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Supine figure-four (piriformis)

How to do the Supine figure-four (piriformis) correctly: it targets the Piriformis and gluteals, the hold is 30 s per side, and the steps below keep it on the muscle instead of the joint.

This is mobility information, not physiotherapy and not a diagnosis. Pain is the border: a stretch that hurts at the attachment, sharpens, or sends pins and needles down the limb is loading a nerve or a tendon, not a muscle — stop and, for anything that persists or radiates, see a clinician. After an injury or surgery, stretching follows the treating clinician's protocol, not this page.

How to do it

1. Lie on your back, knees bent, feet on the floor.
2. Cross one ankle over the other knee, making the number four.
3. Thread the hands behind the thigh of the supporting leg and draw it toward the chest until the crossed-side glute stretches.
4. Pull the thigh, never the knee of the crossed leg, and hold 30 seconds before switching.

Why this stretch exists

The piriformis runs from the sacrum to the hip and sits directly on top of the sciatic nerve, which is why tightness there is felt in the buttock and sometimes down the leg. The supine figure-four stretches it with the knee in its safest position — bent and unloaded — making it the right version for anyone whose knees will not accept the pigeon, and for anyone lying on the floor after a run anyway. It is the single most-used release in the hip routine for a reason: it is the easiest deep glute stretch to dose correctly.

If pulling the leg up sends a sharp line down the back of the leg or into the foot, the nerve — not the muscle — is being pulled; lower the leg until the sensation stays in the buttock. True sciatica symptoms belong to a clinician before any stretching plan.

Hold and frequency figures: the standard stretching and range-of-motion literature — 15–60 second holds, two to four rounds per muscle (about 60 seconds total), two to three sessions a week for measurable gains, static holds after activity or as their own session, dynamic movement before. The injury-prevention position: the systematic reviews — stretching does not prevent injury or soreness; it buys range of motion and comfort. Checked 2026-09-06.

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