View Full Version : Piriformis and low back pain.
Hi all,
I am new here and was hoping to get some help from others with this problem.
I am wondering if anyone on the forum has had or now has problems with leg pitiformis and low back pain. I am hoping to exercise the pain away and was wondering if someone else has done this with success? I have had the pitiformis for 8 months but now the low back is killing me.
I tried to argue with the Ortho Dr's. but they don't believe in pitiformis and gave me a cortisone injection in the hip which of course didn't work. They gave me that shot because I have hip arthritis. However that isn't my problem.
Please let me know any advise you can give me.
Thanks
awakenedsoul
8-8-14, 5:46pm
Hi cody11,
Welcome to the forum. I think I may have had piriformis. It wasn't diagnosed by a doctor, but a fellow yoga teacher told me those were the symptoms. It has taken a while, but my hip is healing very well, albeit gradually. I've been swimming for a half hour or more every other day. I also use the sauna and jacuzzi. (I have a very reasonable gym membership.) At first it was really painful to do strokes like breaststroke and elementary backstroke. I think my pelvis was out of position. Now I can do them without pain. I also do pilates and yoga. I had to modify my routine when it felt inflamed. I take gotu kola, fish oil, and glucosomine with shark cartilage daily. Oh, and Wobenzym. If you google it, it's very helpful for hip pain, arthritis, etc. I'm amazed at the difference. They use it in Germany. I also made a conscious effort to release some unprocessed grief. I noticed it got worse after an unexpected death in the family. I switched from sugar in my coffee to agave, and cut my caffeine intake in half. I also cut back my desserts. (I used to eat a lot of sugar.) It seems like using the kickboard in the pool is also really helpful and strengthening for the hip flexors. It's important to keep the rest of the muscles strong. I hope you find relief.
Piriformis is a muscle in your butt. Its not a disease. I angered my piriformis in a vinyasa yoga class (moving too fast/too suddenly). I have found the only way to make it better was to do specific stretches, exercise, for me, only inflamed it. You can google for the specifics of these exercises, but two I found useful: 1) lying on your back, bend your knees with feet on the floor.Lift one foot and position it across the opposite knee and stretch 2) find a wall, put your hip next to the wall, take the leg furthest from the wall, and rest it against the wall(sort of across your body).
Mods: This thread should be moved to Health and Health Care.
Hi awakenedsoul,
Can you tell me if you remember not being able to put your bad leg over the good knee. From what I have researched that is one of the ways you can tell if it's true piriformis . I can't do that. Also I have several exercises I am doing for this. I love yoga and am really upset that I can't sit with my legs over one another. Also did you start getting low back pain? to me that is the worst part. Thanks so much for your help.
This thread has been moved to a more appropriate forum.
awakenedsoul
8-8-14, 8:40pm
Hi cody11,
I'm sorry you weren't treated very nicely, especially since you are brand new here! There are a lot of kind people on this forum who will give you a warm welcome and a respectful answer. I agree with your research. I have taught yoga for 30 years. Yes, to both questions. I still can't cross one leg over the other, (on either side.) In my case, I think it's partly because of my age and the fact I have lost a lot of muscle in my legs. They're shrinking...especially the inner thighs. I was able to cross both legs all the way and hook my ankle around the back in headstand when I was younger. But, as I've gotten older I have lost a lot of flexibility. For me, the low back, groin, and hip flexor were the three areas that hurt. Everything in that area is so connected. Have you tried accupuncture? It usually helps the joints...
Also, in my case, I think my pelvis was out of alignment. I know it was, because when I would lay on my stomach to do cobra, half locust, full locust, and bow, one hip was in the air. I couldn't press it down to the floor.
Oh, I also started taking Bach flower essences for arthritis, and I think that helped. I googled that, too. The Wobenzym eats up the old scar tissue. I think that made a huge difference for me, since I was a professional dancer. That does a real number on your hips! Years and years of wear and tear...
