I've been diagnosed with Piriformis Syndrome, and I'm looking to see if any rowers have advice to pass on for dealing with this. My piriformis muscle is pinching the sciatic nerve in my right leg, which causes pain to radiate down the back of my leg to my calf. My foot also tingles while standing or walking. I believe I iritated the muscle while running laps on a track. I laid off rowing for a while, but decided to give a try this afternoon. My right leg felt great during the row, but it was quite painful afterwards. My Doctor has advised me to stretch the muscle, which should help with the pain symptoms. I thought a nice easy row this afternoon would help loosen the muscle, but that's not the case.
Has anyone out there dealt with this before? Did rowing help or hurt the healing process? Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated!
Piriformis Problem
oh crap. my grandpa has that. that must hurt like a mother ******. That nerve is really sensetive. I honestly dont think you should be rowing on that...if you are infact....horrible pain? am i correct? sorry i cant help, its just that i felt bad for you.
Male 18 164.8lbs 6'3"
2000m- 7:11.1 March 1, 2009
100m- 16.7s March 5, 2009
SUNY Albany
2000m- 7:11.1 March 1, 2009
100m- 16.7s March 5, 2009
SUNY Albany
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johnnybike
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I suffer from that. It has not affected my rowing though (only running)
One good stretch is to lay on your side on the edge of a bed, bad leg to the top. Move the underneath leg (good one) backwards across to the centre of the bed, hold your top arm backwards to the top/centre of the bed and hang the bad leg over the side. The gravity should cause you to feel a really good pull. Hold for 30 seconds or so and repeat a few times.
Good luck
One good stretch is to lay on your side on the edge of a bed, bad leg to the top. Move the underneath leg (good one) backwards across to the centre of the bed, hold your top arm backwards to the top/centre of the bed and hang the bad leg over the side. The gravity should cause you to feel a really good pull. Hold for 30 seconds or so and repeat a few times.
Good luck
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2K [b]7:06:1[/b] | 5K [b]18:35.2[/b] | 10K [b]37.47.9[/b] | 30mins [b]7899[/b] | 60mins [b]15577[/b] | HM [b]82:33.3[/b] FM [b]2:50:48[/b]
2K [b]7:06:1[/b] | 5K [b]18:35.2[/b] | 10K [b]37.47.9[/b] | 30mins [b]7899[/b] | 60mins [b]15577[/b] | HM [b]82:33.3[/b] FM [b]2:50:48[/b]
JB, I'll try that stretch and see if it helps. I tried doing a similiar stretch using a rope, where I'd loop the rope around the foot of my bad leg, and then pull over my good leg. The key word here is "tried"...it hurt like *&^$! My doctor showed me some additional stretches, which provide some relief.
I'll try your stretch and let you know how it turns out. If you hear a scream from the St. Louis area you'll know it didn't work!
I'll try your stretch and let you know how it turns out. If you hear a scream from the St. Louis area you'll know it didn't work!
Active Release Techniques
ART has helped me many times when standard orthopedic procedures were of no help. check out the following website:
http://www.activerelease.com/
http://www.activerelease.com/
I have an update on my alleged piriformis syndrome problem. I spent most of the weekend laying on my left side with a pillow between my legs. Any other position caused a great deal of pain. I went to sick call Monday mornining (yes, I'm in the military), and got some good drugs and a referral to the chiropractor. To make a long story short, an X-ray showed a degenerated L5 disc, but there's no pain at the site. Instead the pain shoots down my right leg like sciatica. I had a session on the chiropractor's table this afternoon, and feel much better. I could even walk without a limp for a minute or so, and my foot wasn't tingling. The symptoms eventually came back, but it's much less severe. It will take several sessions to fix, and I'll have an MRI done soon to confirm the diagnoses, but I think I'm on the road to recovery. 
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leehamster
- Paddler
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- Joined: July 11th, 2006, 6:53 pm
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easy
take it easy on the back. when you can return to rowing without any pain, go easy and have someone experienced check out your form.
