Myofascial Piriformis Release

Written by Greg

Today, I am sore. I’m attributing that to my first bicycle ride of the season. But I’m not complaining, because I also seem to have finally found a way to relieve the piriformis syndrome that I’ve been struggling with for so long now.

Photo Credit Superfantastic

I think I’ve mentioned that my long-time running partner has taken up cycling. I occasionally run alongside him, but yesterday was so warm that I decided to bicycle with him. We rode eight miles together, and although it was not a hard ride, it was still my first in quite a while. It was a pleasant ride. But this morning, my muscles are definitely creaking.

A few days ago, I was (whining) complaining about my nagging piriformis syndrome. The problem has been persistent, but hasn’t been bad enough to keep me from exercising regularly. Kathy at Momamarathoner suggested a foam roller. I had tried a foam roller in the past with little luck, but decided, at her prompting, to go look for foam roller workouts for the piriformis again. That’s how I ran across a technique called myofascial release. The technique is demonstrated in the video below. And, I have to say, it has really seemed to help. This stretch is a little counter-intuitive to me, as you’re stretching in the direction opposite your piriformis, but it seems to work. I picked up a six-foot long foam roll from Amazon, which I cut in half with a bread knife. I took one half to work and left the other half at home so I can make the most of my time.

As long as we’re on the subject of running, I also went for a run today, against my better judgement. It was windy, and we’ve already established how I feel about running in the wind. It was blowing 23 mph from the south when I left. My route was an out and back, heading due south, then returning due north. I’m still trying to figure out how I ended up running into the wind in both directions?!?