What have I done?
Discussion
OK so from a pretty rough description can anyone guess what I have managed to do and any advice on how to make the pain go away?
Due to another injury I haven't played sport or lifted anything for ages that could have caused this. Yet all of a sudden I am getting a pain what feels like it is going from the inside of my left hip through to my butt cheek and up slightly higher to my lower back when I walk.. The pain is not that severe (more annoying) and it is a shooting pain that happens every-time I walk and lift my left leg off the floor to take a step and disappears before planting the same foot... I have had it a couple of days now..
Due to another injury I haven't played sport or lifted anything for ages that could have caused this. Yet all of a sudden I am getting a pain what feels like it is going from the inside of my left hip through to my butt cheek and up slightly higher to my lower back when I walk.. The pain is not that severe (more annoying) and it is a shooting pain that happens every-time I walk and lift my left leg off the floor to take a step and disappears before planting the same foot... I have had it a couple of days now..
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I did consider sciatica but to me it is not painful enough. I have had sciatica before (slipped disc L5 S1) and that was excruciating. It also comes and goes which is not my experience of sciatica.. For example I was just able to walk to my kitchen and back without any pain and as weird as it sounds I jogged back and no pain again..Driller said:
Indeed. Whilst standing up, cross the offending leg behind the other one and lean to the opposite side to stretch the outside of that leg from the knee up to the hip.
See if it helps.
Thats an interesting little stretch.. Feels good when I do it.. Although if I lean to much I do send a sciatic pain down my right side so dont go too far over..See if it helps.
What is that stretch doing? And how many times a day would you recommend?
Oh s
t, now it's my turn to say what have I done! 
I get the sciatica pain like you sometimes when I'm running. I find that if I stop and immediately do this stretch and hold it for 10s or so a few times the pain goes away.
So I would say (and this is totally empiracle) do the stretch when it hurts plus a couple of other times a day.
I don't know why it works, it must be stretching all the outer muscles on that side maybe the nerves too, dunno!
t, now it's my turn to say what have I done! I get the sciatica pain like you sometimes when I'm running. I find that if I stop and immediately do this stretch and hold it for 10s or so a few times the pain goes away.
So I would say (and this is totally empiracle) do the stretch when it hurts plus a couple of other times a day.
I don't know why it works, it must be stretching all the outer muscles on that side maybe the nerves too, dunno!
aero93 said:
What is that stretch doing?
I think it's an iliotibial band stretch from the description given. It's a useful stretch for runners mainly or cyclists who suffer from Iliotibial Band Syndrome to know. The fascia (ITB) runs down the outside of the leg from the top of the hip to the knee. It can become inflamed by overtraining and is quite hard to get rid of. ^ yeah but what you need are general Abductor stretches, of which it is kind of one. If it is ITB it won't cause sciatica or a pain exactly there, that will kind of be more localised to your hip and leg, not back/glutes as well per se. An ITB stretch will help a bit but it will also allow the Piriformis to flex, expanding the muscle and causing the feeling of sciatica.
It's probably Piriformis Syndrome. 55% of people have it apparently! It causes sciatica from an overly-strong/tight piriformis brought on by a bad posture and is often caused by inactivity or poor activity/poor form.
Your Piriformis is trying to do the job of Abductors and is over-sized. The Sciatica can start mild because the Piriformis is only gently pushing on the main nerve to your leg. So the onset tends to be progressive and mild at first.
Try these:
Stretches:
Stand up, bend you painful leg 90 degrees, cross it across your other knee and hold it there with your hands, bend down, hold it for 10-30 seconds.
Lay down, cross your painful knee over your painless knee, pull your painful leg's knee towards you, hold it for 10-30 seconds.
Sit down, painless leg out straight, painful leg knee bend so you foot is level with your other knee, twist and wedge your painless side's elbow on the outside of your knee and try and put that hand on the floor without losing touch with the knee (this pushes your plainful leg across your body), hold it for 10-30 seconds.
All of these should give you a stretch sensation around your Glute medius/abductor area (sort of back and side of your rse).
Do these when you get up and before bed - twice a day until the pain goes, could take months. It may never go if you don't strengthen surrounding muscles and you'll have to do the stretches most days for relief.
Exercises:
Too late to complete now but you need to do Adductor, Glute and Abductor exercises at the gym, or google for home exercises with bodywieght or resistance band exercises. Google "the clam" exercise as well.
Edit:
Self posture analysis: Do you spray your feet outwards when you walk? If you perform an Abductor raise with your leg, does your foot naturally spray out?
It's probably Piriformis Syndrome. 55% of people have it apparently! It causes sciatica from an overly-strong/tight piriformis brought on by a bad posture and is often caused by inactivity or poor activity/poor form.
Your Piriformis is trying to do the job of Abductors and is over-sized. The Sciatica can start mild because the Piriformis is only gently pushing on the main nerve to your leg. So the onset tends to be progressive and mild at first.
Try these:
Stretches:
Stand up, bend you painful leg 90 degrees, cross it across your other knee and hold it there with your hands, bend down, hold it for 10-30 seconds.
Lay down, cross your painful knee over your painless knee, pull your painful leg's knee towards you, hold it for 10-30 seconds.
Sit down, painless leg out straight, painful leg knee bend so you foot is level with your other knee, twist and wedge your painless side's elbow on the outside of your knee and try and put that hand on the floor without losing touch with the knee (this pushes your plainful leg across your body), hold it for 10-30 seconds.
All of these should give you a stretch sensation around your Glute medius/abductor area (sort of back and side of your rse).
Do these when you get up and before bed - twice a day until the pain goes, could take months. It may never go if you don't strengthen surrounding muscles and you'll have to do the stretches most days for relief.
Exercises:
Too late to complete now but you need to do Adductor, Glute and Abductor exercises at the gym, or google for home exercises with bodywieght or resistance band exercises. Google "the clam" exercise as well.
Edit:
Self posture analysis: Do you spray your feet outwards when you walk? If you perform an Abductor raise with your leg, does your foot naturally spray out?
Edited by mattikake on Thursday 21st February 23:53
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