Hamstring

[Selkie]

I'm still doing battle with my hamstring, too.

I've been going to PT for a little over a week now and it's been getting worse. My therapist has added some stretches and has done massage at two of the sessions. The first one felt really good for a few hours and then became really painful, and I was sore all over the next day. ... She says it could also be piriformis but I've been stretching that for three months now. She's added a "big gun" piriformis stretch to my regimen - says that still might be a cause. Anyway, I go back on Tuesday and she says if I'm not better she might try iontophoresis.

Deborajen-- It sounds like you're going through something similar to what I experienced more than ten years ago. Piriformis syndrome ended my running "career." I was a long-distance runner, half-marathons were my preferred event. For months, I thought it was a hamstring issue but it was PFS, which resulted in sciatica. Chronic pain when sitting, which was horrible since I'm a desk-bound bureaucrat. Took a long time to get better and luckily, I haven't had a major recurrence of it.

I highly recommend seeing an Osteopath for an evaluation/treatment.

[Deborajen]

I've been suspecting piriformis might be my problem, too. I tried doing some new stretches from a running website back in July and the piriformis stretch seemed to pull a "bad spot." But after stretching it regularly for three months, it's not really getting better so I don't know. I don't have any pain when sitting (thankfully! I have a desk job, too). If I recline, though, and the pressure is above my sit bones, that hurts and then I get tingling in my hamstring and foot.

I'll see what happens at PT tomorrow.--

Catrin - This might sound kind of odd but when I worked for an orthopaedic surgeon years ago, he used to say that one thing that can help a hamstring pull is running backwards. I've tried a little of this at the park when walking my dog with no luck but might give it a try on the elliptical at the gym. It sounds really wierd to me but on the other hand it's the reverse mechanics of walking/running/pedaling which seem to aggravate the muscle. I don't know about you, but I'd try anything right about now.

[Catrin]

Good luck with the PT today!

I am feeling better - after taking the weekend off I went to spinning class last night and after weeks of this it seems to, finally, be resolving. Not saying that I didn't get a twinge or two, but that was all Will take a gentle ride tonight in my favorite park and see what it feels like.

[Catrin]

Good luck with the PT today!

I am feeling better - after taking the weekend off I went to spinning class last night and after weeks of this it seems to, finally, be resolving. Not saying that I didn't get a twinge or two, but that was all Will take a gentle ride tonight in my favorite park and see what it feels like.

edited: The 16 mile ride last night went just fine - so we will see what happens with a longer ride