The Piriformis Muscle is a small, pear-shaped muscle in the back of the hip area and is our deep sitting muscle. This muscle creates a powerful compressive force that prevents the femoral neck from fracturing. It reinforces the femoral neck and prevents it from bending while we walk and run. Certain exercises increase activity in the piriformis muscle allowing it to compress the sciatic nerve with so much force that the nerve becomes damaged.
This muscle sits directly on top of the sciatic nerve, so it can be responsible for sciatic nerve pain. To treat piriformis syndrome one should incorporate stretching with massaging of the piriformis to soften the muscle and reduce tension on the sciatic nerve. This muscle is thickest at the sacrum area so its important to massage and loosen this specific area before stretching.
The most effective method to lengthen the piriformis is with the dynamic stretch technique.
There is a difference between piriformis syndrome and sciatic syndrome, let your massage therapist help you figure out what you suffering from.
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