How to keep piriformis syndrome from reoccuring?

[kidcolin]

I was loading very unevenly. I favored my right leg quite a bit, which resulted in me shifting laterally to the right as I approached and exited the hole. This was likely due to a few things, though who knows for sure.

1. I had a high adductor tear on the left side early in my lifting career (slipping and bracing on a wet floor).
2. I fell in love with AMRAP sets and pushing for rep records, coupled with reduced squatting frequency. I was following 5/3/1 when I pushed my squat from the low 4s to 500. Over time, I got more and more aggressive attacking the bounce in the hole, and I think it got a bit sloppy, without any good coaching or review from myself to squash out bad form creep.
3. I have an upper body imbalance as well, my left shoulder is hunched a good bit more forward than my right. I work on it but it's never right. I was trying to get as narrow a grip as possible, but with my upper back imbalances, it ended up being a bit uneven and it led to some twisting of the torso.

The PT helped identify and correct this, but I didn't find all his correction advice helpful. In fact, what has helped the most was re-reading the squat chapter of SS. I also widened my grip quite a bit so I can my grip and arm angles symmetrical. I'm still pretty far off my all time squat numbers, but it's pain free, clean form, and heading in the right direction. I've generally been focusing on volume in the 70-80% range rather than trying to go balls out on setting 5RM PRs weekly.

[Kraspor]

Hi,

thanks for your answer kidcolin. The uneven loading might apply to me as well as i found out that some of the barbells in my gym are heavier on one side than on the other. Not very much, but that might have accumulated over time.
At first i thought it must be me but some buddys confirmed that feeling.
Im going to pick my barbell in the gym a lot more carefully from know on..

Unfortunately i dislocated my kneecap last sunday and i'm out of action for a week or so.

[Anthony King]

I've been diagnosing myself so take this all with a grain of salt. About a month about my hip really seized up and the muscles in the piriformis area were extremely tender and I had some sciatic pain--bad enough to bother my sleep one night, but overall not too bad (maybe 2/10).

Lots of myofascial release helped. I used a foam roller, a car buffer, and lacrosse ball. The car buffer is great.
I also started (b/c of this thread)doing doing the Agile 11 daily, sometimes twice a day. I also add in a minute or two of sitting in the bottom of an ATG squat.
I also found pushing a prowler long and slow with a medium weight helped.

This may be a coincidence, but the mixed grip on the deadlift seemed to load my right side more than my left. When I came back to squatting and deadlifting after the hip problem resolved I deloaded a little and switched to the hook grip. It took me about three sessions to get used to, and it still isn't second nature, but I feel like the work is much more evenly distributed between my two legs.

Just posting in case it helps anyone else. Is damn frustrating not to be able to squat or deadlift. My right side still feel a little tighter/different than the left, but isn't bothering me and continues to get better. I plan to keep up the car buffering and Agile 11 indefinitely.

[vanslix]

I'd actually only do 10 of the 11 exercises...I don't like the "rollover into v-situp" (too much opportunity for ballistic force with spine in flexion).

I don't know man. I can't possibly make a recommendation on how to proceed based on forum posts. If you're confident the pain is just your piriformis, you should be perfectly fine. But I'm not sure why a belt would eliminate the pain if the piriformis is the culprit.

This. A belt would NOT correct piriformis impingement in and of itself. Maybe the belt forces better form?

And piriformis syndrome hurts more in the hip posteriorly or the glutes, not the back. It can also radiate down the leg like an impingement in the spine would. If your back hurts, I'd rethink where this pain is coming from. If it looks and quacks like a duck, it's a duck. Just because your MRI is clean, so to speak, does not mean you cannot have back pain.

I don't think this has anything to do with shoes.

[Kraspor]

Lots of myofascial release helped. I used a foam roller, a car buffer, and lacrosse ball. The car buffer is great.
I also started (b/c of this thread)doing doing the Agile 11 daily, sometimes twice a day.

Limber 11 is a great routine, i felt a lot better instantly after doing it. But i dislocated my kneecap doing exactly this routine last sunday. I wasnt really awake and form was sloppy. Lesson learned in a very very painful way..

Since i'm not native english speaking i got to ask: A car buffer is a machine for polishing cars, right? How do you use that for myofascial release?

This. A belt would NOT correct piriformis impingement in and of itself. Maybe the belt forces better form?

And piriformis syndrome hurts more in the hip posteriorly or the glutes, not the back. It can also radiate down the leg like an impingement in the spine would. If your back hurts, I'd rethink where this pain is coming from. If it looks and quacks like a duck, it's a duck. Just because your MRI is clean, so to speak, does not mean you cannot have back pain.

I don't think this has anything to do with shoes.

Yeah the belt might force better form. At the very least it helps with it. I don't doubt that.
Piriformis only seems to be part of my problems on some occasions. Not all the time. I seem to have more than one problem in my lower back.
I plan on doing more ab work and watch my form more closely. I also got something to help me with better sitting. Since i sit a lot at work it might help a bit.

[Anthony King]

Since i'm not native english speaking i got to ask: A car buffer is a machine for polishing cars, right? How do you use that for myofascial release?

If you get a car buffer that is designated a "random orbital polisher" the buffing part vibrates as well as spins. When you push it into your body it won't spin anymore but the vibration is vigorous. It makes an effective, cheap massager. Don't get one that just spins.

For me it works much better than a foam roller.

I first came across the idea here.

[Kraspor]

If you get a car buffer that is designated a "random orbital polisher" the buffing part vibrates as well as spins. When you push it into your body it won't spin anymore but the vibration is vigorous. It makes an effective, cheap massager. Don't get one that just spins.

For me it works much better than a foam roller.

I first came across the idea here.

Sounds great and weird at the same time.

My wife bought a massage seat for the car which is usable at home as well. Cost about 20€ and helps a lot as well. Not as vigorous as the car buffer though.

For your amusement: that 30$ car buffer from the article is here in germany 130€ (about 170$), also from amazon.