Piriformis Massage: Self

Your piriformis is a small muscle located beneath your glutes that helps to rotate and stabilize your hips. When this muscle gets tight, overused, or irritated, it can put pressure on your sciatic nerve and cause a condition called piriformis syndrome.

Massaging or stretching your piriformis may help reduce tension in this muscle and ease symptoms of piriformis syndrome.

In this article, we’ll look at different ways you can massage your piriformis muscle in the comfort of your home using a foam roller or a ball. We’ll also share several stretches you can do to help reduce piriformis syndrome symptoms.

Piriformis syndrome is when your piriformis muscle puts pressure on your sciatic nerve. Your sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in your body. It runs from your spine, through your hip, and down the back of your leg.

The pressure caused by your piriformis muscle can lead to symptoms of a condition known as sciatica.

Common symptoms of sciatica include:

Piriformis syndrome is estimated to be responsible for anywhere from 0.3 to 6 percent of cases of lower back pain or sciatica. It tends to be more common in women and in middle-aged adults.

It's thought that overuse, injury, or tightness of your piriformis can cause piriformis syndrome. Having one leg longer than the other may also be a contributing factor.

Massaging your piriformis muscle can help ease tension and tightness in this muscle which, in turn, may reduce the pain and discomfort caused by piriformis syndrome.

You can massage your piriformis muscle at home using a foam roller or a ball about the size of a tennis ball. Using a soft ball provides a gentle massage, whereas a harder ball makes the massage more intense.

Ideally, the massage should be slightly uncomfortable but shouldn't be agonizingly painful. If you feel intense pain, decrease the pressure by shifting your bodyweight or by using a softer object.

It's always better to be too gentle than too intense. If you apply too much pressure, you risk irritating the muscle and worsening your symptoms.

If you notice a worsening of your piriformis syndrome symptoms, stop the massage right away.

Let's look at three simple self-massage techniques you can use to help loosen up your piriformis muscle.

If it's your first time massaging your piriformis, it's a good idea to start off with a foam roller to see how your body reacts.

A smooth foam roller has a large surface area that provides a relatively gentle massage compared to a ball.

Rollers with textured surfaces generally provide a deeper massage and more pinpointed massage than smooth rollers.

A tennis ball or another similar-sized ball provides a more pinpointed massage compared to a foam roller. Its smaller size allows you to put more pressure on your piriformis than on the surrounding tissue.

It's a good idea to start with a soft ball like a tennis ball before trying a harder ball like a lacrosse ball.

Sitting with a ball under your hip provides a gentler massage than rolling because it's easier to control the amount of pressure.

As with self-massage, stretching your piriformis regularly may also help loosen up the muscle and reduce your sciatica symptoms.

Start slowly and be gentle. Stretching too far or too intensely could worsen your symptoms. As your symptoms start to ease, you can try to gently deepen the stretches.

If you feel a sudden worsening of your symptoms, stop immediately.

The pretzel stretch can help you stretch out your piriformis and the other external rotator muscles in your hip.

This stretch helps you work on your piriformis muscle and also targets the muscles of your outer hip. If you feel any discomfort in your knee during the stretch, stop immediately.

The seated twist stretch helps you loosen the muscles in the outer part of your hip as well as your core.

There's no clear consensus on what the best treatment is for piriformis syndrome. You may find that in addition to self-massage and regular stretches, the following may help you manage or ease your symptoms:

Massaging your piriformis muscle may help ease your piriformis syndrome symptoms. Regular self-massage and stretches can help loosen the muscle and reduce pressure on your sciatic nerve. You can use a foam roller, tennis ball, or another similar-sized ball.

Massaging your piriformis muscle at home is generally safe, especially if you start gently and slowly. If you notice a worsening of your symptoms, stop immediately.

If your symptoms don't get better with time, consider following up with your doctor or a physical therapist.