Piriformis stretch

What is piriformis?

Piriformis is one of the "deep six hip rotator" muscles that are located deep to the gluteus maximus.

What does it do?

Piriformis externally rotate the hip joint, and abduct the hip joint when hip is flexed. It stabilizes the pelvis while standing, controls medial rotation of the hip joint during the early phase of walking and running.

FUN FACTS:

Piriformis is a descendant of the great caudofemoral elevator muscles that can still seen today extending from a reptile's femur to its tail. These muscles provide reptile with the greater thrusting force to extend its leg while running.

How to stretch it?

Lie on the floor or bed, pull your knee toward the opposite shoulder, with your opposite arm, pull your foot toward the opposite shoulder. You feel a stretch right underneath your bottom toward the tailbone.

Why are the Hamstrings always tight?

What are the hamstrings?

The hamstrings are one group of three muscles: Biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranous. They all originate from ischial tuberosity (your sitting bones) and extend down behind the knee with a tendon. Biceps femoris attaches to the fibula (your calf bone), and the other two hamstrings attach to tibia (your shin bone).

Why your hamstrings are always tight even though you stretch them everyday?

The tightness is most likely originating from somewhere else- lower back and hip flexors, not from your hamstrings directly.

When our hips don't move as much as they are designed for, muscles of the hips (hamstring, hip flexors, glutes) are all shortened. This happens when we sit too much! Sitting creates tight hip flexors, tilts your pelvis, arches the lower back, and weakens the glutes and deep core muscles. As a result of poor pelvic position, the hamstrings are shortened and become tight.

What to do?

Active stretches will help to loosen up the tight muscles and improve the range of motion. Self-myofascial release with foam roller will releasse tight lower back and glutes.

Lie down on the floor, lift your bottom off the floor into bridge position, and place the soft density foam roller under the sacrum. Lift and straigthen your LEFT leg up first, and then lower down as straight as you can. REPEAT moving your leg up and down at least 10 times. SWITCH to RIGHT leg, and repeat the exercises.

When do you use your hamstrings?

You use them when you bend your knees and move your legs backwards.

Running, cycling, swimming, climbing stairs.

Stabilizing your hip while bending over to tie your shoes or pick up the trash from the floor.

FUN FACTS: The name "hamstring" originated in 18th century England. Back then, buthcers would display pig carcasses in their shop windows by hanging them from long tendons at the back of the knee.

Hip Opening (hip flexors stretch)

Lie down, come up to bridge position, and place the soft roller under your sacrum. First, pull both knees toward the chest, and then stretch one leg down toward to floor. Stay here up to 1 minute to lengthen the hip flexors.

Because of our life style, everyone spends more time sitting than moving. Therefore, your hip flexors get tight, and sometime they are so tight that they become painful around the groin area.

What are the hip flexors?

The iliacus and psoas major, together called the iliopsoas, are important hip flexors and low back stabilizers. It stretches from the lumbar vertebrae, underneath the inguinal ligament, to the lesser trochanter. Now, it makes sense that when it is short and tight, you have low back pain.

When Do You Use your hip flexors?

Hiking, climbing or walking up an incline. Riding a bike. Getting up from a reclined position (sit-up). Reaching up, against gravity. Doing abdominal exercises, single leg stretch, leg drops, V-sits.

Fun Facts: Carnivore friends, you eat them as “tenderloin” or “filet mignon,” the long, slender psoas major is located deep to the abdominal contents.