sciatic nerve flare up?

[RAIDEN]

Good question R but something may be missing in your history.

Which is? How does one make the association that a particular "pain" that BB/Lifters are having is of a musculoskeletal (tendon, ligaments, bone, MUSCLE) origin or of NEUROGENIC (related to nerves) causation?

Generally the best answer is, neurogenic pain is associated with NUMBNESS or pain "that radiates" into different regions and causes "weird sensations" called dysesthesias.

Making this distinction is important because neurogenic pain is often the result of some form of a COMPRESSION caused by various MS derangements, some of which are optimally treated with surgical decompression.

I will also say "sciatica" has been used by commoners and physicians alike as a trash bag diagnosis for back pain "that doesn't make sense".

The Sciatic nerve is largest peripheral nerve in the human body and encompasses those nerve roots from L2-3 to S-1-2, which supply the perineal area and the lower extremity (but not the hams)

So when it's compressed or irritated symptoms generally involve structures about the gluteus, thigh and leg.

So R is your pain localized to the glute region OR is "numbness" also a feature? If the pain is localized the problem is most likely to be MUSCULAR ""pulled a muscle, tendon, ligament etc" and very unlikely to be sciatica. Did you try any different squat techniques two days ago. Like elevating the heels. toes angled way out or in, etc?

Regs
Jim

to be honest, i dont understand half of the stuff you just said, i need it dumbed down a lil. The doctor lingo/diagnosis/language/medical term talk is above my grade level. All i know is it hurts like a bitch when it flares up, and want to hear if others have experienced similar pain in same area. To answer a few of your questions...

1. There is no numbness type pain, but more like a charlie horse type with a slight burning pain. Best way i can describe is it feels like a bad glute shot or the first time you pin your glutes or use high dosed gear that hurts the spot for days.

2. Squatting like usual, toes slightly pointed outward, been doing front squats again for awhile. However i dont think toe placement and stuff is gonna make that big of a deal. I have squatted heavy and leg pressed heavy in same day and didnt have this flare up before. It can happen once a month or every few months, not necissarily dependent on if i squatted, leg pressed etc.

Soooo... to those who have this similar issue, is there anything you guys/girls recommend to do BEFORE leg day workout to keep this from happening?

 

[Bigwhite]

Dbol will make mine flare up. I felt it was the inflammation from holding extra water weight that dbol causes...

 

[hardpr]

raiden i say try a chiropractor. i never used them in the past and used think they were witch doctors to be honest. but after suffering a back pull out i used one several times and always had great results. its worth a try.

 

[kjetil1234]

Mate, this is almost guaranteed piriformis syndrome, aka false sciatica.

Stretch your piriformis and make sure your glute max is firing correctly. Usually a piriformis compensation happens with dysfunctional firing in glute max.

Make sure your hinging with your hip and NOTTT your back.

Hope this helps.

 

[RAIDEN]

Mate, this is almost guaranteed piriformis syndrome, aka false sciatica.

Stretch your piriformis and make sure your glute max is firing correctly. Usually a piriformis compensation happens with dysfunctional firing in glute max.

Make sure your hinging with your hip and NOTTT your back.

Hope this helps.

i just looked this up and sounds almost identical. It says can be triggered by sitting for prolonged periods or certain kind of excersizes involving legs or hips. Thanks man i will keep this in mind. Welcome to TID bud.

 

[kjetil1234]

Definitely piriformis syndrome bro. Stretch your piriformis and do glute bridges to activate your glute max (it's likely dysfunctional).

Does you feet point out in a "duck walk" when you walk?

Thanks !

 

[dr jim]

to be honest, i dont understand half of the stuff you just said, i need it dumbed down a lil. The doctor lingo/diagnosis/language/medical term talk is above my grade level. All i know is it hurts like a bitch when it flares up, and want to hear if others have experienced similar pain in same area. To answer a few of your questions...

1. There is no numbness type pain, but more like a charlie horse type with a slight burning pain. Best way i can describe is it feels like a bad glute shot or the first time you pin your glutes or use high dosed gear that hurts the spot for days.

2. Squatting like usual, toes slightly pointed outward, been doing front squats again for awhile. However i dont think toe placement and stuff is gonna make that big of a deal. I have squatted heavy and leg pressed heavy in same day and didnt have this flare up before. It can happen once a month or every few months, not necissarily dependent on if i squatted, leg pressed etc.

Soooo... to those who have this similar issue, is there anything you guys/girls recommend to do BEFORE leg day workout to keep this from happening?

========================================================================
SORRY I JUST NOTICED YOUR REPLY TODAY Raiden, seriously!!

But R your much brighter than you contend and I know that mate.

I only ask these type of questions to aid my INTERNET evaluation! I mean it's all I've got to work with Raiden and it's often quite limited at that. But please try to understand for me to make a legitimate effort at treating a particular condition it's best to have a general idea what the diagnosis is.

