Pain in my low back, wait no... pain in my butt

[WindingRoad]

I am really hoping some of you ladies who are much smarter than me can help a girl out. I have been having some pretty excruciating low back pain in the last two to three months. I hit the peak of it all about 3 weeks ago when I literally could hardly move out of bed without feeling like an ice pick was in my low back. I started going to a chiro at that point and things seemed to improve then I started back biking and it was an immediate repeat only WORSE. I've been off the bike for two weeks now and I'm only within the last 3 days felt like I can move normally again. The chiro thinks it is SI joint dysfunction. When my pain was at it's worst I started feeling my leg go numb and sharp pains were shooting from my right glute down. I've been doing deep tissue massage for my IT bands because they are extremely tight as are my hip flexors. My hips are so tight my massage therapist couldn't even get to my piriformis muscle to try and 'release' them. I must say next time I do this I should probably bring something to bite down on, OMG it is so painful! I've gone through 3 'torture sessions' now. I have an appointment with an Orthopedic doctor next month to get a second opinion on what is at the heart of this pain in my butt, i.e. I believe I'm having what is called Sciatica. As I have found out, sciatica can have different causes; in my case I feel either it's a slipped disk, piriformis syndrome or a tilted pelvis due to a very bad IT band injury I had a bit over 1 year ago. I found that lenthening my hip with a yoga style stretch helps. My chiro says to do anything which lengthens my hip flexors so I am officially banned from my bike AND my kayak :( But anyways, I have started walking to work and that seems to have helped quite a lot. Way more than I thought it would. I'm gonna stop myself here but if I can clarify anything please ask because I would LOVE to get some help with this. I'm seeing doctors about it but I not too confident they will 'fix' me. I really want to be able to ride again.

[Owlie]

Is it actually in your back, or your butt? Yes, everything's connected, but here's my thought:

I have (self-diagnosed) piriformis syndrome, and the pain (for me) centers in my foot, knee, and butt, although there are times it makes its way up to my lower back, but that pain is very definitely muscular rather than the nerve. Sitting, or standing aggravate it, as does driving. (Walking and yoga targeting the hips help enormously.) Basically, I have to avoid staying in a position where I'm leaning forward from the hips a lot (so, no riding for right now, and frequent stretch breaks if I'm sitting in an office chair or in class for a long period of time). I'd rule out a slipped disk before doing anything else, but I'd consider seeing a PT for the latter two issues if I were you.

[tulip]

I feel your pain! Or rather, I have felt it. Chiro worked wonders, but what really did/does it is Classical Pilates. A lifetime (I was 38 at the time) of poor posture, office work and a flabby midsection finally took it's toll. It was horrible; I could not even sit down and I walked like an old, old woman. Pilates with a certified instructor who knows modifications is key. There are even some PT/Pilates studios that accept insurance (I know of one on NC). I hope you get relief soon. I have been pain free since starting - and continuing - Pilates.

[WindingRoad]

Oh man I know the walking like you are an old woman stagger, all to well. I am 38 right now, ironic :-) I said my pain was in my back because it seemed like my low back at first but I think after all the icing, resting and massages some of the inflammation went down and I started to be able to isolate the pain more to my right butt cheek where my sciatic nerve runs through. Pilates did seem to solve my issues back in the day when I had time for such luxuries. I'm in the process of finishing up my degree and I'm on rotations for the next 7 months then I am DONE!!! However, right now I am studying for parts 2 and 3 of my board exams so by default that includes a lot of sitting. I have found the cushy chairs at Starbucks are much easier on my booty than those wooden chairs. Walking to work has really been helping with my pain too. I'm not sure why or if it's just coincidence and really due to the massages, electric stimulation and chiro adjustments? Since I have been walking I have noticed the outside of my left knee being a little sore which makes me think the original IT band injury is still alive and kicking. My boyfriend is a PT so I've been telling him what my chiro and massage therapist have told me. He then told me to start the pilates like stretches to stretch the hip flexors and that I feel has made a big difference too. I've been doing those periodically between patients at clinic. I appreciate your replies and encourage others to give their two cents. I'm all ears.

Oh I also ment to mention that someone told me about when getting in and out of your car, epecially if you are taller, that you should always put your butt in the seat then swing your feet in? I had been stepping into the car with my right foot and getting in that way. I wasn't aware their was a wrong way to get into your car but it seems their might be?

[OakLeaf]

Well, to me everything adds up to feet, it's my experience, and my yoga teacher is really big on the idea that if the foundation is misaligned, nothing else can be. So I'm a little obsessed. It does seem like sitting is part of your issue, though if soft chairs are easier on you than hard ones, that's very different from my nerve compression and also from any of my clients' with sciatica. Soft chairs are about the worst for me, because in a soft chair it's impossible to level the sitbones, keep the lumbar curve from reversing, or keep the pelvis from tilting back.

Anyway ... if you can spare an hour, check out this yoga video. It's a subscription site, but you can get a 15 day free trial and cancel if you don't want to subscribe. This is all about the feet, which I try to be pretty good about anyway, but to just take the time to really focus on them is super beneficial and WAY more strenuous than what it looks like. I'm sore all the way up into my hips when I do this video, which is exactly how that works, and it makes my whole body feel soooooo good. http://www.yogaglo.com/online-class-3866-Stable-Foundation.html

[Catrin]

When I was in my late 30's I had a problem with sciatica, though standing actually made it worse than sitting did. I never did find out the cause and thankfully it's never returned. It sounds like so many things are affected by whatever the root of your problem is that it might be challenging to figure out the cause. Hoping you can find relief soon, is your chiro performing ART (active release techniques)? If not, it might be helpful to see someone who specializes in that if you want to stick with a chiro. Good luck and I hope you find relief soon!

[WindingRoad]

My appointment is coming up with the orthopedic doctor this week. I have been doing my hip flexor stretches. I went kayaking over the weekend with no issues. I have not ridden my bike and since I have not had pain. This is very worrisome as I'm afraid it's going to keep me from riding in general.

[solobiker]

This happened to me back in 2000 when I was doing a lot of riding and it came down to a weak core and hamstrings. It still comes back and causes issues. It was bad enough that I had to go to PT for 6 weeks. I have to be very diligent about stretching and keeping my core strength. I still can't ride like I used to but at least I can move again. Good luck.

[Catrin]

My appointment is coming up with the orthopedic doctor this week. I have been doing my hip flexor stretches. I went kayaking over the weekend with no issues. I have not ridden my bike and since I have not had pain. This is very worrisome as I'm afraid it's going to keep me from riding in general.

Sending you good thoughts and best wishes this week on finding both the cause of the problem and relief! I know what it is look to look at the specter of not being able to ride and I hope that worry disappears for you very soon.

[Becky]

I'm sorry that you're dealing with this. I don't have any real suggestions, but do second the ART recommendation. It worked wonders for my IT/VMO/patellar tendon issues a couple of years ago. My chiropractor is located in the greater Philly area and does ART....PM me if you want more info.

[azfiddle]

No answers for you but plenty of empathy. I have had some issues over the last 4 years off and on with low back, hip, IT band etc. It comes and goes (pulling out of a minor flare-up right now) but nothing as painful as what you describe. Keeping my fingers crossed that you can find the right person / right method to get this fixed. For me it was a combination of massage, PT, rest... and some mysterious component of time or chance....