Okay, ya’ll!

In celebration of the Fourth of July coming up soon, I thought we would talk about fireworks and hotdogs! No, just hotdogs. Actually, just a hotdog-shaped muscle that can have a big say in how we move.

The Piriformis

Today, we are going to talk about the Piriformis. The Piriformis is one of the muscles that connects our sacroiliac joint (the big triangular shaped bone that sits in between your hips to your spine) to our hips. The SI joint (SIJ) supports the entire weight of our upper body and helps with movement as we bend and twist at the hips. The SI joint also helps with shock absorption. So- it would make sense that the SIJ needs a lot of support, and the muscles that work around it need to be strong and mobile at the same time.

This is where the Piriformis comes in: a long, slender muscle about the size of a hotdog buried deep under our Gluteus Maximus muscle. It runs from the side of the sacrum (near the tailbone) to the femur (the top part of our thigh bone). It is considered part of the “deep six” hip rotators that are responsible for stability at the hip and pelvis, especially when we are moving.

There are two things we need to know about the Piriformis: it is a workaholic and a drama queen. Muscles need to be a certain length to operate properly: a muscle is at its strongest when it isn’t too tight or too stretched out. Make it too long (stretched out) and it becomes weak; make it too short (tense) and it becomes weak. A lot of muscles at the SI joint are prone to this problem for one reason or another. Maybe it is the way we walk; maybe it is because we have a job where we sit for a long time; maybe we are compensating from childhood scoliosis. The reason for mine is going to be completely different than the reason for yours.

Whatever the reason is, when a muscle at the pelvis becomes weak the Piriformis likes to swoop in and act the hero. It likes to take over the job of whatever muscle it is “saving” and do its own full-time job at the same time. Like I said: a work-a-holic. But like anything that is overworked, the Piriformis can become burned out. And then it will let you know in a very dramatic way that it is ready for a break. This can include pain with sitting or lying down generally felt in the low back and rear-end; it may be relieved when you get up and walk. The Piriformis can also sit on your sciatic nerve, causing tingling or pain to radiate down your leg. The Piriformis may also treat the pudendal nerve (found in the pelvic floor area) this way, which may lead to constipation and pelvic floor pain. 

So what do we do?

Sometimes stretching and releasing the Piriformis can provide some relief. This can include the “figure 4” position on your back, pulling your knee towards you (see this video by Dr. Paige to learn more). Pigeon Pose can also create a slightly more intense stretch. A lot of people get relief from lying on a lacrosse ball to let their piriformis “sink and relax” around it, which releases a lot of tension.

We often think that we can just stretch or foam roll a muscle into loosey-goosey submission. But if we don’t correct the areas of compensation that the Piriformis was filling in for, then it will just go back to its workaholic tendencies. 

It is important to know WHY your Piriformis is working overtime. Is it due to weak core muscles, tight hip flexors, weak glutes, or tight inner thigh muscles?

This is where Recharged Performance Therapy comes in. You need someone to help you find out why your muscles are hurting and causing you problems. If we don’t get to the root cause- you might as well just be throwing out $$$ on foam rollers and KT Tape!

It is TOTALLY possible to get this muscle back to 100% and make sure it stays that way.

If you need help- reach out to us on the Contact Us Form or send us a DM on social media!!!

We can’t wait to hear from you!!

-- The RPT Team

(321) 802-1630

Paige@RechargedPerformanceTherapy.com

@RechargedPerformanceTherpay (FB and Insta)

References

Rashbaum RF, Ohnmeiss DD, Lindley EM, Kitchel SH, Patel VV. Sacroiliac Joint Pain and Its Treatment. Clinical Spine Surgery. 2016;29(2):42-48. doi:10.1097/bsd.0000000000000359

Raj MA, Varacallo M. Sacroiliac (SI) Joint Pain. [Updated 2019 May 12]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2019 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470299/

https://www.caringmedical.com/prolotherapy-news/pudendal-nerve-entrapment-syndrome/

https://deansomerset.com/what-your-tight-piriformis-is-telling-you/