3 types of pain in the butt and what you can do about it
192Having a literal pain in the butt is not a fun experience; it can make walking, sitting and sleeping difficult and uncomfortable. It is certainly something that one would want gone as soon as possible, yet sometimes we unknowingly exacerbate the issue by trying to stretch the injured area. There is a special name for these types of practices – anga bangha. It basically means that you want to do something good but end up hurting yourself. Today we will explore three types of the pain in the butt and how you can avoid making your practice anga bangha.
Pain in the butt #1: Lower butt pain.
Many years ago I was preparing for a fitness competition and my routine included a split. One day, being young and silly, I plopped into the split right off the bat and heard “Crrkkhh” at the bottom of my right buttock. “Hmm, I thought, that didn’t sound too good”. I did manage to get out of the split, but ended up limping for couple of weeks and then dealing with the pain in the butt for months afterwards.
Location: This is the pain that you experience right in the crease of the buttock at the back of the thigh. It might give you trouble when you walk, but becomes especially pronounced when you bend forward with legs straight.
Offender: Hamstring tendon(s)
Reason: This type of pain is usually a sign of an injury to the tendon(s) that attach your hamstrings to the pelvis. It is usually a result of pulling on the hamstrings too enthusiastically, especially if they haven’t been warmed up properly. When yoga practitioners insist on keeping the legs straight in forward bends and then force themselves into a pose, they may end up injuring the tendon. Yoga teachers who demonstrate a lot in their classes are also at risk, since they are more likely to go into a difficult posture without proper preparation.
Common remedy: Here is the paradox – when the tendon becomes injured, the hamstring muscles naturally contract, trying to prevent further damage to the tendon. And we think – my hamstrings feel tight and painful, if I only stretch them the pain will go away. So instead of allowing the tendon to heal, we keep reinjuring it by actively stretching the hamstrings. This cycle can go on for a very long time.
Better solution: Give your tendon(s) a chance to heal. This means contracting the hamstrings to increase circulation to the area, bending the knees generously in the forward bends and only very mild stretching, if any. Once the acute phase has passed, you can begin to add gradual stretching.
Nurse your hamstrings back to health
Try this short 3-stage yoga practice to gradually heal your injured hamstrings. You can also use this practice to release chronic tension in your hamstrings.
Pain in the butt #2: Outer/upper butt pain.
I have a client who came to me complaining about the pain in the hip that interfered with her walking and sleeping. She has been to a PT who suggested core strengthening, an orthopedic surgeon who diagnosed her with piriformis syndrome, and LMT who treated her for a tight IT band. After careful exploration we have determined that the location and symptoms of her pain were pointing toward the weakened abductor muscles, which caused a displacement of the pelvis and a host of muscle compensation patterns. We began to work on strengthening her abductors and shortly after her pain was gone.
Location: This type of pain usually shows up in the upper or outer buttock area and can resonate down on the side of the leg. It usually gets worse during walking and while lying on the affected side at night.
Offender: Weak abductor(s), tight IT band can be a contributing factor
Reason: This pain is often due to some sort of an asymmetrical movement pattern that goes on for an extended period of time (read more about adductor/abductor imbalance).
Common remedy: This pain is often perceived as an IT band issue and remedied by stretching the IT band or using the roller to apply pressure to it. This can be very useful, but it does not address the root of the problem – weak abductors. Until those are strengthened, the issue will continue to pop up.
Better solution. You need to strengthen the abductors by using them in the stabilizing role (standing on one leg) and moving role (moving the leg out to the side, preferably against gravity). Here is a sample practice for abductor strengthening.
Pain the butt #3: Central butt pain.
When the Body Worlds exhibit came to town, one of the reasons I went was to check out the structure of the hip, since I do not have ready access to cadavers. Yes, it was creepy at times, but also fascinating. For example, I was amazed at how big the sciatic nerve is – yes, it’s the longest nerve in your body, extending from the lower spine all the way down into the foot, but it’s also very thick – about the thickness of your pinky finger – between your spine and hip area.
Since the nerve is so big and long, it can get pinched at various locations causing all-too-familiar sciatic pain. Two common sites of impingement are the lower back (between the lumbar vertebrae) and underneath the tight piriformis muscle.
Piriformis is a small muscle that can cause a lot of trouble if it gets tight. It sits deep within the hip and its job is to rotate the hip externally and to abduct the leg when the hip is flexed. Tight piriformis by itself can cause the pain in the butt, but situation becomes worse if it presses on the sciatic nerve that passes underneath (and for some people right through) the piriformis muscle.
Location: The pain can show up in the middle of the buttock, in the lower back or anywhere along the pathway of the nerve. It can also manifest as numbness or weakness in the leg.
Offender: Herniated disks, bone spurs on the vertebrae or tight piriformis muscle
Reason: Sitting or driving a lot, degenerative changes in the spine with age
Common remedy: If the sciatic pain is due to a herniated disk, it is a much bigger issue and is beyond the scope of this post. Core strengthening under the guidance of a physical therapist would be the best solution. If the pain is due to the tight piriformis muscle, we can work on releasing the muscle tension. The most commonly recommended pose for the tight piriformis is Pigeon pose. Unfortunately, for many people with this type of pain this is too much, too soon. Pigeon pose places the piriformis in the maximum stretched position and pulls strongly on the sciatic nerve as well. This means that if the pain is acute, getting onto the Pigeon can make it feel worse.
Better solution: It makes much more sense to utilize our usual Contract-Relax-Stretch principle.
Step 1. We begin by contracting the SURROUNDING muscles (particularly gluteus maximus) to increase the blood flow into the general area.
Step 2. Then we can gently contract the piriformis muscle itself, asking it to relieve the chronic contraction (only if it doesn’t cause pain) in combination with gentle stretching. Poses like Virabhadrasana 2, Utthita Parsvakonasana and versions of clam shell will contract the piriformis, while simple standing twist with a chair and Ardha Matsyendrasana would be good options for stretching it (since they place your leg into flexed/adducted position without the external rotation element, which is milder for piriformis).
Step 3. When you are ready to add the external rotation element to your stretching, it’s better to choose Thread-the-needle pose instead of Pigeon, or Gomukasana on the back instead of the full form of the posture, which will apply less leverage against your piriformis. Only after practicing those you’ll be ready for Pigeon or Gomukasana (and some students won’t be ready for a long time if ever).
In addition, it makes sense to relieve chronic contraction in the adductors, since tight adductors can internally rotate the leg, placing additional stress on the piriformis muscle. Tight hamstrings can also irritate the sciatic nerve, so it is useful to relieve tension there. Keep in mind, that even the simplest hamstring stretches can be very painful to a student with sciatica, so it’s best to follow the same principle for hamstring work that we’ve outlined in Pain in the butt #1.
So there you have it. Keep in mind that sometimes there can be multiple things going on, so if your pain persists despite your best efforts, it’s probably time to seek professional help.
Do you experience butt discomfort or tension in your hips? This can happen for all sorts of reasons, but it is almost always accompanied by chronic muscle contraction somewhere in the hips and imbalanced muscle development. Yoga can help! Check out this six-week yoga series that gradually releases chronic muscle contraction and restores balanced relationships between different muscles that move and support the hips.
This Yoga Series for Butt Discomfort and Hip Tension is for you if you:
- Experience a nagging discomfort in the middle, on the side, or at the bottom of your buttock;
- Sit or drive a lot and do other recurring activities that leave your hips achy and stiff;
- Want to keep your hips strong and balanced by working with all the muscles that support the hip joint methodically and systematically;
- Want to get more ideas on how to work with the hips in your yoga classes and private sessions in a way that’s accessible to most students.
