Patient Win: Returning to the Marin BJJ Mats by Fixing a "Twister" Bias

A local Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner came into our San Rafael clinic struggling with severe lower back and hip pain. They had spent weeks trying to stretch out their piriformis muscle, assuming it was just tight from training.

The Assessment

Instead of blindly treating the hip, we used the piriformis test by having them cross one leg over the other. They could comfortably cross their legs, indicating the muscle might actually be too loose or overstretched, disconnected from pelvic control.

We also noticed they had a Rotational Bias, meaning they found relief twisting in one specific direction. Because they constantly played a specific asymmetrical guard on the mats, their torso preferred twisting in one direction, throwing their entire pelvis out of alignment.

The Win

Their piriformis wasn't "tight"—it was overstretched. We stopped the aggressive stretching. Instead, we minimized rotation in the opposite direction and built stability. They are now back on the mats, training pain-free.

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