My piriformis gets tight and tender and becomes easily palpable through my glutes whenever I focus on glute training. Besides being tender to touch, I believe it also pushes my femoral head anteriorly which causes pinching and pain in my groin area when I squat (only on one side though).
I have stopped squatting and have been doing barbell hip thrusts for almost a month, but my piriformis remains consistently tight. I am pretty sure I am activating my glutes properly because during the movement I am focused on contracting my glutes, not just completing the range of motion, so I don’t think glute activation work is the answer.
I am already doing glute and piriformis stretching as well as general hip mobility exercises. I have also added in daily foam rolling for my piriformis and glutes.
Is there anything else you all can think of to make my piriformis stop acting up? Would it be better to do higher reps with lower weight, or just stop entirely for awhile? The pain is not bad but it is preventing me from progressing.
Thanks.