Hey There!  I’m so glad our paths have crossed.   I’m Sofia and I help women and men fix piriformis syndrome, hip pain and lower back pain as fast as possible without relying on temporary fixes, drugs or surgery.   Before I reveal the 4 crucial steps to properly heal from piriformis syndrome and 

lower back pain...I just want to briefly tell you briefly about myself and my story...  

I promise it won’t take long.  

In 2011(after being in pain for one year) I was diagnosed with piriformis syndrome, then shortly after, an L5/S1 lumbar disc herniation, pelvic 

inflammation, and ankylosing spondylitis (spinal arthritis).   I was devastated. I couldn’t workout like I used to or even function like a normal 

human being.  After I graduated from university and was continuing my education to become a strength coach, I decided to work a desk job (at a medical device manufacturing company) and work there for a bit of time to gain experience while I figure out this pain. But things got really bad... at one point, I couldn’t even sit at my desk anymore. I was standing all the time.    After using up all my sick days and still missing work days and being in pain all the time, I started feeling that the company got sick and tired of me (and I was sick and tired of the pain too to be honest).    And let me tell you... I literally tried everything under the sun and nothing fixed the pain aside from the few hours of temporary relief.  While I was studying to become a certified strength coach. I got immersed in studying anatomy, the nervous system, how muscles work, postural deviations and the root cause of muscular pain... 

 I consumed every book, course, seminar training I could get my hands on. I literally spend over 5k in just a couple of courses (not to mention books) and I’m still investing in my own education each year to continue improving my coaching skills.   Since implementing what I was learning (in a few short months), my health transformed dramatically. I pursued my dream to become a full time strength coach and started my blog.   My life literally changed because of the time and money I invested in my own education and I’m here to share with you exactly what works.  Here’s how my blog is so different from any other website you’ll find online...  It doesn’t contain the same old recycled, generic information.  I personally write every single blog post and film my own videos.  I can relate to everything you’re currently going through, I understand your fears and frustrations, I know the psychological burden of it all, and the feeling that life is over because of the pain.  And that’s why I decided to create this free document that contains the 4 crucial steps that made the most significant difference in my healing.   Your path is definitely different from mine. But you always want to invest your time, money and energy in treatments and tools that are focused on healing the root cause of the problem vs just addressing the symptoms.  So let’s get started!         

4 STEPS TO HEAL FROM PIRIFORMIS SYNDROME AND LOWER BACK PAIN | COACHSOFIAFITNESS.COM 

  

1. INVESTIGATE THE PAIN   Your piriformis or hip muscles are spasming for a reason. There is no such thing as a ‘bad’ muscle. Your muscles are tight/sore/hurt because of an underlying cause and you need to investigate what that is. Otherwise, you’ll stay stuck in the stretch-quick relief-stretch cycle. I call this stretchnitis.   Of course, I always recommend you check with your doctor and get any necessary scans done to rule out serious disc problems.   In general, piriformis syndrome or lower back muscle pain is triggered by the following:  

1. Flawed movement patterns (not moving well throughout the day, putting a lot of pressure on your back, compensating when exercising or walking.) 

2. Bad posture (Sitting for long hours, stiff rounded shoulders, misaligned hips, and joints). 

3. Muscle imbalance: Piriformis syndrome in particular is almost always a result of a muscle imbalance. The weak gluteus muscles and overactive tight hip flexors drive the hips out of balance and the piriformis is always firing up at the wrong time leading to spasms and possible injury. 

 I highly recommend you join Piriformis Control. You’ll be able to assess the muscular imbalances that lead to piriformis syndrome and get a simple plan to follow to fix these imbalances. 

           

 

2. MINDSET AND NUTRITION  

● Clean up your diet and consume plenty of anti-inflammatory foods such as turmeric and ginger. Lookup anti-inflammatory foods online and make up a list of them. They will help you reduce inflammation and help your body heal and regenerate. If you’re not sure how to get started here’s a list of foods and supplements to help you reduce inflammation naturally. 

  ● Try to take some time off to relax. You have no idea how many flare-ups 

were triggered mainly due to stress. Try to take a few days off work and get yourself to a spa, schedule a weekend trip to a warm place, or simply a bed and breakfast outside the city. Relax and let your nervous system take a break from life. Journaling is another therapeutic activity to express negative emotions in a healthy way instead of letting them accumulate in our nervous system.  

● Write down your fitness goals every day. This will get you to focus on healing, and getting back to your 100%. Even though I was in pain all day and I forgot what it was like to walk, sit or jog pain-free, I still wrote my fitness goals because it kept me hopeful and motivated. And believe me, you will get better. 

                     

 3. FIX THE ROOT CAUSE 

 ● Once you know what’s triggering the pain, it’s way easier to create a 

recovery plan. I always take a whole week to investigate the pain of all my new clients. Once we know exactly what activities, postures, movements and loads are problematic I can show them how to fix the triggers and fixing their posture. They immediately start noticing improvements and fewer flare-ups.  

● If you have muscle weakness then you need to address that as soon as possible. Instead of focusing on more stretches and more quick-fixes, pinpoint which muscles need to be strengthened (most likely your deep core and glutes) and create a simple plan to follow.  

● If you’re not sure how to get started here are some free resources and paid programs to help you get started: 

1. Piriformis Syndrome - Step-by-step guide. 2. 3 out of the box treatments for piriformis syndrome 3. Piriformis Control program 

                        

 4. MAINTENANCE AND RE-ASSESSMENT 

 ● Keep track of how you feel every day. Write down the exercises and 

stretches you do. Keep track of how they helped you with the pain. You will notice a pattern of exercises or stretches that help vs the ones that aggravate the pain. Use this after every therapy treatment as well. If something doesn’t feel right, eliminate it for a few weeks until you reduce your muscle tissue’s sensitivity to pain. 

 ● Stretch the tight muscles, and strengthen the weak muscles: Our hip 

flexors are chronically tight because of our sedentary lifestyle. You’re flexing your legs all day as you sit, drive, work, sit at home... This weakens the gluteal muscles and shuts of your core (lower back stabilizers). So if you’re always stretching your glutes, you probably want to do the opposite. Again, I go into exactly which muscle to release and strengthen inside Piriformis Control.  

● Perform gentle hip flexor stretches before bed or when you take your breaks during the day. You can also use a massage ball on the floor to get deep into those muscles. As for the glutes exercises, you can do them mid-day, or in the evenings. Click here for a full PSOAS and Hip flexors release tutorial. 

 

 There is a lot of information in this document. I tried to summarize my points as much as possible. But each bullet can be broken down into smaller steps. If you research the key elements of each bullet on my blog you’ll find a blog post and a video to help you with that. Just don’t get overwhelmed...that’s why a journal is essential when you’re planning a recovery plan.  One last important thing…  The reason why I mentioned Piriformis Control program here is because I genuinely know it’ll help you shortcut your recovery and healing.   I know from my own experience that I only implemented information when I actually invested in a course, a training or a book.  And personally, I’d rather save myself years of research and trial and error and just get a course or a program that can show me what to do.  

 

PIRIFORMIS CONTROL 

 Learn more about Piriformis Control 

 

Stay Strong,  

Sofia