Home› General Training Discussions

Piriformis Syndrome

jsumarajsumara
in General Training Discussions
On Friday night I did a 5K race and ran and felt good. However,on the next day (Saturday) I was not able to move very fast as my right upper hamstring / right glute seemed to not fire. I could jog but not do any strides or anything at pace. There is not a lot of pain - mostly its a dull, discomfort feeling in the upper leg. There is no issue walking. A Google search came up with the issue being the Piriformis muscle. 

This is a new one for me ... anyone have suggestions in dealing with Piriformis Syndrome?   

Comments

  • RumpoleRumpole
    Lacrosse ball. Sit on the floor and roll it around till you find the tight spot, then apply pressure till it starts to release. Consistency will bring results; give it about 5 min 2x per day.
  • drjohnson08drjohnson08
    Hi Jim, I had a case of piriformis syndrome last year. I learned all about it last year unfortunately. Basically there is a muscle that surrounds your sciatic nerve. The muscle tightens up and puts pressure on the nerve. In my case it wasn't a dull pain. It felt like someone jammed a knife through my butt into my hip. The pain was most severe in the hip area but radiated to my lower back and all the way down my leg into my calf muscle.

    What caused the issue for me was the use of a new saddle that didn't support me properly. It began towards the end of an intense FTP session on the bike and by the weekend I couldn't even push 65% of my FTP on the bike. When I wasn't riding the pain was more dull like you're describing and I actually didn't have any issues with running. As soon as I went back to my old saddle the problem basically went away.

    There is a stretch that really helped me out before I could get back on my old saddle. It is the first stretch in this video: http://www.spine-health.com/video/sciatica-exercises-piriformis-syndrome-video Be cautious at first you can really torque your knee if you aren't careful. I do this stretch regularly now and have never even had a hint of piriformis coming back.

    Hope this helps.
  • jsumarajsumara

    Thanks guys ... After a couple of days off, it feels better but I've not run on it yet and don't plan to until Thursday. And that will be very light. I'm racing the Door County Sprint on Saturday. I'm thinking (hoping) that this is a muscle fatigue issue and that with some rest, it will recover.

Sign In or Register to comment.