Piriformis Syndrome Stretches - The First Step Toward Long Term Pain Relief
Piriformis syndrome stretches are probably one of the most effective methods of treating sciatica nerve pain.
Combined with pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs, most doctors will recommend a program of physical therapy to target the pain associated with piriformis syndrome and sciatica.
However, simply relying on piriformis syndrome stretches will do nothing to fix the problem.
Sure, it may help relieve the pain.
But many people assume that if the pain goes away then the problem has also gone away.
Then they are surprised when the pain returns again and again.
The sciatic nerve is a long bundle of nerve fibers that runs from the lower spine, through the hips, through the buttocks and down each leg.
Any compression along its length can cause sharp pain, burning pain, tingling and/or numbness anywhere along its length.
Piriformis syndrome occurs when the piriformis muscle, located deep in the hips, pinches, compresses, or otherwise irritates the sciatic nerve.
This can cause symptoms often confused with sciatica.
Typical symptoms include numbness/tingling in the lower back and buttocks.
Sometimes this numbness can travel all the way down one or both legs.
Other people report sharp, burning, or shooting pain that also radiates from the lower back, through the hips and buttocks, and down one or more legs.
Piriformis syndrome stretches work by stretching and loosening the piriformis muscles and other muscle groups contributing to the problem.
There are several stretches that can help with piriformis syndrome.
Here is one example: Lie on your back.
Slowly lift your affected leg and cross it over your other leg.
For this stretch, cross it over all the way so that the back of your raised knee is resting on the top of the other knee.
Now slowly curl up so that you can grab the lower knee.
Slowly pull that knee in towards your body.
You should feel a good stretch start to form.
Stop immediately if there is any pain.
Try to hold the stretch for a few seconds before slowly releasing.
Try to repeat this stretch several times a day, if possible.
While piriformis stretches such as this often help to relieve the pain, it will do nothing to cure the underlying causes of your condition.
This is because piriformis syndrome, sciatica, and other forms of back and nerve pain are the ultimate result of muscle imbalances that have slowly been warping your body over a long period of time.
In this case, treating the pain only hides the problem for a while.
If you want long term relief, piriformis syndrome stretches are not enough.
You have to identify and correct the underlying muscle imbalances that created the syndrome in the first place.
Combined with pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs, most doctors will recommend a program of physical therapy to target the pain associated with piriformis syndrome and sciatica.
However, simply relying on piriformis syndrome stretches will do nothing to fix the problem.
Sure, it may help relieve the pain.
But many people assume that if the pain goes away then the problem has also gone away.
Then they are surprised when the pain returns again and again.
The sciatic nerve is a long bundle of nerve fibers that runs from the lower spine, through the hips, through the buttocks and down each leg.
Any compression along its length can cause sharp pain, burning pain, tingling and/or numbness anywhere along its length.
Piriformis syndrome occurs when the piriformis muscle, located deep in the hips, pinches, compresses, or otherwise irritates the sciatic nerve.
This can cause symptoms often confused with sciatica.
Typical symptoms include numbness/tingling in the lower back and buttocks.
Sometimes this numbness can travel all the way down one or both legs.
Other people report sharp, burning, or shooting pain that also radiates from the lower back, through the hips and buttocks, and down one or more legs.
Piriformis syndrome stretches work by stretching and loosening the piriformis muscles and other muscle groups contributing to the problem.
There are several stretches that can help with piriformis syndrome.
Here is one example: Lie on your back.
Slowly lift your affected leg and cross it over your other leg.
For this stretch, cross it over all the way so that the back of your raised knee is resting on the top of the other knee.
Now slowly curl up so that you can grab the lower knee.
Slowly pull that knee in towards your body.
You should feel a good stretch start to form.
Stop immediately if there is any pain.
Try to hold the stretch for a few seconds before slowly releasing.
Try to repeat this stretch several times a day, if possible.
While piriformis stretches such as this often help to relieve the pain, it will do nothing to cure the underlying causes of your condition.
This is because piriformis syndrome, sciatica, and other forms of back and nerve pain are the ultimate result of muscle imbalances that have slowly been warping your body over a long period of time.
In this case, treating the pain only hides the problem for a while.
If you want long term relief, piriformis syndrome stretches are not enough.
You have to identify and correct the underlying muscle imbalances that created the syndrome in the first place.
