The piriformis is a muscle that plays a role in rotating the thigh laterally. This muscle can go into spasm for many reasons--an imbalance in nutrients in the body, an injury to a surrounding area, or a disease process causing muscles to tighten.
A large nerve called the sciatic exits under or between the muscle belly of the piriformis. When the piriformis spasms, it can compress on the nerve and cause a type of sciatica (nerve pain in the leg), or it can pull on the thigh and affect the placement of the foot when walking. It's helpful to learn natural ways to calm the spasm.
Stretching
The most obvious way to ease a tight muscle is to stretch it. The easiest way to stretch the piriformis is to sit on a firm surface, cross the legs so that one ankle is resting on the opposite knee and lean forward. A mild burning or stretching feeling should take place in the gluteal region. This same stretch can be performed lying on the ground with the same pattern for the legs. The hands can encircle the leg that the opposite ankle is resting on and pull the leg closer to the head to get a deeper stretch.
Muscle Balance
Due to the common postures of sitting and working at a desk for most people, some muscles become stronger than others. Five muscles of the lower body work together to rotate the thigh in or medially; eight muscles work to rotate the thigh out or laterally. It doesn't take much for there to be an imbalance between these muscles. If the piriformis is spasmed, it helps to work on the opposite muscles. This isn't just for balance; the contraction of the other muscles sends a signal to the piriformis to relax so as not to prevent injury. The anatomy section of "The Clinical Chiropractic Handbook" lists the Gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, tensor fascia lata, iliacus and part of the psoas major as the main muscles that rotate the thigh internally. All of these muscles can be strengthened to bring balance back between the different muscles. This is more important if the foot is showing signs of turning out when walking.
Massage
When stretching and strengthening take their toll, it's worth the money and time to let someone else work on you. Massage can be deep and therapeutic or light and relaxing. When dealing with muscle spasm, it's necessary to find a massage therapist who does deep tissue work. The piriformis is a deep muscle and needs a talented hand to find it. The compression pushes out built-up toxins and allows for new nutrients to flow back in. Also, the physical act of massage relaxes the muscles, allowing for a more relaxed state of mind.
Supplements
Calcium is needed for muscle contraction. Magnesium sends a signal to the muscles to relax. Spasm can be caused by depletion in either nutrient or an imbalance between the two. You can get calcium and magnesium by eating foods such as kelp, turnips and collard greens (for calcium) and brown rice, corn and whole grain cereals (for magnesium), or by supplementing. Supplementation of these two nutrients should be in a 2:1 ratio, so 500mg of calcium to 250mg of magnesium is a correct ratio.
References
- "The Clinical Chiropractic Handbook;" Nikita Vizniak; 2005
- "Differential Diagnosis and Management for the Chiropractor- Protocols and Algorithms second edition;" Thomas Souza; 2001
