Piriformis syndrome is a severe condition, and it could trigger numbness in your buttock. People suffering from Piriformis syndrome are suggested to avoid prolonged sitting and standing.
But since you can’t ignore your work, therefore you can’t skip sitting for straight 8-10 hours in the day. In such conditions, we would recommend you some precautions that you must take while sitting.
We have prepared this guide specifically for the readers going through extreme pain due to Piriformis syndrome. We have a list, some precautions that will help you overcome your piriformis syndrome over time.
However, suppose you are suffering an extreme level of pain. In that case, you should consult a medical practitioner in the first place because lifestyle changes will be a slow process, and it won’t eliminate the pain overnight.
Let’s begin.
Ways to Sit With Piriformis Syndrome
Pick a Chair with a Firm Seat
This might sound uncomfortable to you, especially in this situation where you are suffering from piriformis; you are expected to seek comfort in a chair.
However, to reduce the pain from piriformis syndrome, you have to step you of the pseudo comfort and pick a chair that doesn’t sink in when you sit.
We have come up with a thumb rule to eliminate the pain triggered by piriformis syndrome; it states that “Knees should be lower than Hip height“.
While selecting the chair, you have to ensure that your chair doesn’t have any additional padding. As mentioned above, your hips shouldn’t sink in the chair while sitting. Keeping your hips above knees while sitting will significantly reduce the pain near the buttocks region.
A comfortable chair doesn’t always fulfil the requirements, and a firm chair could be uncomfortable initially un; you will find it more beneficial in the longer run.
You can also check out our curated list of the Best Chairs for Piriformis Syndrome.
Seat Height
Once you get the appropriate chair, you must ensure that your chair height is neither too high nor too low. For lower settings, as mentioned above, your hips shouldn’t be lower than your Knees. However, in upper settings, you have to make sure that your feet are resting on the floor neutrally.
Your feet shouldn’t struggle to touch the floor. If you can’t adjust the seat height, you can use a footrest or old cartons to increase the height of the floor. It is suggested to go for footrests as they are specially designed to offer maximum comfort to feet.
Armrest Height
While sitting on the chair, if your upper body is struggling, you can’t expect your lower body to be comfortable.
If you have an office chair with a fixed armrest, it is suggested to replace it with a chair that has an adjustable armrest. Besides that, make sure your chair armrest have appropriate height settings as per your desk height.
While setting up the armrest height, you have to ensure that your elbows have a 90 degrees angle inwards. Also, ensure that your wrist is placed naturally on the desk surface. While setting up the armrest height, you must ensure that both the elbows and wrist aren’t struggling; you must maintain sync between them.
Short Breaks are Necessary
Studies show that humans are not designed to stay in a single position for a longer time. Our body movement system is designed to work correctly when it changes its posture in regular intervals throughout the day.
If possible, you must stand up and walk a little after every 30-40 minutes. Besides this, after a few hours of working, you must stretch a bit and relax your muscles.
You can also follow the famous “Pomodoro Technique”. We usually work a fixed amount of time on this technique and post that, we take a small break. For instance, we work for 45 minutes with 100% focus on our team and then hang out for the next 15 minutes.
Using this technique, we don’t exhaust ourselves, and our mind is relaxed throughout the day. Sitting for prolonged durations doesn’t mean you will get a lot of work done. Small breaks directly affect productivity.
Bonus Section:
This section will cover some of the best exercises that you can practise inside your home to get rid of all the pains triggered by Piriformis Syndrome.
Basic exercises to eliminate Piriformis Syndrome:
Chair Stretches
It is one of the most straightforward exercises that you can perform. This can be done even while working. You don’t even have to stand up or walk to a different spot. This exercise can be done at the workspace itself.
You have to stretch your lower body and legs and place one of the ankles over another ankle. Once you have done that, try to lean forward, and you will feel some stretch in the hip region. Hold the position for a few minutes and repeat it by placing the lower ankle above.
Hip Equilibrium
Try to exert equal force on both your hips while sitting and standing, respectively and hold that position for a couple of minutes. Repeat this exercise multiple times a day. With this exercise, your blood flow will increase in your hip region, and you won’t suffer numbness in the hips.
If you practice these exercises daily, you will eliminate the maximum pain caused by piriformis syndrome. However, if your symptoms don’t get any better, you must consult a medical practitioner or can get a specially designed chair for hip pain relief.
Torso Movement
Try to fold your torso forward and lower your body to the point where you feel some stretch in your hip region. Hold that position and while doing this, ensure that your head is resting on the floor or over your hands.
Conclusion
Apart from taking these precautions while sittings, you must ensure that you are stretching your body regularly. Besides that, you must periodically massage your piriformis muscle to ensure that appropriate blood flow is maintained.
You can use roller foam, tennis balls or massage balls to reduce the strain from your piriformis muscle. But if you feel like post-exercise your symptoms are getting worse, you must stop every exercise and consult a doctor immediately.