Does it sound like something you could use? In this series you will get 6 video practices and 6 printouts of practice sequences plus a short bonus practice. Start taking care of your hips today!
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Great article about sciatica and yoga practice
GRACIAS ESTA EXELENTE LA INFORMACION!!!!
Thank you Georgina!
Well done! Thank you for differentiating the pain and discomfort patterns. The movement patterns you note, ring true in my experience. Past expert advise about stretching and sciatica made my hip and butt pain worse. The IT band therapy you note (w a PT) only worked on part of my need at that moment. McKenzie therapy was a large step back to better functioning and you also include similar back bending postures. Took over five years to find a combination that helped.
Right now attempting to return to yoga and having a sciatic flair up — I greatly appreciate your detail and time spent on this topic.
Thank you for sharing Stasia! I completely agree – it takes time and effort to figure out what’s going on and how to address it. That’s why I am always hesitant to give general advice – there are so many variables! Sounds like you did a thorough exploration on your own – sorry that you are forced into it by the pain:( Good luck with returning to yoga; I hope that you can work around the sciatic flare up – I am sure you have excellent body awareness by now!
You mean to tell me you dealt with this pain for 5 years or am i missing something im on day 4 and i just hope i dont have that left cheek atm i wish i can chop it off i think i would feel much better
For the last 3 years I have had pain in my lower right butt and it radiates down into the back of my thigh. This happens after about 10 minutes of driving. Once i get out of the car and walk and use the steps to go into work it subsides but it returns again after about 1 hour sitting in front of the computer at work. Nothing helps. I dont stretch but i do flex and move my leg. it helps a little bit but when i am in the car it is really painful. I have tried putting a tennis ball under the thigh while driving but it doent seem to help. I take the stairs everytime unless i need to go up 8 flights but i will take the stairs down from the 8. My doctor said it is from too much sitting and i need to start working out again. But finding the time is difficult. I could probably work out at the end of the day but by that time it is 10pm and i am too tired. any suggestions?
My pain sounds a lot like yours but have only had it a few months. One way I found that really increases the pain is to arch my back, wondered if you had the same issue. The pain down the back of the leg varies but doesn’t go down beyond the back of my knee. It can be just a constant ache, to what feels like something warm dripping down the inside of my leg, to a tingling feeling like getting sensation back after a limb ‘falls asleep’, to once in a while my whole leg will feel warm like I’m standing next to a heater vent. And yes it all originates with pain in my lower to mid right buttock. The only thing I’ve found to get some relief is an electric heating pad which I lay on for an hour when it shuts it’s self off, med. setting and have it under my butt and to the back of my knee, it’s 12″ x 24″. It’s the only way I’ve found I can get up in the morning and have little or no pain for a while. I just need somebody to explain why that works so I can find a more permanent fix.
We sit to much we don’t stretch .walk everyday and stretch !
Hello Kathy,
I have same problem like you, did you recover from this painful?
Please advise with thanks
Same 🙁
Hi I just started hurting in my butt and in the back of my legs..I cant hardly lift my leg to put on my shoes wuthout being on the verge of tears.. Hurts to bend over ,sit, and when I do sit.. Then it’s hard to get up and can’t I hardly walk when I first get up..
When I’m at work and walking moving fast it does bother me. I’m a waitress
Did you ever figure out what it was? I’m having the exact same thing
georgina, excellent, where are you located ? are you a professional?
Hi Olga,
Great post, thank you again for sharing your wisdom with such clarity. Question regarding a combo of butt pains #2 and 3, coupled with a ‘hot sacrum.’ I assume that more extreme poses like pigeon are more likely to aggravate my previously-injured SI joint and that the Contract-Relax-Stretch approach, coupled with always zipping up, is a better method for me… any insights are welcome. Still trying to figure out if my butt/back pain (typically feels like a combo of iliac crest pain and glute pain) is indeed abductor-related. In case this helps – sometimes after sitting and walking a lot, my lower back threatens to sieze when I cough. Something needs some serious stabilization, probably more than one area I’m guessing…?
Hi Lindsey! Although it’s really hard to give any specific suggestions without in-depth exploration, I do have couple of ideas. The fact that your back threatens to seize when coughing points more toward the transverse abdominis dysfunction, because this is the muscle that contracts when you cough. Your TA muscle is like an internal corset that helps support and protect your lower back; if it isn’t strong and supple, the lower back becomes vulnerable (at some point I’ll write more about core strength). So just based on what you’ve told me, I’d focus on the core strengthening (not just zip-up, but the overall “corset engagement” idea) and psoas release. It’s always best to begin your strengthening at the center and then work your way out to the periphery. You can try this practice, just make sure that it’s not too much for you and skip #13: http://sequencewiz.org/WL80r Another area that might be of interest to you is the QL issue, which we will be discussing this week. Tight QL can lead to lower back issues and sacroiliac joint pain. Hope this helps!
Excellent, I will definitely try the hip flexor practice, read up on the TA, and look forward to your QL post, as I definitely think that has something to do with it. Thanks again 🙂
And if you’re ever in San Diego, I would love to take advantage of your yoga therapy services.
I’ve been struggling with type #2 above for a few months. Thank you for the explanation and the recommendations for how to handle!
Your posts are enlightening!
Thank you Marjorie! Good luck with #2 🙂 But seriously, this one is the most overlooked, I find, but it can be debilitating. I hope strengthening your abductors will help!
Thank you Olga for making it it clearer. I have been having type 2 for about 6 weeks now, but I have been completely resting from exercises. just yesterday i started running for only 5 minutes but I still feel a mild pain. I just wanted to know if this pain will go away as I’m exercising or do I have to still wait till it’s completely gone? 🙂
p.s: I have been doing some mild stretches too.
Hi Pery! It’s super hard to suggest anything specific without more information about your situation. You can try to do #4 move from this video (it starts at 7:45) http://sequencewiz.org/2014/05/30/yoga-for-running-hiking-activity/ right before the activity and then see if it makes any difference. If you still feel discomfort, just do the move for a week and then try it with an activity again. I don’t know if the entire practice would be appropriate for you; you can give it a try and stop if it causes discomfort. And this yoga practice is designed to specifically strengthen those muscles on the side of the hip, but again, don’t do it if it feels like too much: http://sequencewiz.org/2014/05/09/home-yoga-practice-for-hips-abductors/ Let me know how it goes!
Hello, so today i tried doing split during aerial silks class and #1 happened to me. The “crrrkkkkkhhh” was really pretty loud too sounded pretty scary at the moment,. right butt cheek/ hamstring. Having trouble walking and sitting. Whats the difference betweena pulled , strained and tear muscle and how do i know which happened to me? Also how long does this usually take to recover? Im doing alot of training with the silks and ashtanga yoga and lifting weights, so im pretty concerned if i should rest for next couple days and take it easy. Anything advice on things i should do to help heal faster? I tried icing it and stretching a bit , should i put a heater on my butt? Lol please help!!!
Hi Drielly; so sorry to hear that! If you get a big bruise under your but cheek, then it’s probably a tear, if not, then it’s probably a muscle/tendon strain. But regardless of what it is, you will need to rest it for a while. It will take longer to heal if you continue to stretch your hamstrings: bend forward with straight legs, attempt splits, etc. Ice should be better for now, while it’s inflamed, mostly to manage the discomfort. I would suggest leaving your hamstrings alone for at least a week or two and then to begin contracting them, instead of stretching. You can do it by slowly bending one knee at a time in Cobra pose (like it shows in the image above). You will probably have to to take it easy for a while (I know it’s hard to hear). Hope this helps!