Feel free to pm me for more info. I look forward to reading more of your posts. Hope to see you on the boards soon!
I'm sorry you weren't treated very nicely, especially since you are brand new here!
???
Are we missing something?
ApatheticNoMore
8-8-14, 9:42pm
Piriformis is a muscle in your butt. Its not a disease.
I think they might mean "piriformis syndrome" and just be using "piriformis" as a verbal shortcut as piriformis is indeed as you say:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piriformis_syndrome
Hey, just saying why there might be misunderstanding and NOONE is actually being rude AT ALL ... (if that's what the comment is even about)
No I hadn't ever heard of it before this, no no opinion on whether "piriformis syndrome" is real /eof
OP, I can't tell if you're a girl or a guy. If you're a guy, did you have a big wallet you carried in a back pocket on the side that hurts? From my reading that may be one cause of piriformis syndrome.
I suspect I might have it, undiagnosed. I used to have a 90 minute commute home, in stop and go traffic. Lots of back and forth between the gas and brake pedal had me in agony. Stretching really is the only thing that helped, aside from long soaks in a very hot bath. Anti-inflammatories (such as ibuprofen) didn't help hardly at all.
Also, sciatica and piriformis seem to be confused sometimes. My mom had sciatica and the cortisone shots really helped her (this was back in the 80s). Sciatica seems to be more related to the lower back than piriformis would (butt muscle).
The stretch that herbgeek suggested is one I recommend to my massage clients. If it is the piriformis muscle giving you trouble you will definitely feel it during this stretch (a sort of pulling/burning in your butt). If it's too difficult to do at first lying on the floor, you can start out doing it in a chair. A CMT can do a pin-and-stretch technique as well.
Here's a photo: https://www.google.com/search?q=piriformis+number+4+stretch&rlz=1T4TSHB_enUS309US309&tbm=isch&imgil=IbWju4EFh7yFtM%253A%253BBfOgeZcdMUcC0M%253Bh ttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.fitsugar.com%25252FStr etch-Figure-4-Piriformis-537394&source=iu&usg=__LnCGUlDmnUv4JJAvz4MJy4N4YQ8%3D&sa=X&ei=o5PlU5PTC5KLyASTnoGgDg&ved=0CDcQ9QEwAg&biw=826&bih=437#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=IbWju4EFh7yFtM%253A%3BBfOgeZcdMUcC0M%3Bhttp% 253A%252F%252Fimages.teamsugar.com%252Ffiles%252Fu sers%252F1%252F12981%252F33_2007%252Fpir-2.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.fitsugar.com%252FSt retch-Figure-4-Piriformis-537394%3B275%3B301
The stretch that herbgeek suggested is one I recommend to my massage clients. If it is the piriformis muscle giving you trouble you will definitely feel it during this stretch (a sort of pulling/burning in your butt). If it's too difficult to do at first lying on the floor, you can start out doing it in a chair. A CMT can do a pin-and-stretch technique as well.
Here's a photo: https://www.google.com/search?q=piriformis+number+4+stretch&rlz=1T4TSHB_enUS309US309&tbm=isch&imgil=IbWju4EFh7yFtM%253A%253BBfOgeZcdMUcC0M%253Bh ttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.fitsugar.com%25252FStr etch-Figure-4-Piriformis-537394&source=iu&usg=__LnCGUlDmnUv4JJAvz4MJy4N4YQ8%3D&sa=X&ei=o5PlU5PTC5KLyASTnoGgDg&ved=0CDcQ9QEwAg&biw=826&bih=437#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=IbWju4EFh7yFtM%253A%3BBfOgeZcdMUcC0M%3Bhttp% 253A%252F%252Fimages.teamsugar.com%252Ffiles%252Fu sers%252F1%252F12981%252F33_2007%252Fpir-2.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.fitsugar.com%252FSt retch-Figure-4-Piriformis-537394%3B275%3B301
Actually, I've found you can do this stretch in bed! That eliminates the difficulty some might have in getting down on the floor. I do it quite frequently in the morning before I get out of bed.
