I frequently give piriformis stretches to my clients. The piriformis is a muscle located deep in the gluteals. It helps to stabilise the hip joint and rotate and lift the thigh away from the body.
When the piriformis is tight it can lead to sciatica. The sciatic nerve runs next to the piriformis. The taught piriformis muscle can compress the sciatic nerve which can cause nerve pain; tingling and numbness into the glute and leg.
I often recommend these piriformis stretches. The important thing to note with all of these postures, is to flex the front foot, closest to you, to protect your knee. Ease into this stretches slowly, focus on the sensation of the glute stretching rather than just getting your body into the required position. Breathe deeply and allow yourself to sink into this position and the sensations slowly. Hold the stretch for a minimum of 30 seconds to allow the muscles and fascia time to warm and stretch.
These stretches are all modification of the ' The figure four stretch'. The most accessible is the sat down version.
You can add some gentle rocking and movement to the lying back 'figure four'.
You may recognise pigeon pose, Eka Pada Rajakapotasana which increased hip flexibility and stretches the Piriformis.
Sciatica can also be caused by a bulging or herniated disc. This can be determined by some physical assessments and speaking with your GP. I hope you found these stretches helpful, please do get in touch if you would like some more advice for sciatic and managing pain. Sciatic pain has a good opportunity to be relieved with a combination of stretching, posture adjustment and massage.
