Similar stretches/forms of relief as pigeon stretch/pose?

Howdy all,

A little over a year ago, I started experiencing radiating pain from the back of my hamstring down to my knee when standing. At first it was very painful and my GP told me to rest it for a month, so I avoided lifting or doing any heavy cardio. Long story short, it didn’t go away and I’d experience the pain every day after work (8 hour desk job with good posture and lumbar support, feet flat on the ground) for months, and it would only go away if I walked for 20-30 minutes. Eventually I was fed up and went to a physical therapist who was certain it was a spinal compression/disc issue, but after almost two months of attempting their stretches consistently nothing changed. I was fed up and stopped going as it was almost $500 spent on no relief.

I went to my GP for a physical about a month later and he recommended a pigeon stretch/pose as to him it seemed like a piriformis tightness/issue. Shockingly this stretch actually does provide significant relief if I I do it when I feel the pain or discomfort coming on.

My question is, if I am provided relief when doing the pigeon stretch when I feel the numbness and pain returning, what else can I attempt to eliminate this tightness longterm? Just keep doing pigeon stretches every day? Or is the underlying issue likely core strength and overcompensation of the piriformis?

Thank you all in advance. I feel like I’m making progress but would definitely like to eliminate it entirely