Low Back Pain & Sciatica – The Role of the Piriformis Muscle
ByLow back Pain & Sciatica can be very painful conditions, where pain is felt either in the low back & / or passing down the leg from either the low back or buttock region. There are several reasons as to why you may suffer with Low Back Pain or Sciatica, but a tight Piriformis muscle is a relatively common cause.
Deep within the buttock region is where the Piriformis muscle can be found. It is actually attached to the Sacrum, and then travels outwards where it attaches to the outside of the hip. As the Sciatic Neve passes through the buttock area, it travels through, or underneath, the Piriformis muscle.
A tight Piriformis muscle will place increased stress upon the Sciatic Nerve as it passes through or underneath it, potentially aggravating the Sciatic Nerve and causing pain. On the other hand, as far as Low Back Pain is concerened, it is the constant ‘tugging’ upon the Sacrum, caused by the tight Piriformis muscle, which is the problem.
The Sacrum forms half of the Sacro-Iliac joint (Sacro referring to the Sacrum and Iliac referring to a specific part of the pelvis) and if the sacrum is being pulled on too much, there will be increased stresses placed across the Sacro-Iliac joint, which itself can ultimately lead to pain.
The Lumbar Spine is therefore not the only potential source of pain for this region, it may be the Sacro-Iliac Joint which is responsible instead or as well as it. Typically, this pain is felt a little lower than ‘normal’ Low Back Pain, although this is not always the case. In addition to this, just above the buttock area there is a little dimple (for most, but not everyone) either side of the mid-line. If it feels as if your pain is coming form here, it may be the Sacro-Iliac Joint which is responsible for your pain.
Moving on to Sciatica, if the ‘highest’ part of your pain is in the ‘buttock’ region, it is highly probable that a tight Piriformis muscle is responsible for your pain. You will need to stretch this muscle if this is the case.
There are several ways of stretching the Piriformis muscle, all of which would are best described with the use of a diagram. There is a link at the bottom of this article which will show you some Piriformis stretches.
However, another way to loosen up a tight Piriformis muscle is to apply some ’self massage’. You can do this with the use of a tennis ball or something similar:
Lie yourself on your back with your knees bent. Place the ball approximately in the middle of buttock on the side which needs to be massaged (this is approximately where the Piriformis muscle is). From there, gently ‘roll’ the ball by moving / rotating your buttock, so that the ball gently massages the area underneath.
Due to the close proximity of the Sciatic Nerve to the Piriformis muscle, it is important you take care while performing this exercise. If you are too aggressive, you may simpy end up aggravating the Sciatic Nerve and therefore making your pain worse.
Do not worry yourself at all if you do happen to stir your pain up. I can assure you it will settle back down again. Nevertheless, this is your body’s way of informing you that you are taking things forward a bit too fast. Stop performing that particular exercise until things settle down a little. When they have, feel free to start this exercise again, only this time make sure you are not quite as aggressive!
If a tight Piriformis muscle is contributing to your Low Back Pain or Sciatica, then gently stretching and massaging this muscle will help alleviate your pain.
