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Thread: Sciatica?

  1. #1
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    Default Sciatica?

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    Hi all

    Been struggling for a month with a constant pain in the hip which radiates down the leg until the ankle.

    It is located deep, pretty much halfway between the ischiatic and the iliac tuberosities, so quite possibly in the piriformis region.

    I always had some aches and pains in the hip/back (from soccer) but never radiated like this, nor was in this specific location.

    I also tweaked my back months ago with my heaviest deadlift but that resolved with rest and starting LP again from a lower weight. I don’t think it is related.

    This new incident of radiating pain was, however, precipitated after a short bout of plyometric training, as I was conditioning for the resumption of soccer matches (foolishly as the UK is locked down again with this effing Covid...)

    So, I’ve increased my rest, probably halved lifting frequency and obviously no plyo.

    I still wake up every morning and need to take a paracetamol which makes it bearable, but I’ve been alternating paracetamol and ibuprofen for a month and really haven’t gotten any better. Some days it even depresses me.
    On home working days where I can’t leave the chair much, it gets tough.

    I haven’t deadlifted since but keep progressing squats (still PRing my LP, so quite happy) as I don’t think it makes the condition worse - but I could be wrong. Surely hasn’t made it better.

    I don’t wanna take pills forever so considering taking a break from squats as well, in case that’s stopping the inflammation subsiding.

    I stretch and it makes the pain better. Various positions are painful - pretty much anything that involves bending over with the affected leg straight.

    If I exercise and get warm, it also gets better. Still feel it though.

    The other problem is it’s too hard to get a doctor to see me with everyone busy this covid...

    So, any advice, shared experiences would be welcome as I’m feeling a bit crappy with all this.

    Thanks

  2. #2
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    Nov 2020
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    Estevao,

    A few follow up questions...

    Age, height, weight?
    Any problems going to the bathroom?
    When your bending over, how far down can you go before you feel the pain? Can you bend over slide your hands down your thighs to your knees, past your knees, mid shin?
    If you lay on your back and hug both knees to your chest, is it painful? Also when you hug the affected leg only to the chest, is it painful?

  3. #3
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    Thanks Chris

    In metric, 40 years old, 82kg, 1.75m height.

    Sitting sometimes I feel it a bit, but not to bad.

    If I am cold, I feel the pain with very little bending, over a straight leg.

    If I warm up and stretch can reach slowly until previous flexibility - tough my toes and floor with knuckles. This is doing a straight leg hamstring stretch. It gets a bit better while I’m warm and walking around.

    With bent knees I can do pretty much anything with out problems eg tie shoelaces or reach forward from a sitting position, and I easily hug my knees in bed when I wake up. No problem at all, whether both or either leg.

    I can easily do a glute stretch (crossed leg over other knee, pull that knee towards chest)

    If lying on my back, at about a 30degrees leg raise I feel it bad. Both legs actually, so scissoring the legs on my back will hurt the same spot on the right side of the hip, as described initially.

    Oddly, or not, ifI’m standing, flexing my upper torso and neck forward, it pulls on the hip and can be quite intense pain.

    If sitting and I reach to the floor on the opposite side, I feel it.

    If I open the car door and try to reach something on the passenger seat i.e. long reach and leverage on the hip, I feel it.

    Pain score ranges between 2/10 constantly and 7/10.

    I’m now on a week of naproxen (and omeprazol) and it helped quite a bit. But squatted heavy (102kg) mid week which feel great for a day or so but feeling tight after 2 days so coming back a little.

    I also ‘mashed it’ a bit with a tennis ball and a foam roller but I actually think it made it worse for the rest of the day.

    So, I’m considering giving squats a break sadly, as think I should have another 10 or 20kg of LP to go! And Deadlifts are definitely a no-no as they will kill my hip. I had form check advice from here which I followed but really not keen on trying heavy again for another form check.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Estevao Simoes View Post

    Oddly, or not, ifI’m standing, flexing my upper torso and neck forward, it pulls on the hip and can be quite intense pain.



