Liz CA Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I have done the downward facing dog, the spinal twist and the modified pigeon. Are there others that can help with tight piriformis / sciatic issues? Just when I think I am good, I seem to be aggravating the issue by dealing with 140lb sick dog (by now he may only be 130lb :( ) Also, typically people always say their sciatic issues occur after sitting for a long time. I can sit without pain but when I walk for a while, I experience that shooting pain down my left leg (always on the left side). Does anyone else get this more when walking rather than sitting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 It's been a long time since I had debilitating sciatica (I had it on both sides.), and what helped most for me in that situation, was tightening up ligaments and tendons in my hips and pelvis. I could sit fine - but I knew 85yos who could walk more easily than me. (it was more than just pain.) Barbara benagh has an entire practice aimed at the hips. I really like reclining cobbler's pose for opening the hips. have you tried doing an internet search for yoga for sciatica? yoga.com and yogajournal.com are good for looking for what you want to target - and they give you suggested poses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I haven't found yoga poses to be as helpful as these two stretches: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your butt tucked up against the counter that holds your kitchen sink. Lean back a little bit with your rib cage, keeping your head upright. It's a very subtle movement, but basically you're stretching the muscles that are on the front of your spine. These muscles don't get stretched very much and can be a contributing factor to hips getting tight. Stand in front of your sofa with your legs backed up against it. Lean forward and put the top of your right foot on the top of the back of your sofa. Put your knee in the corner of your sofa where you usually sit. Push down some weight onto that knee, stretching the top of your thigh, your hips, and your left hamstring as if you are doing the splits with your left leg in front, but it opens your hips more because your knee is bent. Do the other side too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 David at www.doyogawithme.com does this piriformis stretch - this video is just the stretch on its own The stretch also appears in his 26 min yoga for runners - I think you'd like that one too. It loosens everything up and the pirformis stretch is towards the end so I think you really can get more out of it because the other muscle groups have been loosened. He has another class for hips, hamstrings and back which is also very good for sciatica issues sorry to hear about your pooch :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeganCupcake Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Jill Miller has some great stuff involving self-massage with pliable rubber balls in her new book The Roll Model. Here's a link to one of the exercises for piriformis. There are more in her book, but here is one: You can use "Pinky" balls or tennis balls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 Thank you! I am trying some of these this morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3littles Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Do you know for sure it is your piriformis? It is as common site for the sciatic nerve to get squeezed, but there are many, many causes of sciatica. Just tossing that out there if you haven't had a full evaluation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 Do you know for sure it is your piriformis? It is as common site for the sciatic nerve to get squeezed, but there are many, many causes of sciatica. Just tossing that out there if you haven't had a full evaluation. It's been confirmed by a chiropractor. He checked my discs and that discs look good but he suspects that my sciatic nerve runs very close or even through the piriformis muscle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeachyDoodle Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I do not get the shooting pain, but I do get extreme tightness/pain in my piriformis that is aggravated by walking and/or standing. The absolute best thing I have found is to use a foam roller as is demonstrated in the first part of this video: (I have no idea who this guy is -- he could be a total quack -- but that technique worked wonders for me. The first time I tried it, I felt like a new person when I got up!) You can experiment with tilting your hips to get the exact right spot. I usually follow up the roller with a hip-release stretch like the pigeon pose. Getting on all fours and slowly rocking my behind towards my heels (like going into child's pose, but not all the way down) and back up again a few times also seems to help. I usually do those three exercises in a row. For awhile I needed to do it every time I exercised or was on my feet a lot, but I find that I have less and less need for it now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.