Wellness

[fortune]

Has anyone been diagnosed with Piriformis Syndrome? What did you do to make it better? It is really painful!!!

[appleseed]

Yes, I have it, too. What I've been told is it requires a combination of strengthening and stretching, but I can't seem to get past the "hard knots"! It seems like stretching isn't doing anything helpful because my gluteus muscles have forgotten how to relax..? They stay in constant spasm, which makes it very hard to effectively strengthen OR stretch them, which leaves me in a vicious cycle. It's frustrating, and I'm too young at 50 to be hobbling around looking much older than I am.

[Remee]

Have you both tried yoga and meditation ?

[baddest_dog]

yes, have suffered from it. do this exercise daily and it will get better. I can now stretch my leg so that my foot touches my neck. It takes a long time to stretch muscles and become flexible but it works.

[violann]

I literally could not walk more than 10 consecutive steps from Novemer 2011 until Spring 2012. Then I had a massage given by a massage therapist, and from then on, I was able to do the stretches and using a 2 liter soda bottle to roll the sore spot of my legs on, and now I have no pain. I am MUCH older than you are, acim, so if you're not in any progrm, try a session with a massage THERAPIST. My favorite loosening exercise is sitting on a kitchen chair with one leg crossed and my ankle above my knee, and bending from the waist while aiming my nose at the crossed ankle. Hurts like blazes when you start but amazing for stretching the Gluteus Maximus. I never, ever have trouble with this now.

[meem120]

On 10/6/2014 baddest_dog said:

yes, have suffered from it. do this exercise daily and it will get better. I can now stretch my leg so that my foot touches my neck. It takes a long time to stretch muscles and become flexible but it works.

This is the only thing that has helped me. I do it 2 0r 3 times a day and hold it for 30 seconds. Had t work up to that because it was so painful. I usually do 5 sets. It works!!

[ninjasmom]

This is so painful.I could not sleep at night,and I could never straighten out my leg all of the way. I went to a chiropractor and he asked my if I ever sit with my leg under me . I always do this because of the way I come out of the lab into my office chair,I kind of slide in.

I started to make sure I was sittingin my chair properley and then the most helpful thing he told me was to sit with a tennis ball under me. This was a miracle! Just push it under you where the pain and tightness it and it provides pressure to relieve the spasm,if it is really bad some times a firmer ball works even better.

[fortune]

Thank you so much for your helpful suggestions!

[Nightowlz]

I do this stretch I lean forward a bit & press down on my knee. It hurts but it helps. I also have DH massage the area with the Goosebumps I bought from Q years ago which really helps. Sometimes I will put 1 of the Goosebumps under the area & press down on it.

[sfnative]

On 10/6/2014 violann said: I literally could not walk more than 10 consecutive steps from Novemer 2011 until Spring 2012. Then I had a massage given by a massage therapist, and from then on, I was able to do the stretches and using a 2 liter soda bottle to roll the sore spot of my legs on, and now I have no pain. I am MUCH older than you are, acim, so if you're not in any progrm, try a session with a massage THERAPIST. My favorite loosening exercise is sitting on a kitchen chair with one leg crossed and my ankle above my knee, and bending from the waist while aiming my nose at the crossed ankle. Hurts like blazes when you start but amazing for stretching the Gluteus Maximus. I never, ever have trouble with this now.

violann,

My daughter is a clinical massage therapist and sees this all the time. So glad you were successfully treated and are better now : ) So important to be vigilant about stretches!