    I also ‘mashed it’ a bit with a tennis ball and a foam roller but I actually think it made it worse for the rest of the day.
    Dr. Palladino, what does this sound like?

  5. #5
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    A few things that I consider when reading through his reports:

    1) long history of soccer and chronic low back/ hip pain
    2) gluteal pain (self-reports suspicion of piriformis)
    3) pain decreases with Tylenol but not ibuprofen
    4) eliminated deadlifts but not squats
    5) positive nerve glide and SLR test
    6) made condition worse with lacrosse ball to the glute
    7) can easily do a knees to chest movement with the knees bent

    All that taken into account, I'd wager this young man is suffering from hamstring syndrome.

  6. #6
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    Thanks so much Will and Chris.

    Did I notice there was a response from Chris now removed? I meant to reply but not had the time. Anyway doesn’t matter now. I’ll look up hamstring syndrome. I do think stretching makes it better and, as I feel muscles gradually tighter (and the condition worse) in the 2 or 3 days after squatting, instinctively feel it has to do with muscle tightness. It is quite hard to do it first thing in the morning, though!

    Update: been given a week of naproxen (cousin to Ibuptofen, I think, but better) and really nearly made it unnoticeable. It came back as before so controlling it with paracetamol.

    I plan on getting a referral from my doctor as soon as they will can spare a minute for anything non Covid...🙄

    Thanks again.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Estevao Simoes View Post
    Thanks so much Will and Chris.

    Did I notice there was a response from Chris now removed? I meant to reply but not had the time. Anyway doesn’t matter now. I’ll look up hamstring syndrome. I do think stretching makes it better and, as I feel muscles gradually tighter (and the condition worse) in the 2 or 3 days after squatting, instinctively feel it has to do with muscle tightness. It is quite hard to do it first thing in the morning, though!

    Update: been given a week of naproxen (cousin to Ibuptofen, I think, but better) and really nearly made it unnoticeable. It came back as before so controlling it with paracetamol.

    I plan on getting a referral from my doctor as soon as they will can spare a minute for anything non Covid...🙄

    Thanks again.
    I wouldn't necessarily expect a general practitioner to be all that equipped to be able to effectively manage something like hamstring syndrome.

  8. #8
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    Hamstring syndrome...never heard of it but I will be looking it up. Perhaps it will help me as well. Thanks!

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Will Morris View Post
    I wouldn't necessarily expect a general practitioner to be all that equipped to be able to effectively manage something like hamstring syndrome.
    Exactly....my GB told me basically to do what I’m already doing, and immediately thought it is sciatica. This over the phone.

    I asked for a physio referral but that’s gonna take months.


    No, it’s been two weeks since my last squat and I actually feeling better and not having to take paracetamol all the time. Pain between 0-5 and no longer wakes me up at night.

    So will let it hopefully heal completely and restart squatting at 50% and build up again.

    Kept benching, chining, LTEs and some other isolated work (and progressing on all those).

    Tried rows and presses to keep some full body work but felt they were slowing down recovery.

    Thanks again for all the help

  10. #10
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    starting strength coach development program
    Quote Originally Posted by Estevao Simoes View Post
    Exactly....my GB told me basically to do what I’m already doing, and immediately thought it is sciatica. This over the phone.

    I asked for a physio referral but that’s gonna take months.


    No, it’s been two weeks since my last squat and I actually feeling better and not having to take paracetamol all the time. Pain between 0-5 and no longer wakes me up at night.

    So will let it hopefully heal completely and restart squatting at 50% and build up again.

    Kept benching, chining, LTEs and some other isolated work (and progressing on all those).

    Tried rows and presses to keep some full body work but felt they were slowing down recovery.

    Thanks again for all the help
    Start with doing some tempo squats, slow Romanian deadlifts, and some 1-0-3 tempo stiff legged deadlifts on your typical training days. These might make the pain acutely worse, but should work beautifully over the next couple weeks to alleviate the symptoms.

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