Glute Pain Down Leg and Into Lower Back

Bigger Stronger Leaner Injuries and Rehab
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Hey guys, first post here, unfortunately under these circumstances. Haha, oh well.

Here’s what is happening. I have no idea when it started, but I have this pain in my left glute, generally in the upper part of it. The pain radiates into my lower back, and I notice it radiating down the outside of my leg into my calf. It causes my glute and back to at least feel very tight, giving my issues when I front squat or anything else that uses those muscles. It is not as bad when I deadlift, but I do deadlift right after front squatting normally, so maybe it could be warmed up more.

I found this post yesterday : Low Back Pain? Read This First - Injuries and Rehab - Forums - T Nation , and I did the warm up once last night and when I woke up this morning. It maybe felt a bit better last night, but it did not do anything for me this morning.

I also purchase the Trigger Point Workbook, and have been trying to find possible points in my glute, with only one possible culprit, and I think that is just a nerve I am hitting. Not sure though.

Massage with a lacrosse ball against a wall does not do much, neither do stretching or foam rolling. It seems to be aggravated by sitting down ( I am an IT admin, but I try not to be at my desk as much as possible), and it can get really bad.

I try to keep good posture, but I am sure there are improvements to be made. I keep an arched lower back when lifting, and always try to keep good form and improve my form when possible.

Anyone have any ideas on what it could be or what I could do? When I went for a physical a few weeks ago, the doctor had no idea. The Active Myotherapist I saw a few times has not helped much at all, aside from temporarily alleviating the pain.

Sorry for the long post, but I figure more info is better than none. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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You might want to consider stretching your Piriformis with some hyper-vigilance for about three weeks. I mean like 3-4 times a day for a few weeks. My boss tells patients to do this who have similar symptoms.

I had a radiating pain down my left leg, and this stopped it. I now just do regular maintenance stretching and the pain has been gone.

It’s not a quick fix, but it is cheap! If the picture I attached works the stretch it item 1.B.

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Huh, I’ll certainly give it a try! I knew the piriformis was there, but I never even considered that it could be causing the issue. Could it have been an overtraining type of thing?

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Could be, but that is such a deep muscle that its probably just really tight.

We see a lot of folks who get a really tight Piriformis that then puts pressure on the Sciatic nerve. That causes all sorts of symptoms like yours.

I could also be way off here. We just see this a lot in the office and that’s kind of a “go-to” stretch that has done wonders for me… Good Luck man! Worst come to worst go see a Doc!

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I’ll certainly try it out and see if it helps. What kind of doctor would you recommend? As I said, the one who did my physical did not really have any idea.

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I work for a Chiropractic Neurologist, so I am a little biased towards chiropractic. I’ll be the first to let you know though, not just any chiropractor because there are a lot of guys out there who just want to take advantage of your insurance and send you out the door. My boss (the guy in those pictures) was an Olympic pole vaulter and spends more time with his patients than any other doctor I’ve ever been to or met. He’s really a unique doctor. Most offices will provide some sort of discounted or even free initial evaluation. Don’t go to just anyone research and find the best person around you and your situation. There is nothing wrong with shopping around!

Good luck man, sorry I can’t help more.
If you live anywhere near Austin, Tx I would recommend coming to our office.

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With the normal disclaimer about internet diagnosing in mind, I agree with jcw021 that the piriformis aggravating the sciatic nerve is a likely culprit. Try the stretch he showed you (I like a slight variation of that, but I don’t have a convenient picture to show, so this one likes great) for a week or two. If it gives relief, but the pain returns often, strongly consider getting S-I joint manipulation. Dysfunction of the S-I joint is one of the things that can cause the piriformis to act up.

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I’m thinking I know the answer to this question, and I wish I didn’t, but would you recommend not doing any weighted movements or high intense exercises on it?