Tight buttocks muscles can throw off your posture, restrict range of motion through your hips and increase your risk of developing injuries. They can also lead to pain throughout your lower body; the muscles of your buttocks surround your sciatic nerve and tight or inflamed muscles can aggravate it, causing radiating pain through the buttocks, low back and legs. You can perform several simple exercises to stretch your buttocks area.
Step 1
Warm up by performing a cardiovascular activity such as running, walking or bicycling for a minimum of five minutes. Warming up helps prevent injuries to your muscles, ligaments and tendons.
Step 2
Sit with your buttocks on the foam roller, your feet flat on the ground in front of the roller and your hands flat on the ground behind the roller. Use your hands and feet to push yourself back and forth on the roller, keeping the pressure in your buttocks. Pause over tender spots for 30 seconds or until the muscle releases. Cross your right ankle over your left knee and lean slightly to your right, focusing the pressure on your right butt cheek. Again, pause over tender sports for 30 seconds or until the muscle releases. Switch legs and repeat.
Step 3
Perform the supine knee-to-chest stretch. Lie on your back and lift one leg toward your chest, grabbing it underneath the knee. Continue pulling the knee toward your chest until you feel a stretch in your buttocks. Keep your hips square and your hip, knee and foot in a straight line. Moderately flexible people may not feel this stretch in their buttocks. If you do not feel this stretch, move on to the next exercise.
Step 4
Perform a supine stretch for your piriformis, a rotator muscle that lies deep beneath the muscle tissue of your buttocks. Lie on your back with both feet flat on the floor and your knees bent, then cross your right ankle over your left thigh. Pull your left leg toward your chest, grabbing it underneath the knee with both hands. Continue pulling the leg toward your chest until you feel the stretch in your buttocks. Press your right knee down towards your foot. Hold for 30 to 120 seconds, or until the muscle releases, and repeat on the other side.
You can also perform this stretch seated. Sit in a chair with your right ankle resting on top of your left thigh. Gently press your knee down toward the floor and lean forward from the hip until you feel a stretch in your buttocks.
Step 5
Perform the supine leg-crossover stretch. Lie on your back with your right knee over your left ankle. Keep your shoulders and middle-back on the ground as you drop your legs to your left side, allowing the bottom of your right foot to rest on the ground. Hold for 30 to 120 seconds, or until the muscle releases, and repeat on the other side.
Step 6
Perform a standing stretch for the side of your buttocks. Stand next to a wall with your outside leg crossed over your inside leg. Sit your hips sideways toward the wall until you feel a stretch in the side of your buttocks and leg. Hold for 30 to 120 seconds or until the muscle releases, or hold for two seconds and repeat 10 or more times.
Tips and Warnings
- A foam roller is a cylindrical piece of dense foam used to release muscles by applying pressure. Unfamiliar exercises are best performed under the supervision of a professional.
- Consult your doctor before beginning a flexibility program, especially if you have a preexisting condition or are experiencing pain anywhere in your body. Stop immediately if you experience pain during any stretch. Stretching should only involve moderate discomfort. Do not perform these stretches before activity. Static stretching before physical activity may increase your risk of injury.
Things You'll Need
- Foam roller
- Exercise mat
- Chair
References
- American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons: Warm Up, Cool Down and Be Flexible
- Perform Better; Self-Myofascial Release Techniques; Micheal Clark, et al.
- Spine Health; Piriformis Syndrome; John Revord, M. D.
- ACE Fitness: Supine Hip Flexor Stretch
- ACE Fitness: Leg Crossover Stretch
- Rice University: Piriformis stretch
