PIZZ

Anyone else get a sprained Piriformis muscle from biking? First sign for me is a pain in my calf. Its very annoying! I get this periodically and have to take a few days of riding for ice and stretching. Curious if anyone experiences the same thing and what saddles you might be using that helps

Abe Froman

This past September I was riding a lot (for me) then I began to have a pain in my ass. Left side gluteal. I stopped riding and the pain got worse and worse. I went to three doctors. First one said it was a strained gluteal, second one shrugged and agreed with the first, third one couldnt tell but said it wasnt a gluteal and sent me to physical therapy.

Physical therapist said I had a classic case of Piriformis syndrome. She also doubted it was caused by biking. Also thought I could also have had hamstring tendinitis or bursitis.

Basically, nobody knew for sure.

What I know for sure is I had intense pain in my left glute. Pain was really intense upon standing from either lying or sitting. The pain got progressively worse. At its peak i would gasp audibly upun standing and i avoided going out in public. I could barely walk and temporarily lost use of my left calf. Pain was so bad I missed a couple days work and on a few occasions I was nearly driven to tears by the most intense pain (ass, hamstring, calf and feet)I have felt in my life.

It started on September 23rd, by Christmas I resigned myself to just live with what was now a constant dull pain. I had not been riding a bike during this time because cycling aggravated my condition. I was able to lift weights, do eltical and PT.

January 2nd I started back riding. Today, April 19 I still have some very slight pain after rides. I'm only riding 2-3 times per week (maybe 75 miles total).

My saddle was and still is a brooks.

Piriformis Syndrome is a hard one to diagnose. Lots of other things can cause similar symptoms, including hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors and spinal problems.

PIZZ

For me its caused by overuse of the muscle. I usually do the Piriformis stretch which helps a great deal along with icing. Getting off the addle frequently and not sitting in the same position for too long also helps a great deal. I was using an arrowhead San Marco saddle but find it doesnt provide enough flex.