Piriformis syndrome Puns

Hey all,

Was wondering if anyone has returned to running after a hip scope and what their experience was like. I tore my labrum at the end of 2019, had it repaired October of 2020 (everything delayed due to covid)

Did my PT and returned to running very slowly but basically everything constantly bothered me. Body was not used to the impact and motions as I'd basically been sedative for 18 months.

Piriformis is never something that's bothered me but it's been persistent for months now. I can barely jog a couple miles without it flaring up. I took a month off because I had my gallbladder removed (hooray for more surgery), and the piriformis acted up immediately.

I've been rolling it on a ball, figure 4 stretching, trying to work through it. I did a ton of PT post op so I am probably the most balanced I've been , so this has all been frustrating.

Hello all,

New to this sub. I tore my labrum sometime late 2019 probably, then it really started bothering me i early 2020 and I stopped running. Finally got the MRI and saw the tears in May, had Surgery in October 2020. Everything was slow because of covid protocols.

I've been trying to get back to running since maybe February or March, but my lower back would kill on runs, and then it shifted to my piriformis and it will not go away. I've taken a month off, stretched, rolled on it a ton, nothing is helping.

Any ideas?

Hi there,

I've just been recently diagnosed with Spodyloarthritis, no fusion of the spine. Tried all the NSAID's and typical PO meds for many months. The Rheumatologist I'm seeing as having me start Cimzia. My biggest pain/concern is my pain from my piriformis muscle. It's been referred to many physicians and chiropractors, physio etc as Piriformis syndrome. I've been dealing with this horrible pain for almost a year. Has anyone else experienced piriformis pain with their AS diagnosis?

Anything that's helped? Biologics? My Rheumatologist isn't sure if the two are related or are completely separate issues.

TIA.

I had the piriformis syndrome for about half a year. Sometimes the flare-ups were so bad I could not find a single position that was not painful. I mean, sitting hurt, walking hurt, standing hurt, lying down hurt... you get the picture. It was so bad that I did not really hope to recover and thought that this is how it is going to be for me.

However, the nightmare started to end somewhere around December last year and for the last few months I've been almost entirely pain-free.

Thought I'll make a list of things that seemed to help me. Maybe it will help some of you guys as well.

Here are a few things that probably contributed to my recovery:

1. Doing this stretch a few times a day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnPxMUYkVdUWas a bit skeptical about stretching as many other piriformis stretches only seemed to aggravate the problem. However, this offered relief from the very first time I tried it.
2. Deep body-weight squats: https://cdn.gmb.io/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/squat-analysis.jpgDo not remember where I read about these, but the idea is that doing these strengthens and balances out imbalances in the lower body. Might be difficult for people that are new to exercising.
3. Starting to use a standing desk and a kneeling chair: Got the chair first, it felt great, but because of the flare-ups I still was not able to use it pain-free for an extended amount of time. Decided to also get a standing desk. Started to just stand all day at work. After a month the pain was pretty much gone, but I started to have new pain from standing on my feet instead. That is when I also started to make use of the kneeling chair. Now I switch between the two and have no pain while working on my computer 40 to 50 hours a week. Also got an ergonomic standing mat to avoid having problems with my feet.

I think that for me creating a more ergonomic office was the most important thing to help my recovery. Sitting everyday for hours on a regular office chair, slouching towards the computer, puts a lot of stress on one's body. Being able to stand while working behind the computer is a nice change. The kneeling chair on the other hand has helped me develop a better posture while sitting. It forces you to sit like this: [http://www.xtrafurniture.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Varier_BALANS_Tearsheet_FINAL.jpg](http://www.xtrafurniture.com/blog/wp-content/uplo

Is there any definitive way to diagnose piriformis syndrome? I got an MRI of my hip. Would that or am ultrasound be able to see clearly if that’s what’s pinching the nerve ?

I think mine is piriformis because it’s not usually painful and it’s usually just a shock from lower back to mid hamstring and a feeling of weakness for 5-10 seconds. It usually only happens if I’m rolling with a larger opponent and am trying to escape from side control. Anyone have stretching tips or stuff that helped?

