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Originally Posted by cabmandone
^^^ Look up the "Cobra pose" and do it but not to the point where it hurts. Work gradually towards full arm extension. I think the one for the piriformis is called the pigeon pose. There's a variation where you lay on your back, put your left ankle on right knee and pull the right leg towards your chest. You can also so something similar from a sitting position leaning forward towards the leg. The pigeon pose is "advanced" but it's the one that helps me the most when I have a flareup. Another good stretch that I've used is taking a broom stick, holding it at the base of my neck and waistline, facing a set of stairs I put my heel on about the second stair and gently lean forward using the broomstick to make sure my spine stays neutral. This stretches the hamstring and calf. Remember to always warm up a bit before stretching.
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A 90/90 stretch is also useful and maybe easier to get into.
Sit on the floor, make sure you do along side a chair or something else to help you get back up if you think you’ll need it.
Put one leg in front of you bent at the knee to 90 degrees, the other behind you also at 90. Sounds more difficult than it is. Google for pictures or videos.
Using your arms to control the movement, lean forward letting your upper body weight aide in the stretch. Hold it for a couple moments and then back up and repeat for 30 seconds. Switch leg position and do it again for the other side.
Leg swings both front to back and side to side (30 seconds each for a total of 2 minutes) are an easy warm up to get the blood flowing. Again google for pictures or videos.