Muscle Minute Monday: Piriformis
Today we’re talking about your Piriformis muscle! In pregnancy this can be one of the more common aches that shows up. Even in postpartum, this little muscle is a common complaint that causes a lot of discomfort.
This small muscle is located deep in the glute and hip area, right behind glute max.
It originates from the pelvic surface of the anterior sacrum, or the inside part of your sacrum and inserts onto the superior border of the greater trochanter, which is the top part of your femur. Scroll down to watch the video and see this muscle in 3D!
This muscle is responsible for:
External rotation of the thigh at the hip joint, or rotating your hip out
Transverse hip abduction, or lifting the leg out to the side
It also helps to stabilize the hip joint
When your piriformis is tight you might feel a dull ache in the buttocks, you can feel sciatica pain down the back of the thigh calf and foot, you might feel pain when walking upstairs or inclines, increased pain when sitting for a long time as well as reduced range of motion at your hip joint.
In pregnancy this pain is often caused by a shift in your pelvis. When you are pregnant and breastfeeding your body releases a chemical called relaxin, which will relax your ligaments – mainly around your pelvis. This will cause your pelvis to shift and expand, which in turn will cause the piriformis muscle to be stretched and tighten. Piriformis syndrome during pregnancy can also be caused by the change in your posture.
Pain can be relieved by helping stretch and lengthen the glute and piriformis muscles and outer hips.
Piriformis stretch routine
You can scroll down to watch the video, but here are the written instructions.
One thing I want to mention is that it’s important we are not focusing just on this one muscle when to trying to release it. Sounds weird right? Remember this is a deep muscle and there are other muscles around it that can affect the piriformis.
So I threw in a couple of stretches that directly affect around the hip and will help support that piriformis.
Foam Roll - this is my lazy man’s version of foam rolling the piriformis. Cross your leg over the knee of the side you’re trying to work and lean into it. Add movement when it feels comfortable.
90/90 Stretch - place one leg in front of you at a 90 degree angle, and place the second leg behind at 90 degrees. Hinge at the hips, leaning to the front.
The next 3 stretches are for the piriformis specifically, but are different levels of flexibility. Do them all or pick one that works for you.
Modification 1 - on your back, cross the ankle over the opposite knee and press into the knee
Modification 2 - Start with your supporting foot a little farther from the body with the ankle over the opposite knee.
Modification 3 - Same position as above, but bring the supporting foot closer in to the body
Modification 4 - on your back, cross the ankle over the knee and thread your arms through the supporting leg to grab onto the hamstring, pull the leg close to the body
Active Hamstring Stretch - start on your back and bring the leg to a 90 degree angle with the foot flexed. Grab onto the hamstring and straighten the leg, be sure to point the toe at the top and flex when you bring it back to 90.
Piriformis Release - lay on your stomach and bring the knee out like a frog. Adjust the hips and knee placement till you find a position that works for you and you feel no pain. You can add a towel under the knee if you need extra support. Hold this for AT LEAST 90 seconds. This should not cause any pain, we are putting the piriformis in a slack position to let it rest.