Pinchin' Piriformis

OWWWWIEE!!! 

Piriformis syndrome - an addition to yesterday's bl"ah"og about getting up and moving around instead of sitting at the computer all day (which, incidentally, is where I am to write this blog...awesome).

Ever get a "pain in the butt" that seems to only be afflicting 'one cheek' and sometimes the pain is more than just an annoyance-it becomes an irritation and can seriously affect how a day's events unfold!

Oftentimes, a misdiagnoses occurs among people with low back pain and what seems to be "sciatica".  Several really simple stretches and movement exercises can help a person determine if the discomfort is actually due to a deep-muscle tightness.  A couple of causes of this pain is sedentary daily life (sitting, sitting, sitting...drive to work, sit at computer, sit at lunch, sit at computer, drive home, sit in front of tv . . . even if you get the recommended 30 minutes of daily walking sometime in there).  Other causes are either a muscle imbalance OR inflexibility in the hip flexors/quads/hamstrings and even the obliques.

Below is a pretty simple depiction of the glute muscles, including the PIRIFORMIS, as well as the sciatic nerve (not a muscle). 

Usually, without even knowing, we (in the industrialized, modern, techologically-advanced society) sit the same way OVER and OVER and OVER and Waaaaay Toooooo Much!  We lean a certain way to get into, out of, and while in cars . . . at the computer . . . on the couch watching a movie . . . at the dinner table . . .

I have added a couple of pictures to guide in some easy stretching exercises that you can do at work or at home.  The affected (painful) leg/glute is the leg that is 1) crossed over the knee, 2) stretched out in front of the body, 3) the foot that crosses in front and same side to stretch obliques, and 4) the side to roll on a foam roller or small therapy ball.

1. Seated piriformis stretch

2. Seated hamstring stretch

3. Standing oblique stretch (can be done seated, if necessary)

4. Using foam roller to massage painful muscle

Silly but truthful cartoon :-)

In addition to these movements, move around as you are able.  If you can stand up and walk around, try to add 2 or 3 5-minutes walks throughout your day.  Increase to 2-3 10-minute walks (in addition to any exercise routine you already follow).  If your body or job does not allow for this, work on shifting how you sit every 30 minutes.  Work with your boss to make sure your workspace is ergonomically sound.


And--


Ask a physical therapist or an exercise physiologist or personal trainer how to safely stretch out this painful area.  Be careful - a tight piriformis CAN afflict the sciatic nerve.