Piriformis stretch; for that pain in the butt!

The piriformis is a muscle located near the buttock, and can be prone to getting tight and inflamed.

Why is it an important muscle? The sciatic nerve runs alongside it, and if the muscle is inflammed it can compress the nerve, causing sciatica symptoms. This condition is called piriformis syndrome. The piriformis is also used for walking/running.

It is important to keep this muscle happy in order to maintain a healthy gait, as well as prevent sciatic nerve compression.

Hold this stretch for 30 seconds and perform 2 to 3 on each side. This can be done as little as once per week for those maintaining a healthy muscle or daily for those suffering with an extremely tight piriformis.

Good luck and stay healthy!

Bird dog endurance exercise

Your muscles provide a stabilising role to your spine and surrounding joints. Weak core muscles mean your spine has to endure more load and stress, this is something you NEED to address in order to have a healthy spine.

This video demonstates the bird dog exercise which helps improve your extensor endurance for your low back. Enjoy.

Exercise for lumbar disc herniation:

This exercise aims to help centralise symptoms for those suffering with sciatica type pain from the legs to the back.

Most lumbar (low back) disc herniations/bulge are posterolateral in nature, therefore these particular exercises help by pushing the disc anteriorly back into it's normal position. It is important to note that if your herniation is anterior, then these exercises can worsen your symptoms, hence it is important for a qualified therapist to examine you.

Make sure to work within tolerance levels when performing these exercises, and hopefully it can give you some much needed relief!