Sciatic Nerve / Piriformis - anyone know?

Anyone know what to do if you tweak your sciatic nerve/piriformis?

I don't know much about it, but Tuesday when I was doing lunges, I felt a electic tingle in my right glute.  I thought "uh-oh" but it didn't hurt that much and went away.   Later on during a lunch time walk, it started to act up about 1.5 mile in.  My glute was sore and walking was difficult.  I massaged it a little (not an easy thing to do in public) and it went away.

Yesterday, I was running and I felt the soreness return in the same place.  Still mild, but annoying and uncomfortable.

Today I was doing lunges again and it's sore again.  I'm about to go on my walk (1.75 mi) but I'm wondering, is this a bad idea?  Can I injure this more?

I found some stretches online and I'm going to do those, but I didn't see anything about curtailing activity.

Hi secret
A number of years ago I had the same symptoms : an electric, tingling sensation in my glute. I ignored it. Long story short, after a couple of months/years (I can't remember how long) of neglect, I ended up in the hospital with a very bad disk problem.

Walking is excellent for backs, bungee jumping is not. My current physiotherapist says not to curtail activity, that exercise is the only way a disk can get nourished.
Also, it's a great idea to relearn how to bend and carry things so that it's easy on the back. And to relearn how to sit at your computer etc.
There are also exercises you can do that strengthen your back that don't put strain on it.
Also, strong abs are important as a strong, toned "core" acts like a sort of girdle, or belt so that good abs actually end up supporting the back.

Some stretches can make this problem worse so it's important to know which ones to do and how to do them, correctly.

I don't mean to scare you (see? still happy -> :-) ) but it might be a good idea to talk to a doctor or physiotherapist.
I'm not a physiotherapist or anything and it is completely possible that your problem is not the same as mine, but walking is a great exercise anyway that can only do good!

I hope that helps! Good luck!! Hil.

Pinched sciatic nerves can cause tingling around the outside of the hip, down the outer quads, around the knee and even down towards your ankle.

Swelling of the disc pushes on the nerve, leading to the sensations described. We have been taught that gentle excercise is beneficial to healing, but you should get it checked out at your Dr's.

Personally I would be avoiding lunges for a couple of weeks, and doing more walking.

Thanks for sharing your experience, Slimhil.  I haven't had tingles since the first time, just periodic soreness.  Did you have more tingling?

And thanks to both of you for the encouragement to see a doc.  I rarely go to the dr. because I hate to make a big deal out of nothing.  But back problems scare me.  I also... what do you call it when the bottom of your foot isn't properly aligned?  I've broken the same leg twice and my right foot is rotated to a slight angle. I read that can cause sciatic nerve problems.  I should get this checked out to make sure it doesn't become a larger problem.

I woke up a little stiff and sore. I did no lunges today, just the elliptical, a walk and a bike ride and I feel better tonight.

Secret_squirrel....you've described the exact same thing I've felt...same area...when I did some lunges.

Right after doing lunges for the first time ever....no other exercises, thus far, has bothered me...just when I did the lunges...I felt the same thing you did in the same area and the soreness would come back.  Usually the soreness would return everyday by late afternoon.

I stopped doing lunges and eventually the soreness stopped too.  And I couldn't agree more with your description of the soreness, "...mild, but annoying and uncomfortable."

Hi guys!  Hey guess what.  I've been dealing with sciatic nerve issues for the past three years and it's not hopeless!  It's gotten a TON better!  My issues first came up when I slipped on ice, landed hard on my right knee, but of course, got up, kept going, didn't have insurance, didn't get it checked, or give my body time to rest and heal because I couldn't afford it at the time (oh almighty dollar). 

Well, half a dozen doctors later, I finally got one to do an x-ray and  unbeknownst to me, I had an overdone curve in my lower back due to muscular scar tissue from that simple silly fall.  This curve was in just such a place that the passage between two of my vertebrae for the spinal nerve that goes into my right leg and branches off to everything, calf, knee, ankle, foot, etc(sciatic nerve, I am told), was VERY constricted.  I kept going to standard doc's and getting the same thing for pain in my leg, take aspirin, it should go away, you're probably fine, whatever.

I had to find a -chiropractor- who had left the dark ages and was willing to do an x ray, and once we knew what the problem was, mostly stretches was what fixed it.  It's still in the healing stage, but it has not been intensely painful for months and months.

Symptoms I had involved mild to severe pain in the outside of my ankle, calf, and thigh, some back pain, but a lot of the time, I identified the pain more strongly as in my 'hip' than back.  Sometimes it hurt deep inside my calf and felt like a charlie horse, even though the muscle was fine.  Essentially, the nerve was so restricted that the messages coming through were garbled and making my brain think my leg had a reason to hurt, when really it didn't.  I am told that usually when the nerve is as pinched off as mine was, electrical feelings are present too, couldn't tell you why I didn't have that symptom.

I have found that strengthening my abs has helped IMMENSELY as I believe someone has mentioned.  And stretching.  I had a hard time sitting on the floor and stretching from the long-present pain, but you can do some awesome low-back stretches that are easy to $control in intensity with a pilates-type body ball.  You can also do crunches that don't strain your back, on such a ball.

Also be careful how you sleep.  If you sleep on your stomach, odds are you're over-curving your low back because the spine will sag down between your pelvis and ribcage.

Back problems are scary, but pain is different than damage.  I lacked the financial resources and I lacked the knowledge I now have regarding them.  Had I known, I'd have insisted on an x ray from the very first doctor, and it would've spared me months of pain and reduced activity.

