lay on your back and put the tennis ball in that pressure point. You’ll know you’re on the right muscle if you bend your knee with feet flat and let the knee relax out to the side (making a 4 with your legs). This is a great hip release for anyone who sits for long periods. From there, make circles each direction by sliding your foot straight out with the knee to the ceiling and then open the knee from the hip and slide into your figure 4 position. Take your time and try to release your weight on the tennis ball–don’t fight it.
Foam roller fascia in butt.
Using a foam roller on my glutes after the tennis ball release helped to relieve tension in that area as well. Sit on a foam roller and rock your weight onto one cheek, then cross the same ankle over the opposite knee. Roll back and forth.
Yoga pigeon pose
Runner stretch
For stretching, pigeon pose and the runners stretch were the most helpful stretches for at home or in the office.
These are fantastic exercises for anyone who sits for long periods. They help to get blood moving to your bottom that usually interfaces with a chair. When establishing a preventative program for myself, I believe one of the reasons for my initial pain was having weak butt muscles from sitting all day at work and then attempting physically strenuous activities that necessitated a strong backside. Because of chairs nowadays, we sit and our butt muscles atrophy over time, yet they are so important for posture and walking. I have found that strengthening my gluteal muscles, particularly the gluteus medius, has been the best thing for keeping me out of pain long-term. Piriformis flare ups also tend to happen more frequently to those of us who pronate (when the ankle falls in to the midline of the body). Piriformis issues can also play a role in sciatica. If you feel any shooting pain in your back or leg, please see a qualified chiropractor, physician and/or physical therapist for care.
Shannon Rashap, CPT, M.A. Ed.
Helping you find effort with ease…
Tags: hip pain, piriformis, running Austin, stretching
