Do you feel pain in the back of your hip when you lie in bed? Are you noticing some sciatica / leg pain? Does it hurt after a walk or run? Do you find that stretching just doesn’t seem to get it completely?
We often find that tight quads in the front of the thigh need to be stretched, then the gluts in the back of the hips, and sometimes the TFL and IT bands at the sides of the hips are tight. The piriformis muscle is often missed. It goes from the tip of the tailbone, across to the outside of the hip, and effectively stabilizes the hip but also generates external or outward rotation of the hip. The interesting thing about the piriformis muscle is that it can be tender right behind the hip joint and may or may not cause sciatica. It is likely compensating for a mechanical imbalance in the lower back, hip, or sacroiliac joints.
Chiropractic adjustments to the restricted joints and active release of the trigger points are often needed to correct the cause of the problem. Some muscle release to trigger points can be done at home with a golf/lacrosse/tennis ball simply by rolling on it. There are also some quality stretches like sitting on the floor with your legs out – pull your lower leg toward you while slowly leaning forward. Be careful to go slowly, as in the illustration below.