I feel compelled to post another update on my shocking recovery from Piriformis Syndrome...and ill try to post as much background info as possible...

Background... age 40s, male, USA, suffered between mild and moderate pain in my backside, not back, but backside, b*ttock, left, extending down to my calf, and ankle and foot. It comes and goes...for 13 months time, so a long time....varying between mild and barely able to walk...

A bit more background... i moved overseas to southeast Asia about 15 months ago.. the condition was caused by a few risk factors..#1 i am an avid cyclist riding everyday or almost everyday #2 moved heavy luggage 65 to 70 lbs up and down at least 2 to 5 flights of stairs...several times.. i was totally oblivious to any possible injury, now not so much...another risk factor if anyone is considering moving here, when i moved overseas i lost about 15% of my bodyweight, some of which may have been due to dehydration..

*** having read the horror stories on this sub, i was afraid it was not piriformis syndrome but was in fact a bulging disc...my dad advised me as such, hes an MD but lives in the states, although hes a pediatrician so doesn't really deal with adult conditions...

Last summer i spent a few weeks/months laying in a hotel room hoping for some improvement. Luckily most of the world was locked down at the time. I felt some improvement after awhile. Fast forward to 2 months ago, i did some cycling and lifting some heavy things, a few days later i could barely walk....

Last week... My first time going to PT.. MY ADVICE DO NOT PUT THIS OFF...she did some heavy massage on my backside, lower back, and stretched my leg. I didn't actually know which type of doctor i should go to, and didnt get an MRI. The price was $50 for what is called a physiotherapist over here, but shes from Europe and thats where her training was from.

3 to 5 days later... the pain was gone. I wouldn't say it was totally gone but it is about 99.5% gone. 2 days ago i did 12 mile cycling trip, today i did 20 miles total, plus walking up and down some stairs and no pain whatsoever, gone! back to my normal life after 13 months. Godspeed! comments welcome.

Other notes... besides her, i think nutrition and hydration may have played a role in recovery... i take care to eat well and get plenty of nutrients and water.

Has anyone found that their ps causes uneven hips. Most doctors or pts see that my left hip is higher than my right (my hip flexor pulling it up). Is this a result of ps, a cause of ps, or something that is stemming from the same problem that induces my ps? I have noticed that when my hips closer to even there is less pain than when they are farther from even.

Hi everyone

Firstly I’m not a medical professional. The below outlines what sorted this issue for me but please consult a medical professional before self-diagnosing.

Around 2015 I developed symptoms that sounded like Piriformis Syndrome or Sciatica. A sharp pain deep in the middle of my left glute. Running aggravated it to the point where I could not run due to the pain. Even after I stopped running it persisted and was debilitating. Would randomly lock up especially after prolonged sitting or waking up in the morning.

I went to the doc and got referred to a physiotherapist. They prescribed the following:

* Stretching

* Myofascial release

* Acupuncture

* Leg / glute strengthening

Unfortunately it didn’t fix the issue. They would provide temporary relief, but the pain would return within the next day or so. Running was still out of the question.

Finally after around 3 years of this I went to another doctor and got referred to a specialist (think it was sports medicine). He got me to do some balance tests and straight away spotted my core was weak. Gist of why this was causing the Piriformis / Sciatica pain was that my core was lazy due to being underused (desk job not helping). As such other muscles were picking up the slack causing the chronic pain in my glute. The specialist sent his findings over to different physiotherapist who prescribed me some core exercises, particularly targeting my obliques (side abdominals). After around a month there was a noticeable improvement and after a few months it was gone. I was able to run again without any pain. If I neglected doing my core exercises for a few months the pain would return. Doing the exercises again would get rid of it. The specific exercises I were prescribed were:

* Planks (front and side planks). I did standard planks, but you can start with planking on your knees which is easier

* Bird dog

* Oblique Twist "Wood Chopper" (requires an elastic band, physio cut me a piece of elastic with a knot that could be jammed in a door)

December last year I ran my first race, a hilly trail marathon. I finished ahead of my goal time and placed in the top 20%. During the 6 months I spent training and during the race I never had the pain come back. Just wanted to say thanks to r/running. You helped a lot with my marathon prep. Hopefully the text wall above helps someone.