Thank you so much for writing this article. I’m 16, not very active, with pretty bad anxiety and depression. I love yoga (it helps on all 3 fronts), but I’d been experiencing shooting pain in my back, buttocks, and legs after every practice that didn’t seem to be getting any better. So I stopped for a couple of months. The pain went away, so I tried again, with the same results. My mom and I were laughing at my “old lady-ness” but this seems to be the problem. Too much too soon. Thank you!
Hi! So sorry to hear about your experience! May be you could try a different class or a different style next time? Not all yoga classes are created equal! Just because you are young, doesn’t mean that the power yoga class will work for you (for example). I don’t know where you live, but you can check out one of the viniyoga teachers from this directory http://www.viniyoga.com/learn-experience/viniyoga-teachers-and-yoga-therapists and see if this student-focused approach works for you. Please take care of yourself!
I am new to all these things about bulging disc and the piriformis muscle!!
Here is the secret to stop the cramping of the piriformis, USE MUSTARD OR BRAGGS APPLE CIDER VINEGAR!!
How do you use the mustard or apple cider vinegar?
Hi!
I thing i have numer 1 type of pain
It`s been like that for about one month and now i want to start going o gym but i dont think is a good idea … i will probably make it worse,
I have a few questions.
How long will it take to heal?
If the tendon is hurt exercising it woudnt make it worse?
Also is good to buy some anti inflamatori cream?
Sorry for my english!
Thanks in advance.
Hi! Sorry about your troubles. If it has been a month since you injured your hamstrings, you should be OK going to the gym again, just don’t stretch your hamstrings yet. Begin with stuff that doesn’t hurt at all and then expand the range a bit. A good test would be to lie on your stomach, prop yourself up on the elbows and then slowly bend one knee behind you. See how that feels. It should be good to build your tolerance for that movement without using any additional weight. Then you can roll on to your back and try extending your legs up one at a time – see how that feels. A little discomfort is fine; sharp, severe pain is not. Healing can take 6 months or longer – it varies from person to person. Hope this helps!
I have had a similar experience with doing the splits. I didn’t do a proper warm up, and after splits forward,
I heard a popping sound. Ended up limping a couple of days but after a week or so the pain reduced, but it didn’t dissapear completely. So I stopped working out for a month and a half now, (I have been doing only the upper body workouts, no leg or butt workouts )but the pain didn’t dissapear completely. My buttock still hurts when I’m stretching, and even sometimes when I walk. I went to my doctor’s but she just said that it is probably a minor injury and that I should stay away from exercising till it goes away completely.
Today it’s been 3 months since the accident, and I’m so afraid that the pain will become chronic and will I ever be able to workout again? Please advise me something to do and thanks <3 Maria
Hi Maria, sorry to hear about your injury! There are some basic recommendations that I gave to vasiliuiorgu (the comment right above yours) that should be useful to you, as well. Begin by contracting your hamstrings and see how it feels, then you can graduate to stretching them. Within the next month I plan to publish a short yoga practice to help gradually rehabilitate your hamstrings. Stay tuned!
Thanks so much for the post, Im a 20 year old college student and think I have mostly #1 type pain, but I’m not sure if there’s any tricks you may have towards sitting down. I fell off some jumps snowboarding straight to my butt several times and landed on hard packed ice. It feels like the worst bruise I’ve ever in my upper leg and lower butt, but there’s no visible bruising and it’s persisted for about a week. It’s slowly getting better but I still have a lot of pain just sitting in class and can’t even bend over to tie my shoes. Are there any stretches that might help with this or should I keep my hamstring contracted and just wait for it to heal? Thanks so much for your help!
Hi Steven; so sorry to hear about your injury! I bet it’s quite annoying. It so happens that I will be posting a short yoga sequence for the hamstring injury this Friday, so you can check it out and give it a try. I would love to hear whether or not it works for you!
Dear Olga,
Thank you for such a specific article on the different pains in the butt. I have number 2 and the burning type pain at the side of my butt is still extreme at night/morning. I know I have a tight IT band. The pain is mostly in front of my shins also. Your explanation makes a lot of sense. I just hope the pain will subside soon with these exercises since I am a hockey player and quite miserable these past weeks. Also I wasn’t sure how much exercise I should do still having this pain.
Regards.
Hi Tricia – so sorry to hear about your discomfort! It’s super hard to advice how much exercise would be enough without more information about your unique situation. if you are interested, you can find a qualified yoga therapist in your area, who would be happy to do a thorough exploration and give you recommendations on what’s appropriate. Hope this helps!
Thanks so much.
I think i have the last one. Sat too much. Hurts most in morning and slowly reduces with movement. I also drove 1000 miles and this all started happening after.
( Whereas, the first one seems to get worse with movement , so that is not it!)
I suffer from pain in example #2. The pain had come and gone for over 10 years. It can keep me awake at night and drive me crazy all day. I run for excercise and often blame the pain on that. I went to doctors once and he said it sounds like muscle pain. I can releave pain with advil and heat to the area. Sometimes rubbing the area helps also. Does this sound the same?
I am so glad I Google the information very ,very helpful. The pain is so horrible sometimes I want to jump off a cliff. The exercise is a start for me to easy the pain thank u so very much. I don’t run I have very uncontrollable Asthma I would like to run. Pain started a week ago sound similar so I sleep with a pillow between my legs I helps at nite. Thank u I will look into a therapist. I wish u a lot of relief I’m taking 800 ibiprofen for the pain and they work really well.
Is it possible to injure both sides of the inner buttock? near my inner thigh beside my privates, as well as my lower inner bum, are sore and tender to the touch. I am wondering if this is caused by strained muscles from lifting heavy boxes at work etc., or if i should go to a doctor about this pain.
I have this same problem. Ever find out what was causing it?
Hello,
I have been diagnosed with OA in my left hip. After taking steroidal shots a lot of the pain has been done. However, I still have some pain deep in the center of my buttocks when I walk more than a short distance. However, if I continue walking further the pain goes away. So for maybe 1/4 to 1/2 mile the pain is intense but afterwards I can walk for several miles without pain. Any idea?
Thank you so much for the info.
I knew I was having a problem with my muscle and not my bones… some one told me that the reason my butt hurts is because one of my legs is shorter than the other and making me have scoliosis, I of course started panicking. but this makes so much sense to me.. I’m not lop sided… just tensed up!!!!– I also think the way I was positioned while doing squats is what messed me up, that’s when I started noticing this pain
Hi Vanessa! That is exactly right – tight muscles on one side can make one look and feel lopsided, even if their leg length is perfectly even. And it’s often the stuff that we do day-to-day that creates that sort of asymmetry – like sitting with one foot tucked under the butt, or carrying a child on a hip, for example. I talked a bit about it in this post, if you are interested: http://sequencewiz.org/2014/04/23/get-hip-pain-can/
Hi olga,
I have been suffering from back , thigh and butt since 2 years . I tried yoga classes but eventually it aggravated the pain . Ever since i saw this blog i have been practicing all these yoga stretches and it really really helped me a lot. Cannot thank enough. But I have a question here. If I become pregnant I won’t be able to do all these poses. It would be really really great if you guys post a video or just explain the stretches for pregnant woman.
