IT'S A PAIN IN THE BUTT! I know as well as anyone. I've got it. I think it's contagious. I've worked on so many people with it that I caught it. I had mine worked on yesterday and hardly slept at all last night. However, I think that I'm better today. I'm just sleepy.
What is a piriformis? It is a small pear shaped muscle that can wreak more havoc than a sunami. Well, that's what it feels like to the person with one that's inflamed. It is a lateral rotator of the thigh that we engage with every step or pedal stroke for you bikers. It get's a lot of work. Some of us will go through life and never be troubled by this little monster. Those of us that are "very active" are more prone to the symptoms and they vary in degree. Some just have the pain in the butt. Others may experience the pain in the butt, tightness in the hamstring, or pain in the hamstring all the way down and around to the shin (tibialis anterior) and into the foot or all of the above. If you're wondering how one little muscle can wreak all of this havoc? Here's the deal. The sciatic nerve (ever heard of this devil?) innervates under the piriformis so when piriformis gets inflamed and tight it squeezes the sciatic nerve causing all of this pain. Trust me, there is no pain like nerve pain. When really bad, it can involve all the muscles of the gluteal region and the SI joint.
So what do you do if this pain in the butt appears? See someone right away. If it persists long enough it becomes a syndrome which means that it is entrenched and muscle memory has changed. Yes, the body thinks that this pain is normal and it will take longer to get rid of it.
I saw client the other night and he was in terrible shape. He had been suffering for 3 months and his wife suggested that he see me. I have never felt more empathy for anyone as I did him. He had his shoulders hiked up, one hip hiked up, and walked like he absolutely dreaded the next step. His entire body was in "full armoring"(when you've hurt so long that everything locks down). I spent an hour just trying to break through and had some success. After the session, I spent another fifteen or so minutes teaching him some stretches and exercises to get him on his way to recovery. He's rescheduled and will come in on Tues for another session. I saw his wife yesterday and I was so happy to hear that he feels better already. I was concerned that he would probably get worse before getting better.
I've discovered a really easy and excellent stretch for this malady. Stand in a doorway, reach out with both arms and grasp the sides of the doorway, cross the leg of the affected piriformis over the other leg and sit down and lean back. Hold two seconds and repeat 10 to 15 times. You might as well do them both so you don't start listing to one side.
Avoid all pains in the a#! and stretch.
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2 comments:
Piriformis syndrome is surely a pain in the butt. Got rid of mine years ago and fortunately have kept it away. You're right to keep stretching. I wrote a blog entry about Piriformis Syndrome.
29; male; piriformis attacks for 3 months. I'm an avid road biker and this injury surfaced after training for a race. I could not sleep flat in bed for over 2 months. I’ve broken many bones and had to go through many surgeries in my lifetime and piriformis is definitely one of the biggest pains ever!
Physical therapy is the only way you will be able to educate yourself on your condition and how to treat it. I originally thought this was a disc issue as I herniated L4/L5 and had surgery 9 years ago.
You can use ice, heat pads, an anti-inflammatory, pain killers, etc… but these all only help to mask the pain and do not address the cause of the injury. Arm yourself with stretches your physical therapist will recommend when your piriformis becomes inflammed and the sciatic pain starts.
To mitigate the constant sciatic pain, while standing, cross the injured leg over your other leg and move your foot up and down as much as you can. Your foot should move opposite of a calf raise. Gradually elevate the injured leg as you become more comfortable completing sets on a block positioned in front of you. This will free up the sciatic and worked wonders for me.
During what I call a piriformis attack (severe pain in butt and leg) lie flat on your back and bend your knees keeping your feet flat on the ground. Move the injured leg a foot length distance out and then rotate the entire leg down, with foot on ground, toward your other knee. This will free up your piriformis during an attack. Again, do this as much as you can.
I hope the above information helps. I spent over $2k in accupuncture, physical therapy, doctor visits, etc… Simple stretches worked best.
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