Happy running 😊

TLDR – Weak core (specifically obliques) was the root cause

A few weeks ago I started feeling pain and tension in my left upper thigh/buttock area whenever I would stretch or throw body/head kicks (the discomfort would be greater pre-warmup, but still present after warmup).

I’m pretty sure it’s caused by my piriformis muscle, and that’s a recent discovery. Since I’ve pinpointed the cause, I’ve been doing stretches and foam rolling for that area specifically (the one where you throw your left (hurting leg) ankle over the other at the knee area, and pull the right leg with your hands, and similar foam roller exercise)

But I’m getting impatient, and would like to know if anyone else in the MT community has experienced this, and how they dealt with it. Did you take anti-inflammatory medicine, like tylenol? How often did you take it? What stretches/exercises did you do? Just some example questions. Thanks.

Has anyone had both and figured out a connection?

My first time going to PT. Interesting experience thought I would post what occurred during the session. I went through the history of my backside pain. Age 40s male exercise a lot. Cyclist. My caretaker was a PT from Europe. She had me do some movements. At least in her opinion it was not back related but she thinks is Piriformis Syndrome. The reason is that I could move my back just fine and the pain is concentrated in my buttock. I also didn't experience any pain in my back when she pressed on it.

This is probably good news long term because back problems can lead to more serious problems with lack of mobility. Now for the bad news... She gave me a massage on my gluteus muscle and upper leg as well as had me do stretching. This has absolutely no effect on the pain.. although it was a pleasant experience. She also was not able to actually activate the pain I experienced inside my buttock calf and foot. I am scheduled for another appointment next week... Comments welcome.

Background, this is the long one but I want to share so people avoid doing my mistakes.

28 year old male who has lost around 70-80lbs lifting weights and counting calories since late 2019 and got into more structured powerlifting around June 2020 (I live in Florida and have had access to a gym since then)

I LOVE power lifting, losing weight actually helped me because I had already strong joints (even when fat I was always a little athletic) that then when surrounded by muscle helped me break PRs almost every week. I peaked around late Jan/early Feb on 325 Squat, 405 Deadlift and 225 bench press, plus always progressing on my accessory work.

I focused on recovery and stretching but anyways every week was a good chance to do a new PR, and I fucking felt like Superman, also helped the countless praising I was getting at the gym and by my friends.

On Valentines weekend I promised my wife to go with her to a kettlebell booty class, I have strong legs with solid hamstring and glutes from both accessory work and main lifts, but never in my fucking life I had done a glute class or actually done much more than bridges, my glute progress comes from lunges, deadlifting, etc. I know I said I felt like Superman but l always played safe with the weights, small increments and really didn’t go crazy on exercises I didn’t know. But for this class I happened to know the instructor so to show off I decided to do it with a 53lbs kettlebell, the rogue green one.

Don’t get me wrong, I was able to do, but after finishing the class and cool down I knew I did something wrong. I had access to a cold plunge and went in just in case after my work out. This was mistake #1. As said I don’t do a lot of ego lifts, and I didn’t do a lift, I did a whole fucking ego 45 minute class.

Next day was actually a Saturday, which because I usually get a little more sleep, I planned to test one rep maxes for Squats and Bench press. I couldn’t go past 285 (40 lbs below my 1RM) and I felt my glute pinching. It wasn’t that bad so I didn’t really care, so I took it easy for the rest or the workout, no more leg work and the. rested Sunday as planned

by Monday I was fine. I went over my push/pull session that I always finish with deadlifts. No pain or anything, but as soon as hit above 300 my glute pinched again, I was like WTF, massaged it hard and went at it again. I just couldn’t go above 340-350. I said fuck it and just stopped and carry on. This was mistake #2 l didn’t took that pinching

I've been dealing with low back pain and sciatica since November 2020. X-ray and MRI showed no abnormalities so doc says it's not a disc issue. I do have a positive straight leg raising test on left side. Doctor prescribed Tramadol, Prednisone and Tizanidine. The medication made the pain more tolerable; however, I don't want to be dependent on medication the rest of my life.

