Hip pain/ Sciatica pain

I've had sciatica on and off for 16 odd years after breaking my back; running did tend to flare it up as ultimately it's nerve pain in your lower back causing a pain down your left side (usually).

In the past, a combination of stretching my hip + back used to have temporary relief, I got one of those hard foam rollers and used to use that daily, and also having a course of acupuncture seemed to help release some of the muscles.

The other thing to check is your running posture and whether that may be causing a lack of alignment in your hips which can also flare up acupuncture, I actually put my hips out of alignment playing a lot of golf and had to go to a chiropractor for some manipulation therapy and traction.

I'd talk to a PT about this for sure to make sure that nothing serious is wrong.

Saying that, I agree that daily foam rolling helps a lot.

Additionally, are you doing any strength training? My hip pain got a lot better when I started doing more focused work on my hamstrings and glutes in lifting. Running is so quad dominant and runners have weak glutes. Building them up has helped a lot.

nokanjaijo wrote: »

Elise4270 wrote: »

I'd see a good physical therapist. I've had true piriformis syndrome (recent surgery). If it's bothersome have it checked.

My first thought was that this could be about the piriformis, not the sciatic nerve which runs through it. If your piriformis is inflamed, it may press on your sciatic nerve, causing pain. You may need to work on your running form. If you are mostly sitting when not running, that could be really bad for the piriformis. There are a lot of great stretches for the piriformis, I suggest googling that and trying those out.

Yes. Someone could also be unlucky enough to have the sciatic run through the belly of the muscle, or have suffered trauma (a fall at some point that damaged the nerve and inflamed the piriformis). Both in my case.

When I get hip pain, it's because I'm over striding. Heel striking. When I shift to a midfoot, gliding stride, it stops hurting. Wearing minimalist running shoes helps me remember to focus on form.

My sciatica lead to permanent nerve damage (the outside, bottom half of my right leg -- knee to toe -- is completely numb), so don't let it fester. Get it checked out.

Elise4270 wrote: »

I'd see a good physical therapist. I've had true piriformis syndrome (recent surgery). If it's bothersome have it checked.

Good points. For the OP do you sit a lot? When you sit, you are sitting on the irritated piriformis

From what I know of sciatica it is usually caused by a bulging disk pressing agains the nerve. I wonder if running, especially when overweight, causes the bulging disk by putting excess jolting pressure on it? Purely curious speculation here. Last time I tried running regularly I ended up seriously jacking up my lower back for months. Probably bad form or something.

It's definitely worth getting to a good physiotherapist rather than self-diagnosing. I had running related hip pain when I was training for a half marathon and for me it was a combo of injuries to my ankle and foot on that side causing some gait problems plus being very weak in the core. I missed the half I was training for but managed another one later that year.
But, there is no telling what is causing your pain - seeing an expert is well worth the money and time.

nvmomketo wrote: »

I'd see a PT. If it is sciatic pain, I wouldn't self treat. I did that. I had sciatic pain for years. Eventually my disc burst and I now I have paralysis down one leg all the way to my big toe, and my drop-foot walk is a bit of an issue with tripping myself.

I also have hip pain. Sciatic pain is in the butt. To me it felt like it was below the glute muscle. Hip pain on the other hand, is often in the front - at least arthritic pain is - and radiates down to the knee. It's deep but it's in the bone.

If you have outer butt/glute type of pain, sciatic is my guess.

True

My doctor sent me to a physical therapist and the pain was excruciating the entire next week, so I am opting to get the steroid shot to reduce the inflammation which is causing the sciatica burning pain down leg.

Man... do you sit alot during the day? The hip pain could be tightness or a shorting of say the IT band.
But believe it or not... mine was from a stress fracture during my time in the military that changed the way I walked and ran.
10 yrs later... my VMO went to crap, tons of hip, back and never pain.
PT figured it out and we used bands, foam rollers & proper prehab and dynamic warmups to fix it.
But yes... a foot or calf issue can make a hip issue.
So please go see a PT.
Good luck

megpie41 wrote: »

thielke2015 wrote: »

I also had a Labral hip tear/injury ( same hip) and have been hoping to avoid surgery ....... which is why I gave been off exercise for a year. I have been told I should never jog/run again. I have a cam impingement.

