As a professional Licensed Massage Therapist in private practice, I am accessible to my clients as they work through different muskuloskeletal concerns. A client recently asked for my opinion on this article:
What is the piriformis muscle… how does it relate to my sciatic nerve?
This was my response:
As far as the information presented, the article is correct. The piriformis is the leading culprit when experiencing these symptoms. I think the Piristretcher could be beneficial but reserve full opinion until I actually see or try for my self.
You never know if these kinds of things are gimmicky. In essence, when I work on people and am doing a passive stretch of the right leg in a “frog leg” position and when laying prone and using pressure to the area of the piriformis or muscle belly, the result is that I bring blood flow into that area. Also by targeting the attachment points of the piriformis, we induce proprioceptive information to the tendon asking it to ” let go”.
I’m a big fan of hands on stuff! Generally, these type of techniques can be used in tandem with traditional massage therapy to gain both physical and mental well being. Basically, I think if you are having an issue that fits the piriformis syndrome description of low back, gluteal or leg pain, the best route is to schedule an appointment and we will get to the root of the issue together, which will generally include a prescription of doing modifications of these type of home-care stretches on your own.
Written for posting by Trent Wilson, LMT.
Trent Wilson, LMT practices Massage Therapy at Wellness At The Center in Portland, OR.