Knee pain while stretching piriformis

[Sylvano]

Good morning,

I recently found an edition of Stretching & Flexibility, which I’m quite found of :). I’m still trying to master the daily 5, getting a better sensation of the stretches without getting injured.

The piriformis exercise though, tends to hurt my knees. The simple fact to cross on leg over the other, and hold the knee in my elbow, gives a twist in the knee that hurts after the exercise.

I have quite arched legs, not sure if that helps understanding.

1. Do you have a suggestion to stretch the piriformis that would relieve my knee from this twist and pain?

2. Do you have a suggestion to increase the flexibility in the knee?

Many thanks !

[Nathan]

Hi there,

Welcome to the forums!

Please take a look at the ST Piriformis Syndrome Wiki. I've linked directly to the videos section at the bottom of the page. There are several variations of the piriformis stretch for you to try here. In particular, I think you might find this version helpful, but try them all and find out which works for you.

As for the knee, you don't want to stretch it because it's a joint, not a muscle. As your piriformis and the surrounding tissues loosen up, the rotational forces causing discomfort in the knee will attenuate, so just keep working on the piri.

Let us know how it goes!

[Sylvano]

Hello,

sorry for the late reply, and thank you for your tips!

I should have stated to reduce the tension around the knee yes, thank you for correcting.

I will follow your advice and report the progress!

 

[Kit_L]

@Sylvano: Nathan is completely accurate here: there are no reasons to stretch the ligaments of the knee. Just like the elbow, the knee is a hinge joint for the most part, and if it needs to stretch in a position, it's because either the hip or the ankle is too tight. It's the same with the elbow: if it needs to move in another plane than the one it's designed for, it's because the shoulder or wrist is too tight. Laxity of either knee or elbow ligaments usually leads to problems later on: work on hips or ankles.

Please do let us know how you go.