Hey everybody it's Doctor Jo, and today I'm going to show you a seated
piriformis stretch. so let's get started.
each stretch is going to be 30 seconds, and we're gonna do three on each side.
before we get started, if you haven't subscribed already, make sure you click
on the link over there. so I've got a timer set up 30 seconds, and then there's
gonna be a 10-second break in between them. so that's just to kind of help the
muscles reset and then switch over to the other side cuz I like to alternate
back and forth. so I'm gonna go ahead and get started, and I'll talk you through it
as we go. so here we go. so with the seated piriformis stretch, bring your
foot up and just cross it over almost into a figure four position. that's what
we call the stretch a figure four, and then keep your back straight and just
lean forward at your hips. and so you should feel the stretch right in that
booty area underneath the leg that you're crossing over. now don't curl your
back because if I come over like this, I'm getting less of a stretch than if I
keep my back straight. so make sure you keep that back straight and lean forward.
so take a little break. sometimes you might feel some tingling going down the
leg, but that might just be that nerve getting pressed a little bit. so crossing
over to the other side, keeping that back straight, and just leaning forward. so a
lot of times if you have some sciatica issues, that sciatic nerve runs
underneath that piriformis muscles, so if you're sitting for long periods at your
desk at work or if you're doing a Netflix marathon or something like that,
you might get what we call monkey butt, or that nerve pain going down your
leg, so these are some great stretches to do if you're sitting for a long period
and maybe your legs start falling asleep a little bit. I think we've all had it
happen to us once or twice, and so this is a really good way just to stretch out
that muscle and get it going. so crossing over again, going back to the
other side keep that back nice and straight, and lean forward. so the
stretches that I'm doing here is also a part of an office stretching series that
I have. so there's a whole bunch of different stretches, I kind of go from
head to toe, so make sure you watch all the way to the end so you can check out
that link there that I have. so again feel it
kind of in that booty area hopefully each time feels a little bit better. you
can lean a little bit further and get that stretch even more, then come on back
up. shake it out a little bit, and then get ready to go back to the other side.
so again that piriformis muscle can sometimes cause a lot of problems, so
going back into that stretch. people who have that sciatic pain sometimes it can
be coming from your back, but sometimes it really is that nerve just getting
pinched at that piriformis being too tight, so this is one that you should do if
you don't do any other stretches, if you're sitting for long periods, this is
a great one to do and it's pretty easy because you can do this and still work
if you want to. you don't even have to take a break. so I know sometimes it's
hard to take that break, but this is one that you don't even have to stop doing
your work. you can really continue to do whatever you're doing while you're at
your desk, so that's why I really like it. it's easy to do, and if you say you don't
have time for it, you don't actually have to take the time for it. you can keep
on working. so leaning forward again and then just leaning in. some people ask
about the foot. should I flex it, should I relax it, it doesn't really matter. I
personally like you to be completely relaxed. some people might feel more of a
stretch if they flex that foot, but when I'm stretching I want my whole body to
be relaxed. that's how you're gonna get a really good stretch. so I like it to be
just relaxed and if you want more, just lean in a little bit more. so stretches
should never hurt, they shouldn't be pain, it should be that good kind of hurt. hurt
so kind of hurt. so good kind of feeling. so if you're leaning in, and you're just
really really hurting, you're having lots of tingling and numbness going down your
leg, try not pushing so hard. try maybe reset yourself, but if you keep
getting a lot of hurt the whole time, then hold off on that stretch and you
should probably get a check with the doctor or your physical therapist and
see if there's something going on because the stretching should always
just feel really really good. and it does. it feels like a very good stretch.
so that's it 30 seconds 3 on each side. if you would like to check out that
office series which has a whole bunch of different exercises, it's great. doesn't
necessarily have to be for the office, it can be for anything, check out that link
up there. and if you'd like to support my channel click on the link to find out
how up here. and don't forget to subscribe by clicking down here. and
remember be safe (keep that booty happy), have fun, and I hope you feel better soon.