A Move You Should Do MONDAY – Pigeon Pose

Today’s move is the pigeon pose. It is one of the most effective stretches for the hip external rotators, or butt muscles, but the gluteus maximus, the biggest muscle of your body, is rarely tight. It is usually the small muscles underneath that can cause us some problems: the piriformis, the gemelli, the obturators and quadratus femoris. 

These muscles are designed to stabilize your hip. But if the power gluteus maximus is weak, they will begin to take over and become chronically tight. This is known as synergistic dominance.

Why does this matter?

The sciatic nerve, the largest nerve in your body, runs underneath the piriformis, placing it in a precarious position for compression. The piriformis also is uniquely positioned at the top of the greater trochanter, changing its line of pull and becoming an internal rotator of the hip if the hip is flexed past 90˚, requiring a slight variation to the stretch to target this muscle.

Look down at your feet…

Is one foot pointed out? They should be pointed straight ahead. Walking with your toes turned out is one of the common culprits to your gluteus maximus becoming weak. And a weak glute max often lies at the heart of knee and lower back pain. Try this week’s move for a quick fix. Your butt (and your sciatic nerve) will thank you.

Because nobody has time to be in pain. 

Until next time…