Hi Shikha! So happy to hear that you are feeling better! As far as pregnancy, if you have been doing your yoga regularly, you could still continue to do it during your pregnancy, except for lying-on-your-stomach things, of course, but even that could be modified. The trick with pregnancy is that all kinds of different issues pop up and they are different from woman to woman. So it’s super hard to generalize. at some point I might try to make a practice 🙂 I would actually suggest that you find a pregnancy yoga class with an experienced instructor, because a big part of yoga during pregnancy is connecting to other women who are going through the same thing, it’s that sense of community. One of my contributing yoga teachers wrote a lovely article about it, you might find it interesting: http://sequencewiz.org/2015/05/08/rebirth-of-asana-the-real-work-of-yoga-during-pregnancy/ i hope this helps and I hope that your back continues to behave! 🙂
My mother in a diabetic and she has a lot of muscle pain in her leg she’s 53 years old and I was wondering if these exercise will be helpful thank you
Hi Carletta! If the pain that your mom experiences is due to her diabetes, I doubt that those movements will help. She needs more individualized attention. You can find a qualifies yoga therapists in your area here: http://www.viniyoga.com/learn-experience/viniyoga-teachers-and-yoga-therapists
I am a nurse case manager that sits at a desk all day. I have been having pain #1 for about 2 yrs. Every single day. Most days I take ibuprofen (which no one should do daily) because it helps. I have had ischial steroid injections, PT, chiropractic adjustments, and acupuncture with minimal if any relief. I am a hiker and a gym rat when I can. Some other history is I have had spinal fusion surgery and psoriatic and osteoarthritis. I would like to get rid of this chronic pain, as I try to be a champ but it wears me out.
I been asking my whole life can a tendon from my butt be replace. When I was small like 2 year old was injection on my butt and left me a little hole .
I’m 44 years old now .when I strech my butt tendon hurt .
I
I had debilitating pain similar to #2 last year. A PT diagnosed trigger points in the gluteus medius and minimus, with anterior pelvic tilt/muscular imbalances due to too much sitting. A common problem nowadays. Targeted exercises (couch stretch to loosen tight psoas and quads, clams and glute bridge to activate glutes, planks for core , hamstring strengtheners etc. ) , pressure and dry needling for triggers have helped enormously and my lower back pain of many years has also disappeared. I think yoga can be beneficial but more systematic diagnosis and intervention is needed !
Hi Ronnie – I completely agree! A thorough investigation is always necessary, and combination of different therapies usually works the best. One size certainly doesn’t fit all!
Hello, I am a drummer with weakness and soreness in the right hip/butt cheek that sometimes goes into my back… it kind of hops back and forth. Driving and drumming aggravate it, and it makes me kind of nautious sometimes. I can’t tell if I’m number 2 or 3, and the back pain started after a bunch of different PT excercises. I was told it should move into the back before dissappearing. However, when I’m not drumming for long periods it doesn’t bother me as much, but when I play a bunch of shows it starts to get super weak and almost twitchy. It’s ruining my career/life and I was wondering if you had any input on my specific situation. Thanks!
Hi Joey! Sorry to hear about the pain that keeps showing up. It sounds like it gets worse after drumming, so I would suggest that you take a close look at your body positioning while you drum – do you keep the weight even between the two butt cheeks? Do you lean forward? Do you lean sideways? What do you do with your feet? Oftentimes the way we position the body while doing something creates imbalances in the body and eventually causes pain. Of course, it is often not possible to stay perfectly symmetrical while driving or drumming, but an analysis like that helps us identify the areas that are habitually overused and the areas that need strengthening. Let me know if you would like me to check out your body positioning and create you a short yoga practice to strengthen the weaker areas, and we will set up a private yoga session over Skype.
Thank you Lisa! This means a lot to me, especially coming from a viniyoga colleague!
I’m in the same exact boat as Joey. I am curious if you were able to find a good solution to helping this condition as it relates to drumming. Thanks!
Hi Brad! I haven’t heard from Joey past my response to his comment, so no we didn’t do any other explorations.
OMGoodness!!!! What a bunch of good karma this is smacking me right in the face.
#3
Doctors have been chasing this pain all over my right quadrant for a year & a half now. Done every kind of scan/imaging they can do on me. They’ve even analyzed my adrenal glands.
The last thing I was told was they suspect my breast cancer from 10 years ago has metastasized in my pelvis. Not a cool thing to tell anybody, but cancer survivors — it’s devastating. Went for bone scan the first week of April & they won’t tell me anything. I’ve tried & tried to get the results. & at this point I doubt I’d have much faith or confidence in anything they tell me.
Anyway — #3!!!!!!!!! It’s a very odd place for pain. It’s not on the spine at all. It’s not really the hip, or the kidney, or even adrenal glands. I can tell you a dozen things it’s not.
Thank you for narrowing it down & helping me discover what it is!!
I’m still not getting what I should do, but identifying it was step #1.
Chiropractor?? Physical therapy??
Anyway, I’m very happy tonight!
Hi Paige! Happy to hear that you had a breakthrough after reading my post! I know it is really frustrating when you cannot get a proper diagnosis. I hope this information will put you on the road to recovery!
I can completely understand what u are going through…I am suffering from a strange pain in my right buttock it has been Six months still there is no improvement…done with X-Rays,MRI 3T,Altrasound etc etc…almost visited almost all of the ortho specialists in town.. they did hurt me in the name of diagnosis…I can’t sit for more than 8 minutes..I can’t sleep in a normal position I have to sleep on my left side..I can’t bend ..and I can’t bear this shooting pain which comes and steal everything like a robber …Pls suggest
Thank you for all this great information! I unfortunately had the same experience with attempting the splints and hearing a crunching noise. I’ve had pain #1 now for a little over two weeks. Dummie me, I’ve been stretching it thinking that would help. It hasn’t gotten any worse or better. I am going to continue icing and resting it. Thanks for the yoga rehab techniques I will incorporate those as well. I’m hoping it gets better so I can start running again. I have two races in coming up mid September and I haven’t been able to run since my injury because it is just too painful. Thanks again for the advice 🙂
Great post. It helps to see it broken down this way. I tore the labrum in my hip pretty bad nearly five years ago playing football and have had hip and butt/back pain since. I’ve had two surgeries and countless hours of PT to fix the hip, which is actually doing well. The pain in the butt (#3), however, is worse than ever. It feels fine when I’m walking but sitting down at work or when driving just kills me. Several MRIs, a CT scan and a bone scan all show nothing. It feels like it is super tight and sometimes burning. I would literally give any physical possession I have in my life to get rid of this pain.
Great article! Thank you!
It’s interesting for me because I’ve seen many therapists over the years of different types & still have hip/glute pain. This is the first time I’ve considered the adductors. I’m looking forward to seeing if this advice helps! Thanks again!
Thank you Dasha! Yes, the adductors are usually not the first place most folks look at, but I find that many, many people could use some strengthening there. I hope it will help you!
Curious as to what you might suggest for my condition.
I am healing from labrum tear and defragmenting surgery. (they found small pebbles of my femur floating around in there)
I have been dealing with this pain for 18 years so I’m aware there is a pelvic forward tilt on my right side that I am combatting now.
There is also pain (post surgery and there was a little soreness prior) in my bum. It seems to be around upper butter butt (#2)
I am still quite tight and working on stretching every day, but I still seem to have soreness. It’s like it is tense and I can’t relax it.
Some light exercises to improve the muscles around that area I can do, but no squats just yet, I just began to hold warrior poses for a few seconds.
What do you recommending moving forward to address the tilt and the pain?
Hi Courtney! Sorry to hear about your troubles. I usually need much more information to give recommendations in a complicated case like yours. I would need to see you move and talk about all kinds of other things to begin to be helpful. Have you done physical therapy? Following the guidelines they give you to restore function after the operation is usually the best way to go. If you ever want to have a private session with me over Skype, please let me know and we can set it up. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful!