I had hip arthroscopy bilaterally in 2016 (5 months apart). I had FAI and a tear in my right hip. I waited 4 years to have surgery and finally got it done. Waiting so long took its toll on the cartilage. 2 months after my right surgery I tore the left side. Had surgery 3 months later and that cartilage was in much better shape. My point in saying this is I'd think about getting it taken care of sooner than later. A tear will not heal on its own and often only gets worse especially with FAI as the cause. Find yourself a well known surgeon who specializes in hip arthroscopy. Hip pain can be debilitating but I have no regrets getting it taken care of. Hopefully it prevents needing a hip replacement later in life.

Hi,
Thank you for this! I was told I have FAI and that they thought it was a tear but it was so small they are now saying Labral injury. I have had no groin pain since the initial few seconds of being unable to weight bear. I Researched this quite a lot and I understand a tear will not fix itself. My surgeon...who specialises in hip arthroscopy made some various movements in our last meeting and said he doesn't believe I need the surgery and it wasn't 100% clear on MRI if it was a definite tear and that the movements he did on me reassures him that I don't need surgical intervention. I asked about possibility of needing hip replacement and he said my risk was no higher than the rest of the general population.
I was pleased with this as I was not keen on a surgery. Can I ask you please, did you have ongoing daily pain from your Labral tear? That limited you a fair bit? Thank you

thielke2015 wrote: »

megpie41 wrote: »

thielke2015 wrote: »

I also had a Labral hip tear/injury ( same hip) and have been hoping to avoid surgery ....... which is why I gave been off exercise for a year. I have been told I should never jog/run again. I have a cam impingement.

I had hip arthroscopy bilaterally in 2016 (5 months apart). I had FAI and a tear in my right hip. I waited 4 years to have surgery and finally got it done. Waiting so long took its toll on the cartilage. 2 months after my right surgery I tore the left side. Had surgery 3 months later and that cartilage was in much better shape. My point in saying this is I'd think about getting it taken care of sooner than later. A tear will not heal on its own and often only gets worse especially with FAI as the cause. Find yourself a well known surgeon who specializes in hip arthroscopy. Hip pain can be debilitating but I have no regrets getting it taken care of. Hopefully it prevents needing a hip replacement later in life.

Hi,
Thank you for this! I was told I have FAI and that they thought it was a tear but it was so small they are now saying Labral injury. I have had no groin pain since the initial few seconds of being unable to weight bear. I Researched this quite a lot and I understand a tear will not fix itself. My surgeon...who specialises in hip arthroscopy made some various movements in our last meeting and said he doesn't believe I need the surgery and it wasn't 100% clear on MRI if it was a definite tear and that the movements he did on me reassures him that I don't need surgical intervention. I asked about possibility of needing hip replacement and he said my risk was no higher than the rest of the general population.
I was pleased with this as I was not keen on a surgery. Can I ask you please, did you have ongoing daily pain from your Labral tear? That limited you a fair bit? Thank you

When I initially tore my right hip I would get some sharp groin pain but nothing that really prevented me from doing anything. This pain subsided and went away. Eventually over time I started getting "catching" in my hip. Again this didn't stop me from doing anything. The week before surgery I went on a 7 mile hike with minimal discomfort.

When I tore my left I knew it immediately. I would get clicking when I would stand up and some sharp pain. It got to the point where it was hard to walk because my hip would painfully lock up. Had the surgery and am doing great (6 months post-op on the left). I still do pt on my own as full recovery can take up to a year. Just the other day I walked 7 miles so I'm doing good.

My first hip wasn't as painful/symptomatic as my second hip, yet the cartilage was much more worn down from waiting so long. Recovery on my second hip has been easier because it was in better shape as I didn't wait to have surgery. When I had my initial mri on the first hip, the radiologist report said there was no tear, but the 2 surgeons I saw both said they saw a tear, albeit a small one. So with the hip that was bad, I didn't have constant pain, just occasional catching. The hip that wasn't as bad I had a hard time walking. I think that is dependent on where the tear is located along the acetabulum.

If you have any other questions regarding this feel free to ask me...I've been through it twice and would love to help. If you have imaging (mri etc) certain surgeons will review them for free if you want a second opinion. The surgeon who did mine does this. If you're interested let me know and I can give you his information.

I don't run, but had pain running down my leg all summer. Finally saw a chiropractor and he urged me to do cobra stretches. It's a yoga pose where you lie down on your tummy and push your upper body up with straight arms. Hold 15 seconds. I did three sets of ten each day and am out of pain now. You don't have to suffer! I've had lower back pain my whole life being taller than normal for a chick (6'3) and these stretches have been life-changing. Good luck!