From lengthy commutes to long days at our desks, it is common for our bodies to take a beating from sitting down for extensive periods of time. Whether it’s buttock pain that shoot down our legs or a dull achiness in our hips, how can we fight the aches that come with sitting down for too long?
Because a myriad of musculoskeletal problems can cause pain in the buttocks, this problem can be tricky to diagnose. Among our first goals will be to answer:
- Is the pain chronic or acute?
- Where is the pain? Is it truly in your buttocks (and not just radiating there from somewhere else)?
- Is the pain made worse by sitting?
While only a comprehensive examination can give us definitive answers, one likely culprit is Piriformis Syndrome.
In fact, buttock discomfort and pain after sitting too long are two of the prime symptoms of piriformis syndrome, a painful condition caused by the pressing of the Piriformis muscle on our sciatic nerve, causing pain.
The piriformis is a very small muscle in the lower back, located near the sciatic nerve. Due to its small size and location (under our glute muscles), pinning down whether the piriformis is the culprit behind your pain can be difficult.
For that reason, our therapists perform a thorough evaluation at your first appointment. We go over a head-to-toe assessment that rules out other possible causes, while identifying movement discrepancies that may have been developed as a response to your pain.
Once a diagnosis is made, we start by concentrating on improving the muscle’s flexibility and strength through specific techniques and exercises. After it has improved substantially, we recondition the entire lower back/buttocks area to keep it moving well and healthily.
Don’t suffer from any kind of pain indefinitely, especially pain that prevents you from sitting!
Call us today. We’ll evaluate your condition and recommend strategies to help your healing begin right away.
No referral? No problem! Thanks to recent Direct Access rule changes, most TJC patients can be seen for up to 60 days without a referral!
Want more content from TJC? Make sure to follow us on Facebook!
