Thank you! Thank you Sofia! You have been saving me the last couple of months. I have reinjured my piriformis twice and I would probably be in a bad place and discouraged if I hadn't found this video.
Thank you so much for your videos ..I watched them all and I guess I got the missing link ..please advise on the right kind of diet plan for aging disc and bones in particular.. thank you
Should we be doing stretches even if it hurts the affected leg that has piriformis syndrome? I feel much more of a stretch on the leg that I don't experience pain with as well
If it's hurting a lot, I would use the massage ball against the wall to release trigger points and reduce the sensitivity of the muscle. And just stretch the hip flexors. Just remember to work around the piriformis when it's hurting. I have a tutorial in my channel for the massage ball if you search
I know, this was an older video of mine where I didn't know how to do voice overs. But I did make a blog post where I explain how to do each stretch as well as the proper way to release piriformis muscle. You can find it here: www.coachsofiafitness.com/hip-stretches-alleviate-back-pain-piriformis-syndrome/ Scroll below to see the 9 stretches and instructions.
I am suffering from chronic lower back pain from a L5/S1 disc bulge and burning in both my feet. I did a couple of these stretches this morning and it made my lower back pain even worse. Then I came across your website where you explain that stretching can make lower back pain worse. The glute bridges and leg lunges almost immediately takes my lower back pain away but it returns in a day or so. I’ve been doing the McKenzie extension exercise. Sometimes I feel it helps, sometimes I don’t. Also read Dr. Stuart McGill’s book “Back Mechanic”. I just don’t know what to do to heal. I feel I may even have to stop going to the gym which is going to hurt me mentally. Do you have any advice? Thank you!
Yes stretching can make the pain worse unfortunately. I have written several posts about this issue. And while stretching HAS its place in the recovery process (why I share them on my channel still), I highly recommend for people to assess which muscles need to be stretched first. One important thing for you specifically would be to avoid static stretching where you hold the stretch for a very long time and also avoid anything that pushes the spine into an aggressive posture like over extension and over flexion. I have a blog post with gentle stretches I shared, I'm not sure if you saw it. Also, when you are stretching, note down the stretches that were really bad and the worse that made you get relief...it's important to stay away from pain triggering activities www.coachsofiafitness.com/10-gentle-stretches-hip-lower-back-pain/ McGill has excellent information...keep following his advice I implemented many of his teachings in the past. And please avoid the extension exercises, your spine need to be "tight" and supported to heal...extension and flexion put a lot of pressure on the discs which can not only trigger sciatica and pain but hinder disc healing. This is from my personal experience as I also had an L5/S1 disc herniation. I hope this helps.
I think I may have this... I haven't been to the Dr but I feel an agony in my glutes as well as my hamstrings. Also some pain in my lower back. It comes and goes. I'll try these stretches, hopefully it helps! Thanks for your videos.
I hope you feel better Shawn. Also try to strengthen along with stretching. There is a video on the bridge exercise to strengthen your glutes and core. Strengthening the deep core and glutes will help stabilize your lower back so always balance the stretching with the strengthening.
@@CoachSofia I didn't even think about strengthening those areas. Good tips! Do you have videos on that very thing? Thanks again Sofia, appreciate the reply.
Hey shawn.. did these stretches help? I have found that the figure 4 is easy for me, and doesn't help. From a bit of research, this means it's long piriformis, as opposed to short which is more typical. Both have similar symptoms except to heal, only work on glutes, which will super kill, more pain than current. I'm in the process currently, hoping that when the glute soreness goes down, the piriformis will be more stabilized. Have a feeling this is due to years of poor diet and posture. And weak glutes, and cinder blocks in the yard.
Hi Sophia. When I do ab crunches on hard floor I get a hard popping sound on the piriformis side, this has always been an issue, recently when I'm on my back, lift and rotate leg out then bring knee to chest and extend I get a similar loud pop. Is this connected to the piriformis syndrome which is giving me sciatica
Sounds like a joint pop. But why are you doing ab crunches? I don't recommend them. Try to do other ab exercises that don't involve spinal flexion and too much hip flexion compensation. I had that popping before and it went away on its own. It is common with piriformis syndrome but don't worry about it unless it hurts.
I only do them 1-3 times a week and not all of them. I usuallylike the 90/90 stretch and I do the hip flexor stretch. Don't overstretch. These are just to give you more options!
I usually like to hold for about 20-40 seconds but depending on how tight the muscle feels. If it doesn't feel very tight no need to do it for too l ong
Don't push through the pain. If a stretch doesn't feel right, skip it. You can also just do foam rolling to release tightness which won't elongate the muscle (or cause any pain).
Hey! A great way to target the hip flexors without stretching them is to place a massage ball (or tennis) ball on the psoas and lay on your belly. Google the psoas muscle to see where its located and you breathe into it. It's great to release the tension and trigger points. Also, if you're having trouble with the hip flexor stretch it may be that you're pushing forward too much, try this variation which really targets the hip flexor without aggressively pulling them out and placing alot of load on your knee ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-yI0IbaHEx1g.html. Also if it helps, place a thin pillow or pad under your knees
@buddhagoldie Thank you! this is a copyrighted background music I purchased to use in my projects. It's not a song to find in youtube. I didn't even come with a title.