If you get it checked out, and ***X RAYED*** before it has a chance to sit and stew, odds are stretching and exercising can prevent real damage to your disks or nerves from happening.  :)

Again, the point is, if you're worried, go talk to a back-cracking (not new-age energy stuff) chiropractor or a medical doctor with an OD suffix, and insist on an x ray before they go tinkering with you.  Then you will know where to start or whether you have any worries.  :)

Hi, sciatic nerve issues should be taken seriously, can be a sign of back problems. It can be something very minor but it can lead to major problems later. It can also be something that can fix itself with a little rest.. But hey ! Would you take the chance ? naaa ! go have it checked out properly, X-rayed, and veryfied by a specialit.

That's my opinon.

Claude

Hi There,

I have back problems.  I injured it in December of 07 and by March I was back to the gym and very active....I was doing aerobics and was not a problem.  After I stopped going to the gym, I started doing workouts at home, especially high intensity leg workouts that supposedly said they target cellulite.  It was 1 hour of lunging and squatting if you can imagine.  When I started doing it, I felt a little tingle along my SI joint but I ignored it.  I would go to the chiropractor get it fixed and then a few days later I was back to it. To make a long story short, It is flared up to a point of what feels like no return now and I am told by many that it is due to the lunges etc. And it flared up about 1-2 months after I had done my last leg exercises.

Speak to someone about it and consider physical therapy.  I have disc problems but I'm told that the disc may not be the actual cause.....it could just be in the use of your body. 

Once you get it or once it is flared up, it takes a while to get it back down to a point of functional but one word of advice---stop doing the lunges. 

I have to respond to this because I came on to make a post about my new diagnosis of herniated disk!  I was just told I have a large herniated disk that is putting pressure on my S1 nerve, causing big ole burning butt pain!  Lemme tell you my sad tale...

I started exercising (i am the cardio queen) on January 4.  I have lost a ton of weight since I began trying to lose weight last year (100+ pounds).  I worked out every day.  In mid April I bought Jill Michaels' Shred Video to amp up morning exercises.  I have never done lunges, ever.  Everytime I hit that lunge part of that stooopit video I got a pain in my left buttcheek that kinda hung around for a while.  But if I didnt do the video the next day, it would be gone.  By the end of April, I started the Couch to 5K program and worked that.  As I began running longer and longer, I would wake up with the same little butt pain.  With motrin it would go away.  Next mornig it would be back.  Once I started walking or was on elliptical, the pain would go away, until the next day.

The bottom line, I ignored it as I never go to the doctor unless something falls off me and I have to go have it put back on.

Fast forward to this Tuesday at 2:00 am.... I woke up and could barely walk.  My buttcheek pain went from a little annoyance, with mild sleeplessness, to pretty much agonizing pain in 1 day.  Yesterday I went to nuerologist and I have what he termed is a rather large herniation.  I have been miserable for the last 48 hours and am now quiet heavily medicated LOL.  But he said it will be ok, I will have to do some therapy and do the drugs to help with the pain. 

The problem I have is I am not allowed to work out until I go talk to the therapist next week.  Soo.... my advice, dont ignore it.  I thought it was a pain from running but it was something else, which needed help. I waited until I was in way too much pain.  Please dont be stubborn like me and wait too long.

Ok I just have to respond to this. I am a massage therapist, and I can't tell you how many people come to me with what they call sciatic pain. First of all if it isn't constant, sharp and enough to make you want to scream, its probably not true sciatica. That said you could have, as you said, tweaked it. If you just tweaked it, streching, walking or getting a massage :) should be able to reduce/get rid of it. If it lasts for more than a couple of days you should definitly see your dr. It might be coming from a disc, and not your sciatic nerve. If you do go get a massage. Tell them your piriformis is tight, and ask them to work on it, sorry but this will mean they will need to work on your butt, that is where its at. You may also want to take a pair of shorts with you so they can stretch you out after the massage is over. Also warm baths will help reduce the tension in the muscle thats pressing on the sciatic nerve.

I've had back problems since 2001, not due to any trauma but probably from office job as an IT programmer and a few backyard projects. I've done physio, chiro, drugs, etc. A couple years ago I went for an MRI and it showed 2 bulging discs, but apparently not enough to warrant surgery.

I then went to National Spine Care and they figured it was the piriformis, so they started active release therapy. After a few sessions of painfully pressing on my butt muscles, I started getting severe spasms in the butt which I never had before, so bad I have to yell out loud. I started getting them during sleep.

I then started intramuscular stimulation (IMS), basically dry needles in the piriformis. After quite a few treatments it started to feel better. Not sure if it was from the needles or just because a few months had passed. When the butt spasms returned a few months later I went back for IMS and it didn't help that time. These treatments were also tough because I had to drive a ways to the appt which didn't help things.

So they finally sent me for a nerve root block on S1, within a day the spasms had stopped and when I had another IMS treatment, the butt muscles didn't twitch anymore. It had relaxed substantially. Since the pain wasn't 100% but much better, after a few months I went it for a nerve block on L5 and S1 again. Although the spasms were gone it didn't seem either needle made it 100% but overall much better.

The other day I got in my car and when I went to close the door something twinged in my back, different and more in the middle this time. I literally couldn't walk for a day, when that started to subside, the butt pain returned again. I have to try and sleep without rolling around because the pain is too intense.

I guess I'm at wits end. I hear you can do botox in the piriformis or get it snipped. Since they don't want to do surgery I'm not sure what else to do. I see exercises and stretches but I can't even lie on my back because of the pain.

I got an inversion table a while back and when I start to rotate a bit past horizontal the pressure usually releases and it feels much better. Not sure if it's because the muscle isn't engaged or the pressure of the disc?

I think I either need to figure out how to relax those muscles, or there's some sort of disc problem (which they don't think warrants surgery). Any comments will be appreciated!