Hi pony mom,
That is the exact stretch with the leg over the knee I was talking about in my previous post that I can't do. That is why I know it is the piriformis. That is why I find it amazing that they say that is the stretch to do. If I could get my leg over the knee so easy, it wouldn't be piriformis. I am sure I also have Sciatica as well. I am praying, hopefully if I keep stretching I will be able to get there.
Hi Tradd,
I am a women. Yes I did read that men with wallet's sitting a lot will give them piriformis. There are several ways to get it so I have read. Also you can have piriformis by itself or have both sciatica and piriformis together. At this point I don't have much pain from it, but do have horrible low back pain. I have had to take ibuprophen for many years and it doesn't help much but without it I would be in deep trouble. I am trying to exercise twice a day hoping to heal myself.
Just adding that I supposedly had it for awhile. The side that it was on was the side of my "short" leg. That leg is only about an inch+ shorter than the other leg, but when I would walk, I think it would put more stress on that leg. So you might check that out. Also.........if your feet are doing funky things, it can cause problems higher up.
Do you have any other medical problems or other tendons, ligaments that hurt?
And yes........stretching can take time. Every day, try to make it a little further. Sounds like you're really tight.
(And just to clarify.....Alan meant that cody must have initially posted this post in another forum, and not the health forum. Alan just moved it to the Health forum.)
awakenedsoul
8-9-14, 11:03am
[QUOTE=herbgeek;181406]Piriformis is a muscle in your butt. Its not a disease.
Neither the OP or mine used the word disease.
Glad to see you're getting some helpful info, cody11. I'm off this thread...
Neither the OP or mine used the word disease.
No, you said you HAD piriformis as if it was a disease. We ALL have piriformis, as its a muscle. Some of us have one that is inflamed. And for the record awakensoul, I also did provide 2 stretches to help. I don't see how pointing out an anatomical truth is being unfriendly, and the OP did ask what would relieve the pain and I answered that.
awakenedsoul
8-9-14, 8:31pm
[QUOTE=herbgeek;181478]No, you said you HAD piriformis as if it was a disease. We ALL have piriformis, as its a muscle. Some of us have one that is inflamed.
No I didn't. What I wrote in response to the OP was for her. It was not for you to critique. I owned a yoga studio and was blessed by Yogi Bhajan to teach. The teachers in the yoga community use piriformis in conversation exactly the way that cody did. You're twisting my words to pick a fight. I'm not interested. Sorry herbgeek.
Alan, I sent you a pm on this subject. Thanks for your help.
cody, I received your pm. Thank you!!!!
Tussiemussies
8-10-14, 2:51am
Have you considered using a very good chiropractor? I have had many issues that good adjustments to bring the spine, lower back and hips back into alignment that fixed the issue. My chiropractor gave me exercises to do do to target certain Areas.Maybe this would help.
Welcome to the forums! Look forward to chatting with you more!
Hey cody11, welcome to the Forums. I am sorry you are having pain. Anything involving lower back area is so unpleasant because you can't really get away from it, there is always some involvement of lower back area whether you are standing, sitting, or walking. I don't think I've had exactly what you are describing, but I've had a lot of low back pain over the years. When I do core work with abdominals I find that my low back seems much more resilient. Maybe some of the Pilates exercises that strengthen abs would make a difference for you---just make sure to start with the basic, beginner level ones and not plunge into "The Hundred" before you are ready.
Let us know how you do with this. Thank you, Awakenedsoul for the supplements information. I hadn't heard of some of these. The right one can be such a help.
Hi Rachael, Thank you for your advise. I know you are right. I did Pilaties for years every day for an hour. I was strong, flexible and nothing I couldn't do. I am older now and let myself go . The core being strong is the most important. I am starting exercise to strengthen. I also have found great tapes for low back. I will let you know if I am able to cure myself. I'm sure I can with work. I really want to start yoga classes.