My pain disappeared in February 2021 but now it's back. This time the pain starts in my lower back but stays mostly in my butt and stops at my thigh. The worst pain is at night and settles in my groin which is concerning me. I do not have bowel or bladder control issues.

I went to the doctor again on Friday and he prescribed the same medications as before but higher doses. I try stretches for piriformis syndrome but they make the pain worse. I'm not sure what treatment options to do next.

Has anyone experienced similar symptoms? What was your diagnosis and treatment plan? Thank you in advance.

Bonus: What are some effective workouts you do? I used to do HIIT, CrossFit and run every morning. Now, I can barely walk 30 minutes without experiencing pain.

Please help me. This is taking a serious toll on my mental health. Thanks!

I’ve been doing this for almost 2 weeks and it really helps me, I do it with resistance bands (bought them in Amazon for less than $10) twice per day and not only the relief have been incredible, but the improvement and recovery in pain and numbness too.

Worth noting that I can take 25-45 secs of holding as I have strong glutea from weight lifting. But def worth a short

https://youtu.be/VH76dMUSmIs

A couple months ago, I started having pain in my right lower buttock whenever I sit. I have no problems running, walking or doing anything active. However even I sit, it’s really uncomfortable and started to hurt within minutes. It’s only on one side and the pain seems pretty concentrated to right under my right outer buttock.

I went to a chiropractor a couple times and they guessed it’s piriformis syndrome but the pain is still there after several sessions. Anyone with similar experiences/symptoms who can share their thoughts on what I have and how I should treat it would be appreciated!

I've had mild sciatica symptoms in the back and left leg now for about six months, 25M. I only recently got an MRI in December which came back clean so the thought was that I did herniate L4L5 but the bulge had since resorbed. Unfortunately my gait changed entirely after the injury and PT has been hit or miss, currently targeting piriformis with stretching, strengthening and dry needling. Every time something new is prescribed it seems like I have a mild flare up that gradually clears up but leaves me in more or less the same condition with marginal improvement. I had a few really good weeks with basically no symptoms but am currently in a flare up that is likely caused by doing a hamstring stretch incorrectly.

Does anyone have experience with piriformis syndrome? What helps you and are there any similarities between your PT treatment and mine? How do you get the little bastard to stop fluttering and twitching at idle? Did you see a specialist for your diagnosis and if so what method or machine did they use?

This fixed APT, PIRIFORMIS SYNDROME and deadbutt syndrome

To be fixed: Trendelberg gait and duckfeet

So, the title pretty much says it. I'm 22 years old fixed my APT after having it for 12 (10-22) years. It was so embarrassing!!! Back in HS people used to tell me dude why your butt is lifted??????? I was like "haha....."

I was a very addicted gamer played games for my entire childhood and adolescence without breaks and I didn't have any friends back then. Now, I'm in college and I faced the same embarrassment and everyone would mock my pelvis without even knowing it's not a big butt but rather a tilted pelvic. I realized that I have APT last year but couldn't initiate my therapy because I'm very busy and unmotivated due to family and personal problems but I challenged myself and I said I'm not gonna be embaarassed anymore!! I did mannnnny researches during this year and I have read everything and I made my own therapy routine... Couldn't afford a PT.. I actually did go to one but I felt like he's useless.

Piriformis syndrome started 6 years ago and no one could fix it, paid much money to the therapist and he couldn't fix it in 3 months term but I did in matter of weeks. I had my leg numbed from pelvic area all down to ankles irritated abs with a burning sensation for 6 years.

