The Piriformis
This muscle lies deep in the glute. It can cause a lot of pain and discomfort locally. It also affects down the leg. Learn more about the Piriformis and what can happen when it becomes very tight. Watch the set of videos now!
The Piriformis is what is called a lateral rotator of the hip. What it basically means is that it turns your thigh in an outward direction, relative the mid-line. We will describe this action ocuring when a person has their knee extended. I am simplifying the motion, trying to avoid as many anatomical terms as possible.
An example of this motion is when you turn your thigh outwards when you push off during skating.
This muscle also helps with extending the thigh. It is active in activities such as running up hills, performing squats and jumping.
How does this muscle become tight
When the piriformis muscle becomes over used and overworked it can become short and tight. This can be from overdoing activities such as squats, running hills and jumping activities. Along with these activities, inactivity can also impact this muscle. For example, sitting for prolonged periods at your office. This also can shorten this muscle causing pain and discomfort.
Another factor that makes this muscle super tight, is the ratio of stretching versus activities. If you skip stretching, you will overwork this muscle. Eventually, you will notice pain. This will lead to discomfort.
Symptoms
Here are a number of symptoms that you may encounter if your piriformis becomes tight:
- Local pain and tightness that feels deep in the buttock.
- Referral pain down the leg, potentially to the heel. This can be from two reasons. The first, the tightness of the muscle is pressing on the Sciatic nerve. In fact due to the sciatic-like symptoms that the piriformis does initiate, there is a term indicating this condition, “pseudosciatica”. It is called this because it mimics Sciatica which originates from the lower back. This nerve travels from the lower back to down the thigh and leg. The second reason is that there are trigger points in the muscle. These trigger points have a pain referral pattern down the thigh and leg.
- Often times going from seated or crouched position or climbing hills exacerbate the pain and discomfort.
The piriformis can become so problematic that is can hinder fitness activities. It can take you out from a marathon that you have been training for, for weeks.
Treatment
The treatment is very specific to relaxing the Gluteal muscles, in particular the piriformis. The treatment can be very uncomfortable because of the pressure put on the piriformis by my elbows and knuckles. The idea is to use techniques to relax the piriformis.
We would also look at any muscular imbalances of the muscles that attach to the hips and pelvis. This could be a predisposing reason for the patient’s condition.
Post treatment the patient is given instructions on stretches or self-care techniques to help manage the pain and discomfort.
You can benefit from deep tissue massage. Is the pain hindering you in any way? If you have been suffering from glute/hip pain for a long time and are noticing symptoms down the leg, it may be time to seek treatment. Contact us and we can discuss what we can do for your tight piriformis muscle.
Do you have hip pain and lower back pain also? Here is an educational video on lower back pain for you! Here is a nice tip to stretch your hip flexors. These muscles can cause lower back pain.