Helped a lot actually I was in jeapordy of losing my position in Football because of this pain in my right buttock after an awkward tackle that led to my heel touching my head while I am on my back but thanks to me finally able to identify the issue I am not being recommened for varsity 😊
Hi Olgakabel,
Thanks for sharing this great article. Since 2 or more years I am having right knee pain and now it is aggravated to the right hip also (position #1). I have started cycling and swimming on regular basis .. still it relieves sometimes and sometimes just too much pain. It is behaving in a funny way. If I stop doing cycling for few days then I feel lesser pain then again it occurs. In my medical reports.. X-ray is normal, Vit-D is less. Also I have thyroid problem .. but Doctor told me that it is happening because my muscles around knee are weak. I have done all sort of exercises but it is increasing with the time. Could you please suggest what should I do?
Thanks
Hi Shweta! So sorry to hear about your knee troubles. Unfortunately, the knee often ends up on the receiving end of something that’s happening in the hips and ankles. Often working on adductors and abductors will have make the knees feel better. And certainly, strengthening the muscles around the knees should help. I do not have a specific practice for the knees yet (I plan to post one in the future), so for now I would recommend that you check out this book Yoga for Wellness by Gary Krafstsow that has a sample knee strengthening practice. You can also look for a qualified yoga therapist in your area, or you can schedule a Skype session with me, if you like. There are always a lot of variables in our bodies that need to be investigated and one size doesn’t fit all. I hope that you feel better soon!
Thanks Olga!! I am sorry, I saw your reply very late. Right knee pain is still there along with pain in glute and in feet too. I am taking some therapy and medication as of now.
I’ve been experiencing some sever pain in my lower back glut area .. Sharp pains especially when sitting and sleeping.
Also not able to fully stand up straight…
What can I do to heal this problem.
Please reply back I highly appreciate it
Thanks
Thanks for your expertise. Had 2 bouts of left side sciatica in last 2 months. Was given prednisone packs. Pain came back after using meds. Has eased up some. Now having right knee pain And right side pain deep in butt…lower and deeper than left side pain. I am 61 and 50 pounds overweight. My PC wants me to go for therapy but I have never heard of great results. Thinking of laser therapy??? I have never had xrays..do you recommend that before starting therapy of some sort. The pain comes often…losing weight will help I know.
Mom having low back into left buttock down the left leg. What is it how to treat?
Hi Jeanne! If your mom had never done yoga before it is best if she sees a doctor for her buttock pain. There are many different reasons why this can be happening and the doctor will be able to sort it out and recommend her an appropriate course of action. It’s best if she doesn’t experiment with any movement before consulting a professional.
For butt pain #3… in Step 1, it mentions contracting the SURROUNDING muscle… but how do I do that? What type of exercise would do that? Thanks!
Hi I have been experiencing pain in the front of my thighs as well as my glutes for the past year. it all started when I was doing a particular McKenzie exercise called the wall glide, for my herniated disc which was prescribed by pt. after doing this particular exercise the pain started in the front of my thighs and went into my foot. it felt like my thighs were separating from my legs. now the pain is constant and I need help. The glutes and adductors are tense all the time. Sitting causes the one muscle to push up into my hamstring rectum area which hurts in the sitting position . I don’t know what I should be doing for exercises at this time.
I am a guy. I was doing dead lift with light weights for multiple sets last week. I was feeling full of energy and kept going for more sets than I should. I felt a strain/tear in my lower back so I stopped. It was a little painful but nothing major. My back was a little sore but nothing big. A week later now, I am unable to sit on my left butt cheek due to pain that comes on right away. The pain also radiates down the back of the leg to my heels. Its like a pinching pain in the upper to mid butt area. The only thing that makes it better is walking or sleeping. This blows! I have to try those stretches for the piriformis syndrome. How long before it goes away?
OMG! I finally know what is wrong with my hip. Two years ago I came down with severe pain in, well, the butt that started inside my hip (sort of in the front), went down my leg to the outside of the knee and then to my foot right about between my little toe and toe #4. I was diagnosed with ITBS but that was not it. I see now that it’s the piriformis! I tried the movements that piriformis governs and lo and behold it hurts. The majority of the pain from two years ago is gone but I lost all the flexibility I used to have in this hip. Thank you so much for the exercises and stretches. I will definitely try them and see what happens. I hope I can get rid of the remaining pain for good and get my hip working again like it used to.
BTW Olga, this is a fabulous website. Thank you very much! Dziekuje. 🙂
It is 12 am, i was sleeping and out of the sudden i felt for the firs time this very intense pain, feels almost like a burning pain on my lower left buttocks. I cannot sleep any more, it last like 15 seconds stops and it comes again every 5-10 minutes. Please help!! I am scared. Its very intense!! I stopped going to the gym 6 month ago and now i sit a lot in this unconfortable chair at the office. I will brung a cushion tiday. Not much excersise anymore…maybe its time to start again. Please let me know what is this??? I need this to stop!! Its too painful it comes every 5 minutes!!
I have the same problem, I can’t sleep because of the pain, When I change my position while sleeping, The pain deep in my right Butt cheek hurts so bad and it last for about 15 Sec and come and go every 15-20 min. I went to the Doctor and they said that my Muscle was spasma and tightens around the sciatica nerve.
WOW it worked!!!!!
Made sense driving 14 hours + hours in days thanks
The first example is what am experiencing.Please give me solutions through +2347030964196 thanks
thanks for sharing
Have a High Hamstring Tendon pull with possible piriformis strain as well. Starting to do you program for both conditions. Have a question? how often should I do the stretches…once a day or three times a day (stage 1-3 for hamstring) and IRT to exercise. Can I ride a stationary bike with a Hamstring tendon pull?
Thanks , Jim Wucher
For guys only my pain stared with cialis,this might not be related to y”all all just a thought.
I’ve suffered from lower back pain for 8 years working thought it with pain meds and long work days doing HVAC, refrigeration and all other commercial kitchen equipment. It took me fighting tooth and nail to get a second MRI after 6 years since last one. After finally getting a second MRI my degeneration had become spinal stenosis, foraminal narrowing, bulge/herniation and degeneration disease. Hooray me. 1 month ago or so while on short term disability my left leg became extremely painful running the entire legnth from back of butt to few inches above knee. Thought I strained a muscle somehow which was a mystery to me due to no strenuous activity. Now I know for sure my sciatic nerve now is going to make me scream in pain and do weird posses randomly like I’m taking a dump in the woods trying to avoid escalating pain. Thanks for all the information and I really hope other people have better luck then I do….
Good work, this will help many people who don’t understand this kind of ailments.
Tried all strech but can not find relief for pain #3 any other suggestions.
What do u do if you actually have all three of these? Any tips? I just got platelets shot into my butt. I do have slight torn labrum and impingement too.
My question might have been answered, but here it is anyway. 🙂
My butt seems to strain easily (when I sit on it wrong or something along that line). It’s only my right butt cheak that always gives me pain– but massaging the knots in my tendons seems to slowly make it better.
Hello Sir,
I am 30 years old. And I have pain starting from my left buttock to thigh muscles (sometimes right side too). Even if I walk for some distance I get severe pain and sometimes while sleeping I get pain. The pain goes and come. I don’t know how to identify whether it’s sciatica, piriformis, etc., kindly help me in this which I have been suffering for 3 years!
Hi Olga,
Thank you for this wonderful information. It has truly made a difference! One question I would like to ask you is, are there any treatment options for scenario 1? I am currently doing light stretching to relieve the pain but so far it is ineffective (I injured my hamstring 2 weeks ago). Thank you!
Best,
Kylo
I massaged my butt muscles with a tennis ball and now it hurts worst than ever. I’ve laid on my stomach for eight days still no relief…. Help
I am 67 years old and have been going to a gym for an exercising strengthening class for the last 6 months – I have osteoporosis and my doctor has recommended exercises. My last class we started using weights when we were doing squats. The next day my lower back hurt and my legs and now my tail bone hurts and both sides of my but burns and hurts when I sleep and sit – is there anything I can do to relieve this pain?
