How long did it take you to recover from Piriformis Syndrome?

desderata · 04-24-13, 05:04 PM

I think I did too many tall box climbs during my BB & H Firm rotation, and now I have piriformis syndrome in my left glute. I've never had it before and boy is it a pain in the rear, lol. For those who have had it, how long did it take to recover and what helped - stretching or no stretching, working through it or rest? Thanks for any help or advice.

EnglishIvy · 04-24-13, 05:42 PM

Maybe look at foam rolling/trigger point removal (plenty of youtube clips). Icing can really help.

Foam rolling,trigger point balls and stretching can heal it up quickly (few days) if you haven't had it long. Just remember that your sciatic nerve runs under the piriformis muscle so you don't want to roll too aggressively. Short/light sessions to start

hotncmom · 04-24-13, 05:55 PM

My suggestion would be to find a massage therapist who does medical/sports massage. They can really find the trigger points and release them effectively. I found a great massage therapist about a month ago and have had 2 massages now and even though they're expensive, it's really worth it to me, because I have some "old" trigger points (stemming from my TA bootcamp-related injury several years back) that are just not working themselves out with regular stretching and foam rolling. I'm going to try to go once a month.

ETA: My issues are hip/psoas/piriformis related. It's pretty much everything from my waist down on one side. Not severe right now but flares up enough that I finally wanted to do something about it. At one point the therapist had her elbow in my glute to apply pressure.

ssa438 · 04-24-13, 06:04 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFtUgS69rPk
This provided instant relief for me. The video is only about 4 minutes and easy to follow. When things flare up I just have to do this again a few times. I seem to aggravate it whenever I slip on snow/ice.

EnglishIvy · 04-24-13, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssa438

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFtUgS69rPk
This provided instant relief for me. The video is only about 4 minutes and easy to follow. When things flare up I just have to do this again a few times. I seem to aggravate it whenever I slip on snow/ice.

He's doing active stretching of the piriformis, which takes pressure off the sciatic nerve. That will provide temporary relief but if there are substantial trigger points then you have to remove them or you'll have recurring episodes.

If a foam roller doesn't get in deep enough, pinky balls will work wonders. And by using your body weight you will generally get a deeper massage than a massage therapist can give. Just work up to that slowly so you don't aggravate it by digging too hard. Jill Miller's latest offering has a great trigger point instructional. HTH.

desderata · 04-24-13, 09:30 PM

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I have had this for about 10 days now. The first few days the pain was radiating up into my lower back so I didn't realize what it was. I don't have a foam roller or trigger balls but I will try to find some tomorrow. I like the stretching you tube video, I will do that again tonight. I have a massage therapist for my shoulder, but she is on vacation until next week. I will try all of it - thanks again.

Scorpio6 · 04-24-13, 09:53 PM

Hi English Ivy,

What are "pinky balls" ?

One of the exercises shown in the video my physical therapist has me doing but I will be trying the other 2 to see if it speeds up my healing and alleviates the pain.

Thanks in advance.

EnglishIvy · 04-24-13, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scorpio6

Hi English Ivy,

What are "pinky balls" ?

One of the exercises shown in the video my physical therapist has me doing but I will be trying the other 2 to see if it speeds up my healing and alleviates the pain.

Thanks in advance.

Jill Miller uses these balls which are great because (unlike tennis balls) they really grip the skin. You can find a generic version ("pinky balls") on Amazon or in toy stores for just a few bucks. Jilll's set is nice because the storage bag can also be used to hold the balls together for certain moves.

zellybelly · 04-26-13, 12:11 PM

Ouch I had this before. I went to the PT who did an Electrotherapy treatment and the pain was gone. I swear if it ever comes back I am going straight to his office again. Good luck

mercedes · 04-26-13, 01:07 PM

I agree with the poster who cautioned against being very aggressive!!!! I totally made my sciatica very angry once when I tried too much too soon...

I suggest Jill miller and her pinky balls. I sit on one of them - move it a bit around and voila, it works

http://www.yogatuneup.com/blog/2010/...rmis-syndrome/

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04-24-13, 05:04 PM
desderata Join Date: Oct 2007	How long did it take you to recover from Piriformis Syndrome? I think I did too many tall box climbs during my BB & H Firm rotation, and now I have piriformis syndrome in my left glute. I've never had it before and boy is it a pain in the rear, lol. For those who have had it, how long did it take to recover and what helped - stretching or no stretching, working through it or rest? Thanks for any help or advice.

04-24-13, 05:42 PM
EnglishIvy Join Date: May 2011	Maybe look at foam rolling/trigger point removal (plenty of youtube clips). Icing can really help. Foam rolling,trigger point balls and stretching can heal it up quickly (few days) if you haven't had it long. Just remember that your sciatic nerve runs under the piriformis muscle so you don't want to roll too aggressively. Short/light sessions to start

04-24-13, 05:55 PM
hotncmom Join Date: Jan 2009	My suggestion would be to find a massage therapist who does medical/sports massage. They can really find the trigger points and release them effectively. I found a great massage therapist about a month ago and have had 2 massages now and even though they're expensive, it's really worth it to me, because I have some "old" trigger points (stemming from my TA bootcamp-related injury several years back) that are just not working themselves out with regular stretching and foam rolling. I'm going to try to go once a month. ETA: My issues are hip/psoas/piriformis related. It's pretty much everything from my waist down on one side. Not severe right now but flares up enough that I finally wanted to do something about it. At one point the therapist had her elbow in my glute to apply pressure.

04-24-13, 06:04 PM
ssa438 VF Supporter Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Wisconsin	This really worked for me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFtUgS69rPk This provided instant relief for me. The video is only about 4 minutes and easy to follow. When things flare up I just have to do this again a few times. I seem to aggravate it whenever I slip on snow/ice.

04-24-13, 09:30 PM
desderata Join Date: Oct 2007	Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I have had this for about 10 days now. The first few days the pain was radiating up into my lower back so I didn't realize what it was. I don't have a foam roller or trigger balls but I will try to find some tomorrow. I like the stretching you tube video, I will do that again tonight. I have a massage therapist for my shoulder, but she is on vacation until next week. I will try all of it - thanks again.

04-24-13, 09:53 PM
Scorpio6 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: St. Louis MO	Hi English Ivy, What are "pinky balls" ? One of the exercises shown in the video my physical therapist has me doing but I will be trying the other 2 to see if it speeds up my healing and alleviates the pain. Thanks in advance.

04-26-13, 12:11 PM
zellybelly Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: South Carolina	Ouch I had this before. I went to the PT who did an Electrotherapy treatment and the pain was gone. I swear if it ever comes back I am going straight to his office again. Good luck __________________ ~Meghan~

04-26-13, 01:07 PM
mercedes Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: overseas	I agree with the poster who cautioned against being very aggressive!!!! I totally made my sciatica very angry once when I tried too much too soon... I suggest Jill miller and her pinky balls. I sit on one of them - move it a bit around and voila, it works http://www.yogatuneup.com/blog/2010/...rmis-syndrome/