User:Piriformis123/sandbox

Prevention

The secondary and most common form of piriformis syndrome, is a result of previous injury due to trauma. Larger injuries include trauma to the buttocks while micro traumas result from small repeated bouts of stress on the piriformis. Secondary causes are preventable, especially those occurring in daily activities. Periods of prolonged sitting, especially on hard surfaces, produce minor stress that can be relieved with bouts of standing. An individual’s environment including lifestyle factors and physical activity, determine susceptibility to trauma. Taking precaution during high impact sports or working in physically demanding conditions help decrease risk. To avoid these situations, property safety and padded equipment should be worn for protection during any type of contact. In the work place, individual’s must be aware of their surroundings and recognize anything in their routine that may produce micro or macro traumas. Other prevention strategies include warming up before physical activity, practicing correct exercise form, stretching, and strength training. Warm ups decrease the risk of injury during flexion or rotation of the hip. Stretching increases range of motion, while strengthening hip adductors and abductors allows the piriformis to tolerate trauma more readily. It is important to stop activity when experiencing pain so further damage does not result.

Hip adduction is a strengthening exercise for the piriformis muscle. A cable attached strapped at the ankle can be used to adduct the hip, bringing the leg in towards the opposite side of the body. The same equipment can also be used for hip abduction where the leg starts beside the opposing leg and moves out to the side, away from the body.