Thank you so much for adressing these specifically. I am having the pain decribred in #2 and it has made me useless. I am young but have been usless to myself and my family. I cannot bend over or walk or even sit without serious pain. I am seeing a chiropractor and will put these suggestions to use. Thanks again.
Hi there, thank you very much for the explanation. I felt on my bedroom and I landed on my buttocks hitting the corner of a table . !!! I know so stupid !! I do and teach yoga and Zumba …perfect accident to sabotage my life !! I am so angry with myself!!! Any way it is 3:00 am and the pain, from the buttocks where I hit my self with a pointy corner, is sharp and goes a long the hamstrings I can sleep for 3 hours and then the pain wakes me up. I felt 11 days ago. The first 4,days I put ice and I took a strong antiflamatory and it was great . No pain …after that I have woke every night after 3 hours of sleep. I don’t know what to do! Desperate, specially because I teach yoga and Zumba. Should I don’t stretch? More ice ? I am so worried….and sad and the worse I would look older tomorrow because I haven’t slept !!! Help !!! Please …..xxxxx
I find those skeleton diagrams misleading. Sometimes, I can’t tell whether it’s the left leg or the right. Also, how long are you supposed to hold the stretches? Those diagrams don’t tell me enough.
I have what appears to be the first type of pain in my right glute.
Hi Travis! Those diagrams are not meant to be practices, they are used for illustrative purposes. There are also links to three full practices within the post that you can try. If you have pain #1 you can try this practice.
When you’ve got pain in the center of your butt from sitting around on your Ass and playing video games all day, you know it’s time to start exercising.
I having been doing tap out lately and now am experiencing a butt pain….its hurting so much especially when I bend.what medicine can you recommend for me?
Thank you for the information. I walked for about ten miles today and had the worst pain. This article was spot on and helped tremendously!
I believe I have pain #3. I don’t remember when I started to feel pain on my glute but it was definitely after this 5,000 mile road trip I went on a month ago. It’s on the center/slightly left side of my buttock. It generally hurts when I walk, however the pain diminishes when I lift my knee higher when walking. It comes and goes; some days it hurts and some days I don’t feel it. Today I worked on my legs at the gym and now the pain is stronger. I did not do lunges or squats but it would hurt with leg press (it would hurt if I I got my glutes too close to my ankles, so I didn’t push that far). I’m thinking of seeing a doctor but was wondering what could it be?
My husband has the pain in the buttocks when he sits it’s a constant pain and he can’t sleep on his bottom he has to lay on one side for about a week now I’m telling him he needs to go to the Dr but he refused
Is there a fourth reason for pain in the butt?? I not only have the pain but I also have a chronically contracted psoas muscle. Any pose with intraabdominal pressure such as cobra, up dog and especially bridge cause the pain to increase. Forward bending is a problem only very early in the morning. Sleep in more than two hours at a time is a gift these days. Any suggestions?
I adore this site – its so usefull and helpfull
This article just about save my life. This allowed me to find the source of my pain (piriformis). Pigeon pose and strengthening my abductors has changed my life. Thank you!
Thanks for the info. Describing the location of the pain helped and very good remedies. I do drive alot and that was basically the culprit.
It’s very useful
I have had a pain in the bum cheek on the left side and it is so pain full walking sitting down and laying down what is the best treatment?
Hi I am having “Pain in the butt #2: Outer/upper butt pain.” for my left leg. Pain get worst if I sleep on left side. Tried chiropractor, acupuncture nothing worked so far. Could you please give me 2 or 3 effective exercises for this problem.
Thank you for some advice and techniques to use to relieve a lot of pain in buttocks.
Sincerely,
Stephanie
Thankyou
thank you but how do i get rid of the pain? is there medication i can take? this pain started right after i stopped exercising a lot. however i noticed when i walk fast the pain is very minor, but on any other day regular walking is very difficult, getting comfortable in bed and standing up from a sitting position.
The stick figures of people are very confusing. I am not a exercise buff so there for I dont understand the language of the article. Would really like to relieve the pain so that’s why I am asking for real pictures or videos of the moves and how many times they should be performed. Thank you in advance.
Hello there, i found this article very helpful and informative. I have been struggling with hip pain, higher but pain for almost 2 years now seen chiro and pt and its been more help then paying someone… I just have an inquiry and it might be a long shot. Ive been told that my right hip is higher by 1 1/2 inches then my left. My pain has now went from right hip down to right knee and now left ankle. I notice more muscle on my left leg then my right leg. I feel like this may have something to do with my steel toe boots at work. I was wondering if maybe you knew of any other workout regimens i could perform to be pain free. Im very healthy and have lots of muscle and am very lean. I know my boundaries but i could really use some help. Im willing to pay to fix this as it bothers me everyday. All day. I did buldge my s1 and i ended up buldging it back into place from youtube videos and recovering after a month. But this pain i have aches all day and has kept me out of the gym. It was something i loved to do. I really hope you still check thos thread. Thanks in advance
Can you save my life? I have extreme pain in both cheeks. Sitting is near impossible. Standing and walking are fine. Sitting and laying on back are unbearable. Since it started in 2012, I have had 2 back surgeries, but neither cured the excruciating pain. I take a lot of Percocet to numb it somewhat, going on 2 years now. It’s extreme, sharp, constant pain. It never ceases. Like a pitchfork in both cheeks at point of contact. Please help.
I had my massage therapist recommend getting tennis balls to sit on at the pet shop… the ones for dogs are a bit smaller than the regular size ones. I bought a pack and keep on in each car we have and one in a tote bag for when we travel by air. It helped my pain a lot (hurts a little at first but you get use to it and it eases the pain). Just a tip… I hope it may help bring you some relief.
I am willing to try “anything”! Where do you place the balls? Center of buns, one side or the other??
wherever the pain stems from. Give it a try and move them around until you find the right spot.
Tennis balls saved my life! Good call Lynn!
Hi! I have a question, i have the pain type 2, i think i have this problem from squatting becuase all the time i was felling that only my right leg and glute is working but i continued to the point where my pain was when i was spleeping and walking. I did a lot of streching for front splits too and was the same only right leg pain in the butt. I saw the yoga exercises for abductor and adductors and can you tell me if the strechind for middle splits will help for abductors and adductors I wanna do the middle splits really
Hey,
This is an extremely informational article. I wish the exercises were demonstrated with photos. Some of the skeleton drawings are very difficult to understand, and I gave up trying to follow those. Just my perspective.
I have had pain in right buttocks and down right leg for over 2 years and have had injections twice no success and physical therapy twice no help! Pleas7help withthis constant pain!!
The pain in my buttock start after i took an injection, i can’t sleep comfortably, mos of the time i feel very uncomfortable to walk, can’t sit for a long period of time, i think the injection cause it.
Great advice. I have pain in upper buttock. Sometimes on both sides. Hurts to touch skin. Some days nothing. For many years 20+ I wore very tight stretch jean with elastic waist. Sometimes my outher thigh would become so sensitve I would have to turn over (while sleeping). When I touch where pain is the muscle hurts. My pain is not deep inside. I have read an article that says sometimes wearing tight clothing these symptoms can appear. Sometimes the muscles gets like a rock. I have used every brand of muscle creams, roll ins act. Since I worked for 26 yrs for drs. I don’t like going to them. I am otherwise a very healthy young 72 yr old. Any help or ideas would be appreciated. 😍
I was just curious to find out, if Pain Type I could be the cause of wearing the wrong type of tennis shoes? The reason I ask is because a couple of months ago I purchased some feather-weight tennis shoes, I feel like I’m walking on air but noticed that the back of my upper thigh and just underneath the butt region I feel a bruise-like pain, it hurts when sitting, standing, and with slight bending or squatting.
