Stretches for Piriformis Syndrome: Do They Work?

In the interest of full disclosure, we sell a product that helps with piriformis stretches. But we're not promoting stretching because of the product, we've actually produced the product because we know that stretching helps, and we wanted to make it easier for people to target the piriformis muscle in their stretches. 

Okay, so now down to the nitty gritty. We don't expect you to take us on our word that stretching works. Let's look at the results of a few studies and articles published in peer-reviewed medical journals.

1. Piriformis syndrome: a rational approach to management. This article was published in the December 1991 issue of the journal Pain, and as promised in the title, it outlines a rational approach to managing piriformis treatment. The approach is as follows:

     1. Correct any underlying issues that may be causing piriformis syndrome

     2. Prescribe an at-home program of muscle stretching, which may be augmented with physical therapy.

     3. A trial of steroid injections may be attempted (although more recent studies have found that this may not be the best course of action any longer).

     4. If all else fails, consider a surgical intervention.

2. The Effectiveness of Electrotherapy with Manual Therapy in the Treatment of Piriformis Syndrome. In this 2012 International Journal of Rehabilitation Sciences study, researchers divided 50 patients with piriformis syndrome into two groups. The control group underwent electrotherapy and the experimental group underwent manual therapy (including soft tissue and joint mobilization techniques with stretching exercises. Both groups had regular physical therapy sessions for three weeks and were taught a self-care plan to use at home. Researchers found that the experimental group of stretchers scored lower on total disability tests at the end of the study than those in the control group, leading researchers to conclude that stretching with soft tissue and joint mobilization is a more effective treatment for piriformis syndrome than electrotherapy.

3. The Piriformis Syndrome. In clinical study, as noted in the American Journal of Orthopedics, researchers concluded that a surgical intervention is rarely necessary to treat piriformis syndrome, and conservative treatments are sufficient in most cases to treat symptoms, such as buttock pain, radiating anterior thigh, groin or lower limb pain, pain while sitting, and low back pain associated with piriformis syndrome. Patients in this study used stretching and other conservative treatments such as ultrasound, local massage and eliminating negative habits.

Now that you have the data, talk to your doctor about piriformis treatment methods. If you're interested in learning more about our medical device to help with stretching, visit our website at www.MiracleStretch.com. Here, you'll find more information on piriformis syndrome and recommended stretching exercises.