Common Piriformis Injury Causes

Sometimes, when you pull a muscle, you can tell exactly where it is by where you're feeling pain. But when you're dealing with piriformis injury symptoms, it's not always obvious. That's why it's important to know the symptoms, but it's also important to understand how the piriformis injury causes. First, because you may be able to avoid injury in the first place. Second, if you're feeling symptoms, you might be able to trace it back to the point of injury, which will help determine what type of injury you have.

How Can You Injure the Piriformis Muscle?

It is shockingly easy to injure the piriformis muscle. As you fully extend your leg, whether it is during a walk, cycle or swim, it is the gluteus maximus that is primarily responsible for this movement, but there are external rotators that help. Those rotators are also hard at work whenever the leg is rotated. If, for any reason, the rotators are used for an extended period of time, they are likely to experience injury. This may happen as a result of a muscle imbalance or muscle weakness (where the rotators pick up the slack for weaker muscles).

Let's take a look at some common examples:

1. Hyper- or Hypopronation of the Ankle. Whenever there are issues with the ankle, it is common to see the entire leg rotate to overcompensate. So, instead of engaging the leg, the action is shifted up to the hip extensors, which includes the hamstrings, glutes and external rotators.

2. Weak Abductor Muscles. Abductor muscles help to stabilize the pelvis while you walk, so it stays level as you switch from foot to foot. Just more proof that our bodies work a whole lot harder than we realize. But these muscles often become overused and weak, which causes the adductor muscles to become tight and potentially contracted. Since adductors help with hip extension and rotation, this domino effect extends to impact hip extension, putting pressure on the external rotators, which then puts them at risk for injury. Essentially, when one muscle doesn't work properly, others have to pitch in to get the job done, stretching them too thin.

Is a Piriformis Injury the Same as Piriformis Syndrome?

Not necessarily. Piriformis syndrome is caused by a piriformis injury, but a piriformis injury does not necessarily cause piriformis syndrome. Confused yet? Think of the injury as a simple muscle strain. If that strain becomes inflamed or begins to spasm, it may put pressure on the sciatic nerve. If this happens, the injury becomes piriformis syndrome.

Either way, it is important to treat the piriformis injury so it doesn't get worse. Fortunately, stretching has been proven to help in both situations. The main issue is that it's difficult to know when you are properly stretching that muscle, which is why we produced the Piri-Stretcher®.The Piri-Stretcher® is registered with the FDA as a class 1 medical device, and it is used to treat piriformis syndrome and sciatica.