However the fact is the answers you provided essentially exclude classic "Sciatica" and also greatly diminish the possibility of a Nerve Root compression from say a "herniated disk". Thru the process of elimination less common conditions, on a relative basis, such PS become the more likely problem.

Many explanations or theories of PS have been proposed but one I believe is highly suspect in AAS users is the development of a hematoma (blood clot) nearby the piriformis muscle itself, and subsequent scar tissue formation.

Incidentally body posture can and does effect how hard and often the Piriformis muscle fires which may cause P spasm and the symptoms your describing. More importantly this can and does change as we age and or develop differing muscles of the pelvis, hips and lumbar spine musculature.

It seems your on spot with your condition now R so God speed

Best
jim

 

[uphillclimb]

For me:

Scoliosis at the T-6
C1/C2 push my neck out over 2.25 inches (basically extend your chin forward)
completely subluxated my sacrum last year
Broke my coccyx
Swollen and bulging L4/L5

The worst for me is being in a car for over 60-90 mins at a clip. I get complete numbness and a radiating pain from where my hammy meets the seat on the side of my leg all the way down into my calf and then my right foot goes completely numb.

It's all stretches and inversion table therapy with a chiro session here and there to curb it. Haven't found a cure myself but then again, my back is so utterly fukked.

 

[kjetil1234]

For me:

Scoliosis at the T-6
C1/C2 push my neck out over 2.25 inches (basically extend your chin forward)
completely subluxated my sacrum last year
Broke my coccyx
Swollen and bulging L4/L5

The worst for me is being in a car for over 60-90 mins at a clip. I get complete numbness and a radiating pain from where my hammy meets the seat on the side of my leg all the way down into my calf and then my right foot goes completely numb.

It's all stretches and inversion table therapy with a chiro session here and there to curb it. Haven't found a cure myself but then again, my back is so utterly fukked.

Sounds like a really bad case of posterior pelvic tilt. Forward head posture, low back hinging, glute inhibition and piriformis substitution.
You need to be diehard with your homework to get out of this.

Firstly, diaphragmatic breathing and deep abdominal wall activation, aswell as ability to create an intraabdominal pressure.
Second, activating the glute max.
Third, learning to hinge at the hip
Fourth, thoracic extension and getting the cervical spine back in alignment.

You'll also need deep tissue therapy in various places. Likely the flexors and extensors of the neck, scalenes, pec minor, levator scapula, rhomboids, piriformis... List goes on...
Sorry bro :/ There IS hope though.

 

[uphillclimb]

Sounds like a really bad case of posterior pelvic tilt. Forward head posture, low back hinging, glute inhibition and piriformis substitution.
You need to be diehard with your homework to get out of this.

Firstly, diaphragmatic breathing and deep abdominal wall activation, aswell as ability to create an intraabdominal pressure.
Second, activating the glute max.
Third, learning to hinge at the hip
Fourth, thoracic extension and getting the cervical spine back in alignment.

You'll also need deep tissue therapy in various places. Likely the flexors and extensors of the neck, scalenes, pec minor, levator scapula, rhomboids, piriformis... List goes on...
Sorry bro :/ There IS hope though.

It's been years of issues and false hope through multiple sought out roads of remedy.....I live with it.

Have done everything you can think of to try and get this fixed....I just try and deal with it as best I can with inv table/chiro and occasional PT (did PT for months in multiple areas and really didn't do shit).

 

[uphillclimb]

When I say years, I literally mean since the early 90s....had some great doctors and trainers work on me only to continue to revert back to discomfort and pain. I protect myself with how I sit, sleep etc for preventative measures but honestly, I'm tired of running tests to get another bullshit opinion.

 

[kjetil1234]

It's been years of issues and false hope through multiple sought out roads of remedy.....I live with it.

Have done everything you can think of to try and get this fixed....I just try and deal with it as best I can with inv table/chiro and occasional PT (did PT for months in multiple areas and really didn't do shit).

Sadly, most physicians don't have a clue about sports injuries. It's not really rocket science.

If the tissues are undamaged, or at least not torn, you're likely dealing with poor stabilization. It's almost always an issue.

Rotator cuff and scapular stability is a must. They also are requires to move correctly. A common issue is that the scapula does not follow the humerus with posterior rotation and abduction, but instead elevates. That's a recipe for frozen shoulder and impingement.

Second is rotator cuff stability, when the small stabilizers do not adequately centrated the humeral head in the socket.

Sometimes, excessively tight triceps, biceps, delts and coraco brachialis have potential to pull the humerus out of axis. These also need assessment. These are specific things that almost never happen with the general population. Mainly meatheads.

Don't give up. If there's nothing torn, it IS fixable.