Ease Piriformis Syndrome Pain With These 4 Easy Stretches That You Can Do Anywhere

Spasm that shoots down the back of your leg from your hip?

Pain that radiates down your hamstring?

Numbness that reminds you something is wrong?

Hip pain when sitting?

All of these are symptoms of piriformis syndrome which can go from irritatingly tolerable to painfully debilitating. This condition is literally something that you can say a pain in the butt because the piriformis muscle is located in the buttock region that compresses the nearby sciatic nerve and cause pain that starts in the buttocks and radiates down the back of the leg into the hamstring muscles and sometimes even the calf muscles.

When this pain strikes it can make you wonder if this pain will be permanent or will it ever go away. It can also make you think if it’s gonna torture you with every movement or even when you happen to stay seated for a bit too long.  

When you think this way, it can be daunting. But fortunately there are some exercises that can help you ease the pain by stretching and relaxing that muscle which can help you get back on your regular routine without being stopped by this discomfort.

The “Knee Up” Stretch

Step 1: Begin by lying on the ground by using a mat or thick rug for comfort on your back.

Step 2: Stretch both legs out, with your arms to your sides.

Step 3: Bend one of your legs at the knee and use your hand to pull it toward the opposite shoulder Hold for ten to thirty seconds.

Step 4: Straighten out that leg, and then do the same motion with the opposite leg and shoulder.

The “Cross Arm” Stretch

Step 1: Be in a sitting position on the floor.

Step 2: The bottoms of your feet should be touching each other, with your arms crossed and your hands resting on the opposite leg.

Step 3: Push both knees down toward the floor until you feel the stretch inside your thighs.

Step 4: Hold the position for a count of 30, then relax for a few seconds and repeat up to five more times.

The “Standing” Stretch

Now if you’re somewhere you can’t do stretches on the floor, this is the stretch that you can do to relieve the pain.

Step 1: Begin in a standing position with both feet flat on the floor, with your feet a shoulder-length apart.

Step 2: Don’t lock your knees, and keep your back straight.

Step 3: Lift one knee up and grasp it with both hands. Make sure you keep the knee parallel to the corresponding hip.

Step 4: Use your hands to pull your knee toward the opposite shoulder until you feel a pull along the side of your buttocks. Hold up to one minute or as long as you can balance.

Step 5:  Repeat the action with the other leg. Try to do it three times for each leg.

The “Sit And Bend” Stretch

Still don’t wanna go on the floor? No problem! You can do stretches while sitting on a chair.

Step 1: Choose a solid, straight-backed chair that doesn’t roll.

Step 2: Sit, and bring one leg across the other, resting your ankle on your other leg.

Step 3: Slowly lean forward until you feel a pull along the crossed leg. Hold for up to 30 seconds.

Step 4: Repeat with the other leg, stretching each side 3 times.

While these exercises are really effective in relieving the discomfort brought by piriformis syndrome, it would still be better if you seek a professional like a chiropractor whose expertise is diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal system disorders like piriformis syndrome. This way you’d be given more comprehensive treatment for your condition than just temporary solutions for your pain. But nevertheless, if the pain is really bothering you and you don’t want to rely on painkillers, these stretches really help, you just have to consistently perform these exercises at least once a day, every day, until your pain and numbness is under control, if not totally gone.