Raleigh Chiropractor Demonstrates A Piriformis Syndrome Stretch
I often come in the room to adjust a patient and they say it hurts right here – pointing to the buttock, at a spot between the tail bone and the outer hip bone. This is often the location of where the sciatic nerve comes running down the back of the leg from the lower back.
When the lower back is misaligned, stuck and not moving and the sciatic nerve is being irritated, it will often time tighten the muscle that runs across the buttock called the Piriformis. So yes, a tight piriformis muscle can be a real pain in the butt!
Other causes of a tight piriformis muscle include: sitting poorly, often with your leg under you or sitting on a wallet, poor running form as well as overuse in exercise or sports.
To fix this issue, we have to adjust the spine to free up its motion and take the tension off the sciatic nerve. In addition, I like to give a stretch for the piriformis to relax the muscle and take tension off the nerve.
So today I wanted to review how to stretch the piriformis muscle along with a variation so you can do this at home to help avoid a painful buttock.
- Lie on your back with your knees bent.
- Bring your left knee up towards your chest stopping at 90 degrees.
- Bring your left ankle and put it across your right knee resting it on your right knee.
- Grab your right thigh with both hands and pull your right thigh towards your chest.
- Feel the burn : ) Hold for 20-30 seconds
- Repeat with opposite leg
Modification:
- Lie on your back
- Bring your left knee up in the direction towards your right shoulder.
- Now from this position bring your left knee down towards the floor.
- Feel the burn : ) Hold for 20-30 seconds
- Repeat with opposite leg
Hope this exercise helps keep you going strong in 2021.
I wanted to thank you for referring your friends and family to me. I know you put your reputation on the line when you tell someone about me and I take that very seriously!
Thanks for letting me be your chiropractor!
In Good Health,
Dr. Ashforth