May 27, 2016
Glutes are really nice to look at. But just because they look nice doesn’t mean they function well. Meaning, they might be on vacation. Sitting on a beach having a Margarita with not a care in the world. When the largest muscle in the body (aka.,’Powerhouse Boss’) goes on vacation everybody else steps up to do more. The smaller guys get their assess kicked. Literally! Guys like the piriformis.
The glute does a ton of stuff and one of its heavy hitter responsibilities is external rotation of the hip. Up to 71% of the powerhouse muscle force created by gluteals can feed into hip external rotation torque! KABAM
“Gluteus Maximus is the most potent external rotator muscle of the hip.” – Dr. Neumann
So question. What happens if the glute is on vacation? Other external rotators are called into action. Who are they?
Damn! That’s a ton
Any number of these guys will overwork. Do you think they might get upset? Yep, and when they get upset they tell you by hurting. Pain is a story the body is trying to tell you.
Releasing the piriformis is the easy part. Keeping it happy isn’t. Get your butt turned on after you calm down the piriformis and you just might get harmony back.
It’s all about relationships. Just like life. You need to motivate some and relax others.
Test each piriformis muscle. Do left side, then right, then left again. They should be strong and non painful. You might see weakness on the non painful side. Just because it doesn’t hurt doesn’t mean its not involved. Strengthen the weak side.
‘Where you think it is ain’t.’ Ida Rolf
Stay Strong,
Perry