Really good info.
Thank you this info was very helpful.
Thank you for this information Olga! I’m so happy I found your site and will be exploring it in depth.
I fell down my stairs backwards 5 years ago and am still suffering thoughout my buttocks and upper legs. Besides the obvious head/neck/back impact injuries, I seem to have squished my piriformis muscle which in turn put pressure on my sciatic nerve. After 18 months of physiotherapy and prescribed home exercises, I was finally at a point where I didn’t feel the need for amputation at the waist.
I didn’t realize until I started playing softball this year that my butt pain isn’t always in the same place as when I originally injured myself and kept telling my hubby that I felt my tendons and muscles under my butt had been shortened and this was compromising my mobility (and causing owies!).
I’m now fairly convinced that on top of the piriformis/sciatic issue, I have probably injured my hamstring tendons by either constantly stretching to relieve my sciatica or just being myself and not wanting to stop moving! (instead of going to the clinic after my fall, I rubbed some dirt on it and wend to work; curse you adrenaline making me think I’m Wolverine!)
I had given-up on yoga, which broke my heart, as I was no longer able to hold even the easier positions either because of pain, weakness, tightness or simply being unable to get my body into the poses but now I feel I can give it a whirl after completing your suggested therapy.
Thank you again!!
I had that horrible pain in the lower butt, after searching in the internet, I read that could’ve been caused by a lack of vitamin B12, I started taking the vitamin and the pain never came back again.
Thanks for your help
while water skiing got in a bad position, I felt or heard a loud pop, the pain is in my left but cheek down to the back of the knee. leg is swollen and hurts to sit or move.
Oh boy, I had this similar pop when taking off a pair of muck boots in January… the pop was right from the lower buttocks area where it meets the upper leg. I did some checking and think that is the start of the hamstring. Happy to say that taking my arnica montana right away for a few days really helped and over time it pretty much totally healed. Only had some remnant aches until about a month or so ago. I hope you will heal fully and in good time.
Hi Olga,
I truly enjoyed your post. I’ve been having a constant ache with #1 and if I walk for a long time #2 shows up. I’ve been extremely anxious and concerned about both of them. But now I feel more at ease.
After reading your post I’ve also realized that I made the problem worse, especially with regards to #1. I was constantly trying to stretch it out. My left hamstring feels swollen, very tight and extremely hard at the moment.
A bulge have now developed behind my left knee. Thank goodness I’m able to walk for short distances pain free.
I feel it’s time to see a doctor.
Thanks again.
Very good advice. Never had a back problem before. I’m using but#3. As a van driver for the railroad I been sitting for 30 years. I am applying heat and ice and the yoga as I can. The pain is tremendous. I donated 4 ft.of skin to a burn patient in 1994. I hope to handle this pain with positive mediation. The opioids only give you something else to fix. Thanks.Sandy
I’m 51 years old, 6’1”/190 lbs (so not overweight) and go to the gym 4-5 days a week, but I can barely bend over to tie my shoes due to lower back and glute soreness. I have been dealing with this issues for a few years and decided to speak with my Doctor about it. He suggested PT, so I went to PT for a few months and didn’t really see an improvement in my condition. They told me my hamstrings were very tight, but after months of stretching/strengthening and many $$ later, my condition hasn’t changed. I am sore every day and i have tried stretching daily, but don’t know if I am aggravating a pre-existing condition by pushing a little to hard. I shouldn’t feel like this at my age, yet I feel like an 85 year old man! I have started standing at my desk using a lift desk, so I am on my feet most of the day and not sitting. What do I need to do to get relief? I’m desperate! If I adhere to this plan, will I see an improvement? Thanks!
I have had xrays, MRIs, catscans, PT, acupuncture, cupping, electrode stimulation devices, PS stretches etc. All the VA indicated is that it is piriformis syndrome for the past 20 years…shouldnt it have gone away by now. I keep going back to try any latest therapy options. My pain is only limited to my butt & hips, both sides but can switch off at times. Pain is dull on a daily basis, on the worse days a leg will give out and makes it hard to walk. Is this really piriformis syndrome? I am only 38 years old! Thank you
Pl tell me some remedy for my pain I got swelling in my left butt and persistent pain with raise in temp. For 3 days guide me what to do to get relief from the pain
Found your blog when looking up the source of my “butt” pain. Thanks answered a lot of questions and very helpful.
When I was 15-16 I stepped in a hole, which made me fall backwards. My leg did not bend, I felt a shock go up my leg, right to the buttock. (My left) And ever since then I experience a bad cramp like in my buttock. It mostly happens when I sit on a hard flat surface. What actually happened?
I delivered everything from pizza to beer, medical supplies to flowers. I drove compact cars to 18 wheelers cross country. I thought for a long time I had it easy. Not any more. I am only 52 and suffer daily with low back and neck pains. Thanks for the advice on working my muscles.
I have terrible pain in my butt for 10 years food affect it too. doctors cannot find anything wrong, yes I am in so much pain I can’t work or really go anywhere
I have sciatic nerve problems myself. I’ll be 18 February 3rd. I appreciate this post, right now I’m not able to sit down or lay. If it stands it helps but I took a nap and had to set on a pillow with my knees and lay across my bed to be able to. The tension is in my left cheek, I can’t do stretches neither because it feels the pain is growing much worse. I’ve tried to do some and it feels like I’m locking up and it’s getting titer.
I have started by left buttlock pain with lifting heavydeadlift, four years ago it still hurt and sometimes makes noises of cracks,ican easily run do gym but i always feel its there and go worse after run , any solutions?
I’ve had pain standing, walking, and along my leg for over 3 years. Also my groin muscles was very tight and I assumed that was partly causing the pain along with tight T-Band and piriformis syndrome. The area in my upper butt was extremely tender to the touch so I was deep tissue massaging the area to no avail. Well, I found your article and after only 3 days of side leg lifts my tenderness in upper butt is 95% gone. I’m amazed. Thank you for posting your article and helping me with my chronic pain.
My 85 year old lady had fallen broke her tailbone now is that why she can’t walk
I am jst 17 years old girl but i m having hip pain for more than 1 week when i sit for a long time it hurts or when o walk it also hurts and when i get up from sleep then also it hurts what should i do it hurts even when i cough or sneeze i am giving my isc but due to this pains i cannot concentrate on my studies plzzz help me out
I believe it’s the sciatica nerve that’s bothering me in my butt cheek! I’ve had it going on about a month now! Uncomfortable sleeping or sitting!! Pain shoots down to my knee!! What can I do ??
Hi Olga, Thank you for all these exercises! Could you recommend which practice would be most helpful for dead butt syndrome, aka, gluteus medius tendinosis?
I love all your videos and am so grateful to you!
Namaste
Thanks very helpful
Hi
Wonder if anyone can help me, about 9 weeks ago, I had a fall on upper buttocks, week after experienced a back spasm on right of back, then a fortnight after that I began to experience a lot of pain around the buttocks, the pain also travelling all over the back and tail bone, had xray and was advised pain not bone related, could be nerve, muscle damage, on tramadol and due to attend physio in few weeks, the pain remains around back and buttocks, sometimes knees, hip bones and feet, would appreciate any advice
how are you doing now?
I had an injury to the same area a week ago. As I was going to sit on a log around a campfire, it fell over and then I landed hard onto the side of it (which had a bump on it where a branch had been).
The pain has been intense. It hurts even if I sneeze.
Getting in and out of bed requires some new approaches to reduce feeling the pain.
Well I have sharp pins and needdles where sphincter is(thats where it feels like) and it only happens in a great while just randomly twice a day or 3 times a month with no ryhm or reason.
