Pirformis (glute/ hip/ lower back pain) Share your experience

lealorali

I'm experiencing what I think is piriformis syndrome- a pinching, flare-up of pain deep in my butt/ hip/ lower back. I am an avid runner, biker, hiker, swimmer etc and I think my pregnancy exacerbated my hip pain. My legs are also very different lengths which could have something to do with it. It's super painful and I am DYING not being able to run! I am going to the PT tomorrow; x-rays didn't reveal much.

Did you have a piriformis injury? What was your experience like - PT, how long to heal, what helped, did you exercise lightly throughout?

LeanButNotMean44

My experience with it is that it is a chronic condition. Sometimes it flares up, other times I am completely fine. I notice a huge difference if I sit for too long, although mine may have morphed into more of a sciatic pain. Your best bet is using a foam roller and/or golf/tennis/lacrosse ball and rolling it over the area. It is a pain in the *kitten* in every way.

GiddyupTim

Foam roller and stretch, stretch, stretch!
Good luck.
Might have been exacerbated by pregnancy. But it seems to me that every runner deals with a piriformis at some point. Mine acted up when I drove. I could not drive for more than an hour without developing intense discomfort that was enough to make me stop and walk and stretch.

loulamb7

It's definitely a pain in the as# . Have been dealing with it for 5-6 months. Ibuprofen, stretching, form rolling, lacrosse ball rolling, heating pad and icy hot ointment, all seem to help. Ibuprofen is the most effective. I tried resting for 2 weeks, but didn't seem to make much of a difference. Have been considering a PT. Best of luck with getting your under control.

TR0berts

I generally loathe things from Men's Health, but this has helped me a great deal.

http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/exercises-navy-seals-do-daily

It still flares up - usually after particularly heavy deadlifts or squats - but doing those stretches before and after allows me to function more-or-less normally.

daweasel

Apparently I don't get true "piriformis syndrome" (says the physio) but I have had issues with that sort of thing. If I correctly recall what I was told, in a certain percentage of the population the sciatic nerve runs through the piriformis muscle and in some people if that muscle is overactive, usually because of weak or poorly activating glutes, the piriformis muscle can push on the nerve causing tightness and/or pain. I'm lucky that I've never had it so badly that I haven't been able to do continue training, but I have had to spend a lot of time stretching it (pigeon pose is good), sitting on a spikey ball, using the foam roller, and doing a few exercises to make sure my glutes (only on the one side, for whatever reason) are stronger and firing properly.

The physio told me to do single leg bridges, which have helped and helped some knee pain I was getting as well, but for this specifically the absolute best thing I've found to do are called "fire hydrant in and out" exercises. Even if it's sore, I think that motion helps to loosen it up as well as it must be strengthening the right muscles to help prevent it. I seriously find that helps more than stretching or anything else, though obviously that's my experience, everyone's different.

arditarose

I've had physical therapists tell me ( just through conversation, no check up) that it's probably NOT piriformis syndrome as it's more rare than we think. But I thought I had it. There was a tightness deep in my glute, and then it felt like my tailbone was bruised...really I'm pretty sure it was the nerve.

I foam rolled and went and got a massage from someone who knows what he is doing. He pretty much worked it out. Now I just take extra care of myself with a foam roller and tennis ball to prevent it from coming back.

baciodolce18

I definitely have tight hips and piriformis. Though when I was in high school and finished a season with a cross country coach who knew nothing about running (now that I know more as an adult), I had severe back pain that was deep in my lower back/hip/butt area (it was hard to pinpoint since it was deep and I could point to it from many angles) and after a bunch of scans the docs said I had an inflamed SI joint. The sacro-iliac joint is where the spine connects to the pelvis. They sent me to PT which helped. But it bothered me on and off through college pretty badly. I still ache there sometimes.