[QUOTE=herbgeek;181478]No, you said you HAD piriformis as if it was a disease. We ALL have piriformis, as its a muscle. Some of us have one that is inflamed.
No I didn't. What I wrote in response to the OP was for her. It was not for you to critique. I owned a yoga studio and was blessed by Yogi Bhajan to teach. The teachers in the yoga community use piriformis in conversation exactly the way that cody did. You're twisting my words to pick a fight. I'm not interested. Sorry herbgeek.
Alan, I sent you a pm on this subject. Thanks for your help.
cody, I received your pm. Thank you!!!!
Here's awakenedsoul attacking yet another member here. I was shocked when I read the original post at the time earlier on in the thread that she edited that was directed at herbgeek. It was full of personal attacks before editing. Herbgeek did nothing wrong here at all on this thread, yet she was attacked. Just another example of awakenedsoul's intolerance....
ApatheticNoMore
1-10-15, 6:01pm
Yea, I got in those fights originally, but awakenedsoul hasn't picked those fights for awhile IMO, so I'm prepared to let them go. I don't regard the recent "younger man" thread as picking them. Perhaps some of us like more or less external input into our decisions (like whether or not to date someone) than others and make our decisions either on a more individualistic or more having got a lot of external community input basis (I don't know that one is better than the other - American society is biased individualist, but women in general are probably somewhat biased to seek feedback from social networks).
Oh and I understand why you are peeved now Yarrow. The barb on "I wouldn't take relationship advice FROM YOU no matter what!" has to sting. Like a lash with poison oak from across the internet. It would sting EVEN IF one readily admitted one was generally horrible at choosing relationships and that they were mostly failures (it's picking on weakness at that point), and it would sting all the more if one was in a long term committed relationship which one would then think was being insulted! But I think before that point awakenedsoul just wanted to be left alone to make her own decision and kind of kept saying so again and again to little avail. As for who has the last laugh, awakendsoul is probably out with her lover now having a great time.
Did anyone here see my littlebitty thread about foam rolling? In doing that, you are basically being your own chiropractor/massage therapist. Chiropractic Theory is kind of Freudian---in the sense that it's antiquated. Though chiropractic may be very useful, the idea of misaligned vertebra being the root cause of pain and illnesses is greatly oversold. Plus, it is expensive and time-consuming. The misalignment of your skeleton is way more likely to come about because of an imbalance in the development of your muscles and other connective tissue, than "subluxation" of your vertebrae. Some part of your musculature may become overdeveloped, while other remains underdeveloped. This can happen even if you have a seemingly un-physical job, like sitting in a cubicle, or if you have a repetitive motion or strenuous job, like construction work. Muscles that are overused, enlarge(hypertrophy), shorten, become tense.Others muscles, that should stabilize and compensate, become weaker(atrophy). It can cause pain, when you attempt to become more active. Being overweight aggravates it, too. Guess what? I had a nagging pain under my right kneecap. Icing it and using anti-inflammatories helped only a little. . More recently, I developed soreness in the area of my left Achilles tendon, and now I was limping around. I had done some cycling during the past few summers. Though I was functional, there was discomfort. I was concerned that my knee was wearing out. Though I am a slow learner, I finally picked up on the techniques of stretching and foam rolling, to apply body-weight pressure to my legs and other soft tissue. . Rolling the side of my right thigh, the "IT band",( and my quadriceps and hamstrings, too) instantly alleviated the knee pain. Rolling and stretching my left calf, alleviated the soreness in my Achilles tendon. They were too tight, and the soreness was at their attaching points. Of course, two things I should point out: the rolling and stretching involves some temporary discomfort; and it takes way more than just one session to achieve lasting results. But, the rolling & stretching is not the only thing, by any means. Some people I know, have gone into the gym and they do say--only 3-4 different exercises, usually with heavy weights. They make some strength gains, but after awhile, a few months, they "plateau", which