Piri What?

So many of my clients get tight IT bands and muscle spasms in their piriformis sometimes causing lower back pain and occasionally puts pressure on the sciatic nerve. This opens the door to more serious issues such as tingling or severe pain down the leg and weak leg muscles.

As a skilled virtual personal trainer it is part of my job to build in counter measures for flare ups or chronic issues that can interfere with training and daily living. It takes an advance level personal trainer with specific knowledge to do this.

So if you have tight IT bands here is a simple stretch to effectively manage it. Lay on the floor, knees bent, cross the leg bothering you And place the foot on the other knee. Use your hands to lift your thigh as shown in the picture. Stretching should always begin slowly and breath into the stretch to help your body relax. Repeat the stretch 4-5 times and go ahead and do the other side.

This is the piriformis stretch that will help to release muscle tightness or a spasm in the muscle. It is very effective and a stretch I incorporate into many of my clients routines as their virtual personal trainer. Lay on the floor, cross the affected leg over the other leg as shown. Use your hands to pick up the other leg and control the depth of the stretch with the pressure you apply to deepen the stretch. Again using your breath to allow your body to relax into the stretch. Do both sides.

Feel free to contact me for help with any stretches you may need to manage muscle tightness or soreness. Sometimes you will need to go to a therapist but having the knowledge to better care for your body always helps!