According to the World Health Organization or the WHO, lower back pain affected 619 million people globally in 2020. That number is predicted to increase to 843 million by 2050. A large percentage of these cases are nonspecific, meaning they aren’t believed to be associated with another diagnosis or underlying disease, pathology, or tissue damage. Back pain can be caused or worsened by ligament or muscle sprains that often result from poor posture, lack of exercise, sudden awkward movements, improper lifting, and more.
The piriformis is one of the tiny and often overlooked muscles that can contribute to back pain. Lower back tension can arise from tightness in this muscle. Let’s look at what the piriformis is and the best stretches to provide some relief.
What is the piriformis muscle?
The piriformis muscle is a flat muscle in your gluteal region or buttocks that helps you rotate your hip and turn your leg and foot outward. This pear-shaped muscle runs from your lower spine area through your buttocks to the top of your thighs. It’s one of the six short external thigh rotators that helps you shift your body weight to the opposite side when you’re walking.
A strong and flexible piriformis muscle can help prevent falls and injuries. Your sciatic nerve travels from your spinal cord and under or through your piriformis muscle, down the back of each leg, to your feet. Your sciatic nerve is the largest and longest nerve in your body.
What is piriformis syndrome?
The sciatic nerve becomes irritated and inflamed when the piriformis muscle spasms, which can lead to piriformis syndrome. Piriformis syndrome involves pain, tingling, and numbness in the gluteal area and the back of the leg and foot on one or both sides.
What causes piriformis syndrome?
Piriformis syndrome can be caused or worsened by several factors, including:
- Poor body posture
- Blunt trauma
- An acute injury that results in a sudden internal hip rotation
- Inflammation, irritation, or overuse of the piriformis muscle
- A compressed sciatic nerve
In some instances, people are born with an unusually formed piriformis muscle or sciatic nerve that contributes to this condition.
The problem with tight piriformis muscles
Having tight muscles from a lack of physical activity is known to be one of the contributing factors to piriformis syndrome. The right stretches and movements can help keep this tiny, overlooked muscle stronger and more supple to lower your risk of injury and issues like piriformis syndrome. Fitness and medical professionals point out that stretching and warming up properly before a workout can also help reduce the risk of piriformis syndrome.
What are the best piriformis stretches?
The pigeon stretch is one of the best piriformis stretches.
Here’s how to do the pigeon stretch:
- Start on your hands and knees in the tabletop pose.
- Bring your left leg forward and under your chest. Bend your knee so the outside of your lower leg and foot are in contact with the ground.
- Place both hands on the floor just in front of your bent leg.
- Straighten your other leg back behind you.
- Lower your body down and try to keep your pelvis square.
- Hold the pose for a moment.
- Return to the starting position.
- Repeat on the other side.
Here are some more piriformis stretches to help relieve tension in your lower back:
- Knee-to-chest cross-body stretch
- Supine figure four stretch
- Seated twist