Pontus,Pontus5 wrote:To make a long story short, an X-ray showed a degenerated L5 disc, but there's no pain at the site. Instead the pain shoots down my right leg like sciatica. I had a session on the chiropractor's table this afternoon, and feel much better. I could even walk without a limp for a minute or so, and my foot wasn't tingling. The symptoms eventually came back, but it's much less severe. It will take several sessions to fix, and I'll have an MRI done soon to confirm the diagnoses, but I think I'm on the road to recovery. :!:
It has been about ten years or so now, but I was having a problem with a sore right hip. I went to an orthopedic surgeon about it and, after an x-ray check, I was told that the hip was O.K., but the pain was a result of a degenerated L5 disc. He wrote a prescription for physical therapy and I followed through with several PT sessions and continued with the routine at home. The routine, a series of stretches and isometric exercises didn't seem to be doing anything, but I had worked them into my previous morning stretching sessions, so I just continued with them. After a few months, I suddenly realized, "Hey! I haven't had that hip pain for quite some time now!" It wasn't really a sudden change, but just a gradual lessening of the pain as the required muscle strenghtening occurred. Obviously, I was thoroughly convinced of the effectiveness of the treatment by then and I have continued the routine ever since. Once in a while I still occasionly do something that causes problems with the L5 disc, but it is usually fixed by just one visit to the chiropractor.
Bob S.
Piriformis stretches
Hope you are improving. The stretches and recommendations I've seen so far are on target. Unfortunately there is no quick fix. Chiropractic can be of great help. A few other things you can try specific to rowing are to use a gel seat pad on your seat. Do not flex your hip and knee as much at the catch, try to stop yourself about 6 inches back from where you normally start your stroke, this will decrease the amount of stretch on the sciatic nerve and may help your symptoms. Gentle stretching of the hip before and more firm stretching after rowing will help to keep things from tightening up. Don't neglect your back as well. If you have a painful degenerative disk, then sometimes you will subconsciously make small adjustments to your posture to keep pressure off the disk. This can result in pain and tightness elsewhere. Most of all have patience, it often takes weeks to months to fully resolve.
Joe Alhadeff, MD
Joe Alhadeff, MD
Joe
I thought I'd post an update to my medical condition. After an X-Ray and MRI it turns out that my L5 disc has damage. It's protruding out and pinching off the nerve root that goes to my right leg. There's no pain at the disc site at all, but certain activities will cause pain in the leg. By the size of the damage it looks like I've had this for some time, but it didn't bother me until the nerve root got pinched. I have a neuro-surgeon consult pending; and I'll see what comes from that. In the interim the chiropractor will keep treating me, which keeps me functional to a certain extent and also relieves the pain. I'm not counting on rowing after this all clears up, I'll ask my medical folks for advice on that.
tingling in feet
I find that after about 30min of rowing my left foot begins to tingle and with continued rowing gets numb along with my calf muscle. I've tried different seats, padding etc with limited improvement. Any clues as to what I should be doing? Is this a posture problem ? I used to get a sore back from prolonged standing (watching kids at soccer) and was told it was probably my sciatic nerve. Could this be the same problem - i.e. sciatic nerve cause tingling, numbness in foot. Any ideas as to what I can do to reduce/elliminate this annoying problem
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RowtheRockies
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Pontus5,
Your diagnosis sounds EXACTLY like mine.
Two years ago I was a runner and logged about 45-50 miles a week. I developed a tightness in the right leg at the insertion point of the hamstring and glute. At first it was a just a nag and it actually would feel better after a run for about an hour or so then the tightness would return. THe tightness gradually got worse over about a month to the point where it was becoming very uncomfortable especially after sitting for a while.
My GP thought it was a hamstring pull and sent me to a Physical Therapist. She advised that I stop running temporarily and started manipulation, electrical therapy, ultrasound, stretching and core strengthening excercises. Her speculation was that it was Piniformis Syndrome. By this time the pain was begining to radiate down the back of my leg but only about half way down and not down the calf or foot. After about three weeks of phys therapy, I was seeing some good improvement and started running again. After about three runs, the pain and tightness was back to the level before therapy so I ended up stopping running for 5 months. I was eventually referred to a Back Surgeon for a X-Ray and MRI. They showed a degenerative L5 disc (disc was about half as thick as the others) and a bulge in the disc that was pushing against the sciatic nerve.
The Back doc recommended that I look for alternatives to running as the pounding of running was compounding the situation. This is when I discovered Rowing and purchased my Model D. Rowing did not seem to bother the injury and I believe it strenghtened my core and improved the situation.
Bottom Line is that it got better to the point where it was just a slight nag but that nag stayed with me for over a year. For the first year I was religiously doing the excercises and stretches that the Physio prescribed. Then the nag suddenly went away. I got lazy about doing the stretches and excercises and just about three weeks ago, the problem has returned although not as bad as the first time.
I have heard that with back issues like this doing the excercises and stretches needs to be a life long thing and I now believe it.