means they stop making gains, and then they may "injure" themselves--end up with chronic pain that only resolves itself after they stop exercising. Kind of like me & biking. So, they figure it's time to cease and desist; can't afford to be off work due to an injury, right? But, what they should do, or anyone else for that matter, is change up their routine. Incorporate diverse exercises that train(load, utilize) your muscles in other positions, with differing ranges of motion, in place of just continuing the limited regimen of exercises they started with. That, and including stretching and foam rolling right along with their resistance training, are going to keep you going longer, and greatly reduce chronic pain. It is because it will unload(relax) some of those overtrained(shortened & stiff) muscles, and strengthen others that are neglected, a condition which can definitely be a cause of back pain, neck pain, etc. Also, calisthenics "teach" your brain the coordination you need to utilize those muscles, by calling upon them during exercise. The most minute movements require those motor skills. Riding a bike, doesn't require a huge amount of strength--small children do it. Same with ice skating. But, it obviously requires that kind of learned coordination, and the better coordinated and flexible, and agile you are, the fitter and less injury-prone you will be. That little feller, Richard Simmons, has been teaching essentially that for 20+ years. Likewise, Jane Fonda, and before them, Jack LaLanne. See? There are numerous YouTube videoes that describe the techniques; even ones that specifically focus on resolving piriformis syndrome. But, don't just leave it at that. Hope that helps you some. Thank Mee.
I would like more information on Wobenzyme. I too, have piriformis syndrome. I have seen chiropracters, orthopedic doctors, physical therapists, massage therapists and have tried acupuncture. Nothing has helped. I've heard about Wobenzyme, but I've tried many supplements, with no results. What does wobenzyme do?
Molly, I do not have the credentials to give you medical advice, I sure don't. But, please bear in mind that Going around to MDs, asking them to cure you by handing you a drug is probably not working, and having them spend another 5 minutes writing you another prescription won't either. Because, if it's just a painkiller you want, well then--you've got another problem going. I read a description of piriformis, and the description is like that of any other condition caused by a muscle that is overdeveloped and tightened. You prolly need a pro-active means of unloading it and stretching it, and conditioning other muscles, that involves consistent effort on your part. If you've already seen a good chiropractor or physical therapist, they no doubt gave you some exercises to perform, on your own, on a regular basis. They only work if you follow through, though.
Teacher Terry
1-11-15, 3:06pm
I have had excellent luck with a chiropractor for back/neck issues & he has given me exercises to also help. Also walking fast daily for 3-60 min's keeps the pain away. I have had pain with a muscle running from my butt & up & the exercises have helped-not really sure what muscle was involved.
awakenedsoul
1-11-15, 5:02pm
I would like more information on Wobenzyme. I too, have piriformis syndrome. I have seen chiropracters, orthopedic doctors, physical therapists, massage therapists and have tried acupuncture. Nothing has helped. I've heard about Wobenzyme, but I've tried many supplements, with no results. What does wobenzyme do?
Hi Molly,
It helps with the inflammation. It also eats up the scar tissue. They use it in Germany to treat arthritis. There is a good video on Youtube about it, if you google it.
Hi Packy - I should have expanded on my question. I'm not looking for a painkiller, but a way to solve the piriformis problem. I've heard that Wobenzyme can help dissolve sticky fascia, which could lead to pirformis release. But I don't know anyone who has tried it. I googled Wobenzyme looking for reviews and they were mixed. If something could eat up scar tissue what else might it do that would be undesirable?
HappyHiker
1-23-15, 10:53pm
My husband had been suffering with low back pain such as yours for months despite shots and pain meds. A friend told us about these exercises from the McKenzie Method. DH started doing them and within a few days, all pain went away. Now, if he gets a few twinges, he'll do the exercise again and pain will never develop.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trWBj8pJXV8
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2026 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.