Treating Piriformis - Stretching exercises for relief.

The Piriformis muscle is located behind your hip joint, its function is to help external rotation of your hip joint. The Piriformis is a flat muscle resembling the shape of a pyramid, it runs almost horizontally across the Sciatic Nerve.

The Piriformis Syndrome is characterized by pain radiating into your buttocks and leg. Because of the position of the Piriformis muscle, it is common for it to interfere or press on the Sciatic nerve itself. This usually happens when the muscle becomes too tense and tightens in a spasm-like manner. The Irritation of the Sciatic nerve cause pain to shoot down the leg in a condition referred to as Sciatica.

Sciatica is the set of symptoms caused by any interference or pressure on the Sciatic nerve, usually caused by a herniated disc in your lower back. The Sciatic nerve itself is the longest nerve running through your body, it fans from your lower back and travels down the length of your legs. Sciatica symptoms include pain in the lower back, buttocks, and various parts of the leg/foot. Many people think of this simply as a pinched nerve.

Both the Piriformis Syndrome, and Sciatica, are conditions which many people suffer with for the duration of their lives. There are many temporary solutions such as heat application, over the counter drugs, and simple rest. You can visit my related lens on how to lower back pain with some of these suggestions here: http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-lower-back-pain.

If you've tried the Piriformis stretching exercises below, and are looking to get a more permanent cure to your pain, I highly recommend the following resource. They offer an excellent FREE book on relieving back pain:

http://www.lowerbackrelief.net - A complete exercise program that helped thousands of people just like you get rid of their pain, and live healthy, and happy, pain free lives.

The pictures used are from expertbackcare.com.

Piriformis stretches will help you loosen your Piriformis muscle, which in turn will reduce the irritation of your Sciatic nerve.

Piriformis stretching is a great tool for pain relief, but it is so often done incorrectly. A rising concern for doctors is patients doing general exercises aimed at a specific condition, without realizing that their own condition is a different one. Before attempting to do the following stretches, visit http://www.lowerbackrelief.net for an individual assessment of your unique condition.

Please, be careful, and don't hurt yourself! Consult this site before doing any of the Piriformis stretches below.

Piriformis Stretch #1

Lie down flat on your back with both of your knees bent.
Take the ankle (on the side you have the pain on), and very gently bring it on top of your opposite knee.
Rest your foot so that your ankle is crossed upon your knee, facing you.
Using your hand, gently begin to push the knee that is in the air away from you.
Go slowly, you are looking to feel a gentle but firm stretch in your buttocks, leg, and sometimes the lower back.



You can hold this Piriformis stretch for 3 repetitions of 20-30 seconds each, and repeat 2 - 3 times per day.

Piriformis Stretch #2

This is a variation of the stretch above in which you will feel your Piriformis stretching deeper.

Get into the same position as for the Piriformis stretch #1.
Reach your free hand, and take your other knee from behind.
Begin to pull your knee gently towards you, go slow!
Keep gently pressing with both hands in opposite directions.
If you feel pain, stop, take a couple of deep breaths in the position you stopped in, and then resume.



You can hold this Piriformis stretch for the same time as #1.
Do 3 repetitions of 20-30 seconds each, and repeat 2 - 3 times per day

One of the biggest tips for Piriformis stretching, and stretching in general, is to visualize the muscle you are attempting to stretch relaxing.
Breath deeply, and imagine the muscle slowly releasing all tension.
It sounds silly, but this alone can help you get the relief you need!

Once again, be careful in performing any and all Piriformis stretching exercises.
I highly recommend taking a couple of minutes and finding out your particular condition, I found the exercises in this program to be more beneficial than regular physical therapy. The main concept is so practical, I'm surprised more doctors are not following it.

Go to http://www.lowerbackrelief.net and find out the MAIN reason why you are in pain. This FREE information WILL change your life!