Hip and lower back pain can sometimes be a result of an irritation of the sciatic nerve. Many people suffer from lower back pain that spreads downward to the limbs and feet, but this pain is regularly alleviated by practicing a deep piriformis stretch – a stretch that releases tight piriformis muscles, and relaxes the sciatic nerve.
When tense, the piriformis muscle can irritate the sciatic nerve as they are in close proximity to each other. By irritating the sciatic nerve, the result is pain either in the lower back or thigh, and numbness and tingling can also occur along the back of the leg down to the foot.