Hi, I started having issues last year and was doing pretty good. When my piriformis would act up a little, I would walk the stairs and everything seemed ok. Well yesterday I bent over to pull out my scale and it was like someone took my butt muscle and twisted it! I yelled because it hurt so bad. I am having problems walking and have to move my left leg very slow to put socks and shoes on. I am taking Advil right now but I am wondering if I should see a orthopedic regarding this. I got xrays last year and was put on muscle relaxers but it took a LONG TIME to heal. I danced professionally for the NFL and over did stuff way back when and it was my left hamstring that I always had a problem with. It is still hard to stretch like I want still today. Any suggestions on a quicker recovery?
I would like to receive your videos. Thank you. They are clearly presented.
I am so miserable I have been to the doctor time and time and time again all they do is give me more pills and tell me to come back in 30 days I feel like killing myself I can’t sit I can’t stand I can’t I can’t do anything without excruciating pain I am 49 years old I was involved in a serious car accident when I was 18 which broke my pelvis and femur that pain was no comparison to what I feel now what am I going to do if I can’t get a doctor to understand and care what else is there to do
Hello Beverly, I hope you’re doing better. I came across your comment here. I pray you’ve found some relief and hope. Where do you live? My chiropractor in Lexington KY has decompression machines that are healing back and neck pain. http://Www.todaychiropractic.com. Lifting you in prayer. – Erin
I looked up my pain and found your site my butt muscles and legs are hurting. You suggested some yoga poses i will try.
I highly recommend the tree pose
What doctor should I see for these kinds of pain in the butt? I am taking Myonal now, but every night when I lie in bed, the pain comes back again.
Very useful! No wonder pigeon hasn’t help with my pain at all, than you!
Good morning I have read your column and have found it to be very informative. I have been suffering from a muscle injury in the lower back butt area which is very painful especially when I wake up in the mornings. I am doing the stretching which is very painful. Should I continue ?
I have congenital defects of spine, pain, several surgeries then gave up after second fusion failed. Recently BurstDR implant for back, arms, hands, shoulders…week before bad pain down buttocks esp right one. Very painful. Always hard to walk and get up now hurts when sitting also. Periformis? Middle of buttock to thigh. Implant for crps/rsd
i am having pain in my buttcheek the left back of my leg an hip it hurt it get stiff feel sore painfully some time I can’t move it it hurt or Ben it hurt I sit for 30 40 min try move it get up it hurt like hell I try Ben put my clothes it hurt what is this sick of the pain I even walk with a limp
I can’t sit on anything, if I do, it feels like I’m sitting on rocks! Any answers to my delima? I just had a lower back ablation too.
i RODE A BIKE FOR ABOUT 20 MILES IN QUEBEC,AND I PINCHED THE SKIN,THIS HURTS SO MUCH AT TIMES,,IM USING ICE COLD FOR RELIEF,AND I USE ICE,AND A MASSAGER,I WORE JEANS,(BIG MISTAKE),SO IF I ROLL THE SKIN BETWEEN MY FINGERS,USING MASSAGE OIL,WILL IT EVENTUALLY GO BACK,IM IN TORONTO.
I fell in a grocery store. I fractured my ankle and the next morning I noticed central butt pain. The way my butt hit the floor my leg went under my shoes leaving a big bruise. I got hurt worse thing I couldn’t get any help in the store. Now I have to see a orthopedic doctor them you know what I am doing. Right I need to be compensated
Thanks for the information
I am 74 yrs old . while getting up from the toilet I got a pain down my right all the way to my ancle. the pain was like an electrical shock,( I never want to be eletrocutoted) the pain was so intence I could not stand on my right foot or leg and it was as if my foot had gone to sleep. now I am having really bad pain in my right butt cheek that stops me from doing anything. I use a heating pad on my cheek with some relief, lidocaine 4% works for a while but the pain comes back. will it go away or will have the pain for the rest of my life. it is really a pain in the as*
I had back n neck surgery a yr ago I’ve had many problems. Now I’ve developed butt pain on both cheeks and it’s terrible, I’ve had it for about a week and I just don’t know what to do about it, my doc is not very aggressive
Very Informative And Helpful. 👍🏼
in #2 for upper outer buttock pain what is the 3rd exercise on the infographic that you are suggesting?
I have fibromyalgia and my gluteus maximus muscle has bad pain and heat helps some what what kind of exercises are they to help it from helping. No ice works my doctor days I can use heat,I need relief
I slipped on the stairs and it started to pain in my butt.. After a few hours pain reduced but i felt more pain in intergluteal cleft muscle (hope I’m calling it right, the muscles just above hip cut) and it aches badly especially when i try to stand up. Or when i change my posture while sitting or sleeping. I don’t find any exercise on internet for this and don’t know when and how this pullwd muscle will heal
Hi, my pain for 2yrs, almost to the day is right at the base of my butt, almost tucked under nearer the left rather than right side of the right leg, if this makes any sense, please diagnose as physio has not helped, thank you in advance
Advice for someone who has all 3?
Ive had pain in the #1 area for 2 years. Ive always referred to it as sciatica because its a throbbing knifelike electric pain which sometimes shoots down my posterior thigh. Ive had a lumbar spine mri which found a mild herniation at L4. I tried PT, oral steroids, acupuncture, chiro, a steroid injection into piriformis and last week an epidural steroid injection into L4L5 and L5S1. No relief. Dr. says maybe SI joint. Problems first began when i was running up a flight of stairs and felt a weird pop somewhere in my buttock. Severe pain from that day on….. What could this be? Pain is relentless and is with me most of the time except originally seemed to have subsided about 6 weeks after onset.
This is very informative and I’m relieved to find
that my butt pain isn’t just in my head. Some of this is over my head, but I’m sure a little research will clarify all for me.
Thanks!
Mine right now is the first one! I think it’s cute that you think I can do the “crab”, or even touch my toes. I guess I’ll just do what I can manage. lol I think it happened when I put my back out and was sitting in a weird position and favouring that leg when walking to alleviate the pain. Now it’s just moved from my lower back to my lower buttock instead. *sigh*
This was very interest but didn’t quite drs I e my problem. My pain in the butt is like #2 except that it comes and goes and it radiates up my right side to my waist level. If I walk it eases up
Thank you! This hit spot on the pain I’ve been experiencing. Great information! Appreciate the recommendation on how to correct it!
Hi Iv started to get a pain in my butt going down to my leg 5 years ago I had an accident with a train my leg got court in a train door it hasn’t been right since
After reading all is like i am describing my self make total seance however the exercise is not clear, i have been to the doctor and had exray done on my Heart vains legs the whole work thanks very much for sharing.
Thanks for sharing the valuable information.
I have had a hip replacement last october and I am still in pain it driving me crazy two weeks ago I had a other operation key hole I now have so much pain can’t do much the specialist said I have fluid inflammation I don’t know what to do I can’t do very much I.
It really does sound like it’s going to be your Sciatica Nerve. But if it continues and they tell you that’s not the problem. Then you very well could end up having a ruptured disc,I would see a really good Neurologist and have them do a Myla gram ! That will the Dr. Everything that he needs to know! Been through this Twice back in 2000. Good luck
I got benefitted by your exercises
Good information was shared, thanks for this.
I lifted some heavy plaster boards now I’ve got a nagging pain in top Bum check what is this
Very good article shared, thanks for this.
You have shared a really good article, Thanks for this.
Am having pain in the upper/outer butt pain and I will try remedy. At first I thought it was a hip pan probably caused by the moving of the bed when I was cleaning. First I couldn’t pin exactly where the pain was coming from. Difficult walking, sleeping or even standing up.
Thank you.