By Request: My Piriformis Hurts

This month, I’m taking requests for things folks want to know about fitness (yes, please!  Ask me questions and I will blog the answers!).

My piriformis is tight.  What should I do?

 

I feel this.  Right in my behind, just like you do!  A tight piriformis is a natural consequence of our sedentary society.  Even when we’re not stuck sitting at our desks or hanging out on the couch, we’re jammed into the car commuting.

 

Our plan to deal with this pain in the butt starts with loosening things up and then putting some good alignment and movement habits in place to keep things functional and happy.

 

If budget allows, start with a massage.  Not only can a professional get the tension out, they can also alert us to contributing factors (looking at you, IT band!).

 

To maintain this lower degree of tension, we want to dive into some self-myofascial release techniques.  Using a roller or tiger tail on the behind and the outer side of the thigh is a good (if painful!) way to start.  (Don’t worry:  we are not doing damage.  As we get used to the sensation, it begins to feel better.  Making a habit of it helps.)  I also recommend getting yoga tune-up balls (or lacrosse balls or Pinkie balls or a tennis ball, depending on the hardness you desire; the harder the ball, the deeper the release and the more intense the sensation.)  Putting the ball of our choice under the fleshy part of our behind while sitting on the floor and wiggling around until we find the tender spot does the trick.  Breathing deeply while we wait for the tension to release is useful.

 

Now that our piriformis feels less like a rubber band about to snap, we can do some stretching.  The figure four stretch is a good choice.  To do it, we lie on our backs with one ankle crossed over the other knee.  Then we pull both knees in toward our chests to feel the stretch in our behinds.  It is important that this stretch not cause any pain.  If it hurts, we are pushing too far and we are not helping our flexibility.  When it comes to stretching, pain gets in the way of gain.

 

Next, we need to build a little mobility into our hip joints.  A very simple exercise to help with this is to lie on our backs with one leg in a tabletop position.  Using our hands, we circle our knee around, stirring our femur in the hip socket.  Five circles in each direction is a good idea.

 

We want good strong hips and glutes, so incorporating some squats into our workouts is a good idea.

 

Finally, we just need to make sure we get up and move more often.  A Wristy Overlord (a.k.a. Apple Watch or other fitness tracker) can help remind us to stand and move on an hourly basis.  Or, we can drink lots of water and let our need to use the bathroom take care of the problem for us.

 

It is always a good idea to check in with medical professionals for any pain that persists or worsens.  I am not a doctor.

 

Move it, baby!