TravelBiker

I did not really see any section of the forum with this info inside. Does anyone have leg/backside/back nerve pain while cycling? i developed this within the last year or so and its been not so fun. last year i think i got the piriformis by lifting heavy luggage down the stairs but this was exacerbated by lifting my bike up and down 5 flights of stairs everyday for 1 month plus riding 10 to 20 miles a day every single day.

Anyone have similar problem? how did you deal with it? i had to stop riding for a few months to let the symptoms clear but now it comes back a bit when i put in a long ride.

headwind15

You did not say how you arrived at your diagnosis or your age. A while back, I thought that I had pirformis syndrome, but it was a self diagnosis so I kept on trying to work it by lying on a baseball. Eventually, I figured out that I had a muscle imbalance and have been working on strengthening my glutes with weights. A warning should be placed on the many you tube videos of glute strengthening without weight(s). Results end up being disappointing. I do not know if this helps???

TravelBiker

Thanks ill try. My dad is an MD but hes located in the states and im in Asia, hes not the right kind of doctor to treat me so sometime i may go to one over here. Aged 45 male. Last summer i spent a few weeks/months off laying flat, but at present time the pain is still there as minor, unless i do say 20 or 30 miles then it comes back, the same thing with moving luggage etc.

Pratt

Evidently, about 10% or so of the population has fibers of the sciatic nerve running through the piriformis muscle. As I understand, the muscle arises on the inner face of the sacrum (back of the pelvic girdle) and inserts on the top of the femur. A physical therapist showed me how to stretch it and it seems to work for me.
I lie on my back and elevate one knee so that the thigh makes an angle of a little more that 90° with my trunk, and the foot is flat on the floor, then I put the other ankle on top of that knee. (It is sort of like sitting in the "broken four" posture in a chair.) Then I grab the shin of the first leg, the one with the foot on the floor, and pull it towards my chest a few times. Then do the contralateral side.
Hope this helps.

frogman

Timely discussion for me.
I am recovering from Piriformis Syndrome and have been doing the stretches described. I do 3 sets of 10 twice a day. It is getting better, less pain and aching on my right side now but it is slow going. I got it from work on removing and replacing flooring. Lots of bending and twisting. I read that we should supplement the stretching with strength building in the Pitiformis muscles, otherwise it will come back. Thats where I am now, planning to add stregthening exercises to my daily routine (without overdoing it and making it worse) It is improving but I wish it would improve faster. I can ride my road bike and only get moderate soreness afterwards if I limit to short rides, no intense hill climbing. If you have had Piriformis Syndrome, did cycling aggravate it for you ?

TravelBiker

I feel your pain, the past 2 days i suffered a relapse, but its partially my fault. I took a ride on my cycle because i dont own a car to a place that was 16 miles round trip on a hybrid through city streets. Then i went back again the next day which was too much, that was about 2 days ago. I think if i limit it to about 5 miles or so every other day then the PS is less severe. I think for me it may also have something to do with the climate. I moved from NYC to southeast Asia, so i totally changed my diet and the weather is extremely hot, lost about 20 lbs for no apparent reason (i suspect because of difference in food choices), then the Pirfmoris Syndrome hit me after i moved my luggage own 5 flights of stairs at one hotel.

TravelBiker

I went to a physical therapist just recently, and brilliant news... after only 1 visit my piriformis syndrome seems to have disappeared! Crazy stuff. In fact on the first day after PT i felt no change. I still felt pain on my buttock, outside of my calf and foot. A few days later it improved somewhat, then guess what after a week or so, almost 0 pain. I wont say its 0 because im not a liar but i would peg it at 1 to 3% of my original pain, no joke! i cycled 3 days in a row and today it was a smooth ride. see you on the road.

Kotts

There are a number of stretches that have really helped me with my piriformis issues. If you google "piriformis stretches" or "stretching for cyclists" you'll find most of the ones I do regularly. The "Figure 4" seems to help the most.

pbass

I have been dealing with this a bit lately. Mine seemed to kick in after several weeks of my going for some really tough(for me at least) climbing, 4-5 times a week. It's actually fine while I'm riding, walking, moving. Usually "presents" in the morning when I wake up. Mine seems to be originating in the piraformis area, and pain is referring down my leg--outside. It's very intermittent, comes and goes. I've been getting great results after seeing a myofascial release therapist. He really got things opened up and released. Now doing self-myofascial release exercises he gave me with yoga therapy balls, stretching, and foam rolling and I'm back to riding, and it seems to be almost totally resolved.