Video Course: Stretching the Piriformis

Joe Muscolino

Join Dr. Joe Muscolino for a comprehensive course on stretching the piriformis. Learn to effectively palpate the muscle and implement several different stretches with the client in the prone and supine positions. An emphasis is placed on optimal body mechanics and client positioning while performing these stretches and additional techniques including pin and stretch, contract relax, and agonist contract.

This course is approved for Florida’s “Distance Learning Hands-On Technique” category for the 2023-2025 renewal period (CE Broker course #20-846811 for FL only).

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Course Outline
  • Anatomy
  • Palpation
  • Joint actions and functions
  • Stretching concepts
  • Prone stretches
  • Supine stretches
    • Lateral rotation with hands
    • Lateral rotation with forearm wrap
    • Figure four
    • Horizontal adduction
    • Foot over opposite knee
    • Contralateral horizontal adduction
  • Additional techniques: pin and stretch
  • Additional techniques: neural inhibition
    • Contract relax
    • Agonist contract
Learning Objectives

Having viewed the online massage therapy technique CE course, participants will be able to:

  • Identify the boney landmarks used to palpate the piriformis muscle.
  • List the steps to accurately palpate the piriformis muscle.
  • List the joint actions of the piriformis muscle.
  • Describe the joint movements of the piriformis muscle.
  • Describe the client positioning when performing piriformis stretches with the client in the prone position.
  • List at least three piriformis stretches performed with the client in supine position.
  • Describe the optimal therapist positioning when performing piriformis stretches with the client in the supine position.
  • Identify the difference between contract relax (CR) technique and agonist contract (AC) technique.
Instructors
Joe Muscolino

Dr. Joe Muscolino has been a manual and movement therapy educator for more than 35 years. He has created several online streaming subscription platforms for manual therapy continuing education, including LearnMuscles Continuing Education with more than 3,300 video lessons and more than 320 hours of NCBTMB credit. He has also created Massage Therapy—Master Online Curriculum, a full online curriculum for massage therapy schools. He is the author of multiple textbooks with Elsevier and has authored more than 90 articles. For more information, visit his website at www.learnmuscles.com.

Topics and Techniques

This hands-on massage therapy CE course teaches several stretching techniques for the piriformis. Learn to effectively palpate and stretch this often-tight muscle in both the prone and supine positions. Stretching techniques include lateral rotation, pin and stretch, and neural inhibition.

Date

This online massage therapy CE course is available to you on demand to access, learn, and earn CE whenever and wherever it’s most convenient for you!

FAQ

Visit the ABMP Education Center FAQ page for a full list of resources.

Q: Is this orthopedic massage CE course approved by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB) for CE credit?
A: Yes! All of the courses are approved under ABMP’s NCBTMB Approved Provider account (451086-09).

Q: How do I earn a CE certificate for this video-based course?
A: After you complete the webinar video, a quiz will appear on the page. Earn a CE certificate by scoring 70% or higher on the course quiz.

Q: Can I earn a CE certificate for this course more than once?
A: Learners can earn one CE certificate for each course.

Q: How do I access my CE certificates?
A: CE certificates are available on your “My CE Transcripts” page and on the course page. Visit your “My CE Transcript” page by clicking “My CE” on the navigation bar at the top of your screen.

Copyright Statement
All of the ABMP courses contain materials that are proprietary to ABMP. None of the course material may be used without the express written permission of ABMP. Materials may include, but are not limited to, video, audio, images, documents, and slides. Course materials are only for the use of students enrolled in this course and may not be shared publicly or shown to groups. Unauthorized retention, duplication, distribution, or modification of copyrighted materials is strictly prohibited by law. Check your state’s defined scope of practice for massage therapy before practicing any new modalities or techniques.

Reviews

"Great presenter, communicator, and pace. Loved the repetition to underscore key elements."

"I learned so much from this! I'm a new therapist and he explained things in a way that I just didn't "get" in school. Now I even understand better some basic stretching principles let alone the great piriformis info. Thank you!"