Stretching Pirfimoris

[ShellRox]

I've been having slight "back pain" from last month, which would increase whenever I did lower day. Hence I went to the doctor and took MRI, everything in the lumbar vertebrae was fine, every disc was in the place. Doctor obviously told me common medical thing that lifting weights with vertical load is bad for everyone.

Later pain returned, so I examined more precisely and found out that I felt was in the glutes instead of lower back, in fact it was in the upper region of glutes. Then I was almost certain that somehow Piriformis was compressing the sciatic nerve.

For example, whenever I do deadlifts, I squeeze my glutes to straighten the back and I instantly feel burning in the glutes (I don't feel hamstrings burning as much).

What's weird is that, I have anterior pelvic tilt (angle between anterior iliac spine and posterior iliac spine is even higher than average), hence I'm stretching my hip flexors specifically for this purpose (https://www.tidewaterfitness.org/the...lexor-stretch/), while following my program to strengthen glutes and hamstrings. But I never stretch hamstrings, since I know that it is already pulled by the pelvic tilt, and stretching it even further is making pelvic tilt even worse.

Is it possible that anterior pelvic tilt is actually stretching pirfimoris just like hamstrings? I found really good stretches here (https://azopt.net/piriformis-stretch/), but in order to perform it I need to get in anterior pelvic tilt, and I'm afraid of the damage that I might cause by stretching it even further.

Should I try stretching the pirfimoris? or just let it rest?

[drjoe]

The piriformis is an external hip rotator. I don't believe this is having any effect on your anterior pelvic tilt. The piriformis runs from anterior aspect of the sacrum to the greater trochanter of the femur. The sciatic nerve does run through the piriformis. Therefore a tight piriformis can create sciatic type symptoms.

I would do some fascial release work on the piriformis on your own. Here's a video on how to do it. Good luck!

https://youtu.be/leiqLjCDRUk

[ShellRox]

The piriformis is an external hip rotator. I don't believe this is having any effect on your anterior pelvic tilt. The piriformis runs from anterior aspect of the sacrum to the greater trochanter of the femur. The sciatic nerve does run through the piriformis. Therefore a tight piriformis can create sciatic type symptoms.

I would do some fascial release work on the piriformis on your own. Here's a video on how to do it. Good luck!

https://youtu.be/leiqLjCDRUk

Thank you very much!

Unfortunately I do not think I will be able to perform fascial release work as demonstrated in the video, due to lack of the equipment. What I noticed though, that I had lack of mobility in one of the external hip rotators (which might be due to tightness in Pirfimoris and tensor fasciae latae).

What I would ask is, are the stretches that I've linked above sufficient? If not is there anything I could do before getting the appropriate equipment (bands, tennis ball, foam roller, etc.)?

Thank you again!

[drjoe]

Those stretches that you linked are fine for the piriformis.