It's been approximately 5 weeks since I first started fixing it but honestly!! I've noticed a 70% reduction in APT and I even asked my mother to re-evaluate me and she said yes!! You look much better but I still feel I need more time and of course I do you can't 100% reverse the impact of 12 years in a short time. I expect 5 weeks more and I'll be 90% fixed. For Piriformis, my numbness and irritation decreased 85% I'm very very comfortable touching my leg and moving my hands all the way down because it's not as numbed it was but still needs more work.

So, I thought of sharing my achievement with you and my routine since many people suffer from APT. Don't lose hope you can do it!! So much relief no more back pain.. Normal gait

Anyways this is my routine: done twice or 3 times daily.

Stretches: Hips: 60 secs each leg

1. Kneeling hip flexor stretch
2. Wall Calves stretch
3. Figure four stretch
4. Lying Rectus femoris stretch
5. 90/90 stretch
6. Frog pose stretch
7. Butterfly stretch
8. Knee hugs stretch Back: 60 secs
9. Cat and camel pose
10. Any lower back stretch you like

Strengthening:

1. Lying leg abductors 2 x 30
2. Hip bridges supersetted with Crunches

Hi my doctor just told me I have a pinched nerve (piriformis syndrome/ sciatica) but I’ve been given splints by my podiatrist last week for plantar fasciitis. Would using those splints make my sciatica worse? I have a feeling that trying to adjust my feet whilehaving leg pain will just make it worse. I had a ct scan that came back clean so we’re moving more towards periformis syndrome. ( this group has more people so I just wanted to hear your advice) Leave your suggestions below please.

Hi!

Edit: female, 5’3”, 160 pounds

I was recently diagnosed with Short Piriformis Syndrome which I’m told is less common than Long Piriformis Syndrome. I’ve done chiro, massage, and am currently on 5 mg cyclobenzaprine 2x a day at least. I’m still in pain all the damn time and it’s taking away a lot of my life. I walk about 7.5-8 hours a day minimum. I do my stretches. I avoid walking up hill, which means I have a hard time getting around my neighborhood without driving, and I can’t hike. I can’t walk my dogs. I can’t cook. The best part is I’ve been more active this year than ever, and that seems to be the problem 🙃 I’m miserable, and I need hope & experiences from anyone who’s willing to share.

Hi all, I hope you can provide me with some advice or tips regarding this.

I could use some tips and/or advice on this (possible) piriformis syndrome. I'll start at the beginning:

At the beginning of september, I broke my fibula in my left leg close to my ankle in an unfortunate slip&fall in a parking garage. I got a cast and surgery and (thankfully!) my left leg is doing just fine right now. I can put a good amount of weight on it and it's hardly giving me any problems at all.

A few weeks in, a small pain/stiffness started to arise in my right leg/butt. It was pretty minor and I thought nothing of it at the time. I thought it was due to how I was sitting and using the 'good' leg and it would go away on it's own once I was able to use my broken leg again.

That happened, and I can now walk on both legs with my weight pretty much equally distributed. However, the pain has not gone away and has only become worse over the last 3 weeks or so. Both the GP and the physical therapist agree that it is probably the piriformis being overworked due to the uneven strain that I put on it the last few months. I have an ultrasound scheduled for monday where they will check to make sure and I'm currently on a pretty wild cocktail of painkillers which seem to do very little to nothing.

I can hardly sit and when I do sit I cant sit on both buttocks equally if that makes sense. Walking and standing is something I can do very limited and while I do that my back is bent in the weirdest shape because my body is trying desperately to take weight off the painful leg (not the broken leg mind you). I fear this will cause even more issues down the line.

The only thing I can quite comfortably do is lay down, either on my back with a pillow underneath my knees or on my stomach (though that doesn't feel very pleasant due to the still limited range of motion in my broken leg). But getting up is the real pain, and that can easily take up to 30 minutes to an hour. It's a process that has put me in tears of desperation more than once.

I've tried gentle stretching, and some exercises to help strengthen the area, but all it seems to do is irritate it more. Is there anything else I can do to get some relief and/or recovery from this?

