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Bike fit and Piriformis Syndrome

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Bike fit and Piriformis Syndrome

Old 09-09-18, 04:56 PM
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pbass
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Bike fit and Piriformis Syndrome

Just curious here--spitballing. Would you say that if one has Piriformis Syndrome, that (without going into all the minutiae of fit and bike geometry, nor all the variables that riders physiology can have) that riding a bike with a more aggressive position would aggravate it more than one with a more upright, relaxed position? On the one hand, with the more aggressive position that part of the anatomy is actually more "opened up" I would think, but then the lower back is doing more work supporting things....so, I dunno. Anybody care to chime in?

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Old 09-09-18, 05:55 PM
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That's an issue I'm familiar with. I don't have it, but one of my close friends and riding buddies has had it for years. I finally got him to adopt a more stretched out position with slammed stem, which helped him a lot. He now has that position on all his bikes. Try it. First get balance right with saddle position, so little weight on hands. Standard is to pedal down the road and be able to lift both hands off the bars without sliding forward on the level saddle. Next, adopt a stem length that allows you to have your elbows forward of your knees when on the hoods with horizontal forearms. Then lower the stem as much as your flexibility will allow and work on that, which you are certainly already doing.

Having done all that, be sure your pelvis is rolled forward on the saddle so that your back is as straight as you can get it. You want to bend at the hips more than in the lumbar spine.
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Old 09-09-18, 07:05 PM
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Hammering in a more aero position will definitely make your piriformis glow at night. If you are training to get in shape for a more aggressive riding position, speed is not your friend or you may find yourself having to grind out knots with a tennis ball for months.
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Old 09-09-18, 07:36 PM
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Originally Posted by McBTC
Hammering in a more aero position will definitely make your piriformis glow at night. If you are training to get in shape for a more aggressive riding position, speed is not your friend or you may find yourself having to grind out knots with a tennis ball for months.
My buddy rides very hard. He does carry a hard rubber ball with him, just in case he needs a roll on the road shoulder. He also makes it a habit to stand for just a few strokes every now than then, oftener but for fewer strokes than I do. Works different muscles through different ranges of motion.

I'm saying try it. The OP might be surprised at how effective it is ride already stretched instead of all cramped up.
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Old 09-09-18, 07:47 PM
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Thanks for the replies folks. I'm currently in what I would consider a moderate position--drops (where I live most of the time) a teeny bit higher than my saddle (but barely--for all practical purposes my bars and saddle are level). So as I experiment in both directions on either side of that, just wondering what other folks have encountered. I have been to PT and do a bevy of exercises/stretches for the issue, and my bike is very comfortable as-is when I'm riding.
And yeah, I usually watch TV on the floor with a couple different sizes of yoga balls and a foam roller
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Old 09-11-18, 11:59 AM
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had to look it up.. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piriformis_syndrome..

a particular kind of PITA.
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