Sorry to ramble on but just wanted to let you know it sounds like you have the same issue and it will get better. Rowing seems to be the perfect excercise if you have this type of back issue. Good Luck and I hope you get to the point where you are pain free.
Rich
Your diagnosis sounds EXACTLY like mine.
Two years ago I was a runner and logged about 45-50 miles a week. I developed a tightness in the right leg at the insertion point of the hamstring and glute. At first it was a just a nag and it actually would feel better after a run for about an hour or so then the tightness would return. THe tightness gradually got worse over about a month to the point where it was becoming very uncomfortable especially after sitting for a while.
My GP thought it was a hamstring pull and sent me to a Physical Therapist. She advised that I stop running temporarily and started manipulation, electrical therapy, ultrasound, stretching and core strengthening excercises. Her speculation was that it was Piniformis Syndrome. By this time the pain was begining to radiate down the back of my leg but only about half way down and not down the calf or foot. After about three weeks of phys therapy, I was seeing some good improvement and started running again. After about three runs, the pain and tightness was back to the level before therapy so I ended up stopping running for 5 months. I was eventually referred to a Back Surgeon for a X-Ray and MRI. They showed a degenerative L5 disc (disc was about half as thick as the others) and a bulge in the disc that was pushing against the sciatic nerve.
The Back doc recommended that I look for alternatives to running as the pounding of running was compounding the situation. This is when I discovered Rowing and purchased my Model D. Rowing did not seem to bother the injury and I believe it strenghtened my core and improved the situation.
Bottom Line is that it got better to the point where it was just a slight nag but that nag stayed with me for over a year. For the first year I was religiously doing the excercises and stretches that the Physio prescribed. Then the nag suddenly went away. I got lazy about doing the stretches and excercises and just about three weeks ago, the problem has returned although not as bad as the first time.
I have heard that with back issues like this doing the excercises and stretches needs to be a life long thing and I now believe it.
Sorry to ramble on but just wanted to let you know it sounds like you have the same issue and it will get better. Rowing seems to be the perfect excercise if you have this type of back issue. Good Luck and I hope you get to the point where you are pain free.
Rich
40 YO 6'1" 180 lbs. Rowing at 7,000 Ft.
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Re: tingling in feet
wheatltlc,wheatltc wrote:I find that after about 30min of rowing my left foot begins to tingle and with continued rowing gets numb along with my calf muscle. I've tried different seats, padding etc with limited improvement. Any clues as to what I should be doing? Is this a posture problem ? I used to get a sore back from prolonged standing (watching kids at soccer) and was told it was probably my sciatic nerve. Could this be the same problem - i.e. sciatic nerve cause tingling, numbness in foot. Any ideas as to what I can do to reduce/elliminate this annoying problem
I get the same thing. My right leg begins to tingle after 30 minutes or so. I have done a few things. First I found that if I do several very hard strokes it helps, and I can sometime feel a surge of blood or feeling or something going down my leg. The strokes have to be hard enough so I can feel myself lifting out of the seat. Second, I found an exercise for strengthening the back that helped a lot. I'll see if I can find a description of it. (I haven't been doing the exercise this year and I'm having more of a problem). And third, I got a "sore-no-more" pad.
bw
The exercise is:
1. Lie on your back with your feet flat against the floor, arms along your sides
2. Raise your knees toward your chest, keeping the lower legs parallel to the floor.
3. Extend the legs at an angle of about 30 degrees to the floor, pointing your toes, while rolling your head, neck, shoulders and upper back up from the floor. Arms should be parallel to the floor.
4. Hold for a count of 10.
5. Reverse the motion until you are back in position 1.
Repeat 5-10 times.
There was some breathing sequence that I can't remember. And they said you should flap your arms up and down while counting to 10.
I think I saw this in some men's magazine, but can't remember where. They gave it a name I can't remember, and I couldn't find it on any website. But it seemed to work for me.
bw
1. Lie on your back with your feet flat against the floor, arms along your sides
2. Raise your knees toward your chest, keeping the lower legs parallel to the floor.
3. Extend the legs at an angle of about 30 degrees to the floor, pointing your toes, while rolling your head, neck, shoulders and upper back up from the floor. Arms should be parallel to the floor.
4. Hold for a count of 10.
5. Reverse the motion until you are back in position 1.
Repeat 5-10 times.
There was some breathing sequence that I can't remember. And they said you should flap your arms up and down while counting to 10.
I think I saw this in some men's magazine, but can't remember where. They gave it a name I can't remember, and I couldn't find it on any website. But it seemed to work for me.
bw