Thanks for reading all of this :)

hey ~ I am new to this forum and have read through many of the posts. I have had PS for about 1.5 months now, It began as SI joint pain, which I went to PT for. The PT solved the SI joint pain but triggered PS. :(

I have found stretching, heat, and ice to work as a way to manage the pain. But, I am curious to hear from people who have completely solved their PS.

• What did you do that worked to solve PS?
• How long from beginning this regimen to end did it take to work?
• Do you continue your regimen after being pain-free?

Thank you so much. I hope there is at least one PS survivor who has beat this thing haha. :')

Recently diagnosed and stated treatment for PCOS.

Over the last couple months I have had the worst period pain in my life. Writhing in pain for hours even after ibuprofen. Most of my pain has been in my piriformis, a deep muscle in the glute. It spasms repeatedly. Sometimes it is so bad that it continues down my sciatic nerve feeling almost electric. The last time this happened I looked it up and couldn't really find anyone recounting a similar sensation. The only thing I found was talking about endometriosis. Going to doctors to talk about it more but I am wondering if anyone on here can relate. It was really scary and I would love to connect with someone who has had anything similar.

I’m not sure how this happened or when it specifically started, but for at least a few weeks I’ve been experiencing what I think are sciatica symptoms. I have pain mainly around my hips/ butt area and is pretty much constantly there depending how I move. I also have extreme tightness in my lower back (not as much pain there however). My hip mobility is very poor right now. I have been doing a lot of sciatica stretches and for a lot of them (glute bridges, 4 point stretch, etc) I feel most of the pain in my hips. In addition, when I foam roll the hip area, it hurts like hell and feels very sore.

At first I thought this was a low back injury, but all the stretches I have been doing make me think it is my hips. My lower back is still very tight, but nowhere near as painful. Trying to narrow down what this likely is before I take any steps further than what im doing (stretching, foam rolling, ibuprofen)

Male 32, 180cm, 74kg.

A bit of details and how symptoms manifest: I have left leg pain for the past 3 years which is triggered by sitting. Pain is daily occurrence. It starts in the morning half an hour after waking up and its gradually getting worse with the day (office job).I don't have any pain (or very mild) over the night or as soon as I wake up. Daily activities, such as sitting are trigger.Pain is most of the time located on the outside part of the calf only on left leg. Type of pain is 90% burning, 10% aching.

Sometimes instead of calf area I have burning pain on the thigh aboveknee and outer side of the knee. I do NOT have any significant pain in glute area or hamstrings/mid and upper thigh. I feel mild pain in glute area but nothing compared to the calf!If I take a walk (15mins or more) or stand burning pain in calf area would calm down but as soon as I sit down its back again! Also same pain is triggered by being on the couch half reclined (if you understand what I'm trying to say). When laying in bed pain is not there, or its very mild, while after waking up I don't have it at all. Stretching and/or foam rolling piriformis makes it worse also.

Medical tests done: Neurologist performed EMG/NCS which was clear, MRI of lumbar spine is clear, MRI of pelvis showed small labral tears on both side.My doctor suspects piriformis syndrome, even though its not visible on MRI, and even though I don't have usual symptoms such as buttocks pain. We talked, I asked tons of questions, but I forgot to ask the most important one: Can pain from piriformis syndrome radiate to the calf area?

I have started glute strengthening exercises in hope to strengthen that area and give sciatic nerve some "cushion", but all the exercises I tried are exacerbating my calf burning pain, not at the moment when I’m exercising but the next day. Then its the worst!
Nevertheless, I will push and continue with the strengthening exercises cause after dealing with this type of pain for the 3 years I am getting tired of it and need to do something about it! I tried various piriformis syndrome tests from Youtube and everything seems inconclusive or negative. Doctor also tried I believe its called FAIR test, but I didn't feel anything special.

Thank you!

I had an MRI of my right hip. If MRI can see nerves, and muscle tissue, would it be able to see a pinched nerve in the buttock?