All summer my “performance” muscles would “perform” after every workout and we kind of laughed about it and I stretched but they eventually got the best of me during the Maple Leaf Half Marathon (actually I should say the Jim Gokey Memorial Half Marathon!). I was in quite a bit of pain for most of that race. Funny what pain can motivate you to do. My painful logic was as follows: I am out here, I am in pain and I have to get myself back to the finish line. So, if I pick up the pace and run as fast as I can, the pain will be over faster! So that is what I did and I PR’d! Not really how I would suggest getting a PR but it worked and the pain didn’t lessen at the finish! But the bloody mary’s helped!
Now it is 3 weeks later, I have not been running or biking, only swimming and stretching and I still have some pain but I am hoping a new chiropractor who “beat” up on the piriformis muscle last Monday, will do some more “therapy” on it Monday and I can get back to running and biking this week or soon.
Piriformis syndrome is "a condition in which the piriformis muscle irritates the sciatic nerve, causing pain in the buttocks and referring pain along the course of the sciatic nerve. This referred pain, called "sciatica", often goes down the back of the thigh and/or into the lower back. Patients generally complain of pain deep in the buttocks, which is made worse by sitting, climbing stairs, or performing squats. The piriformis muscle assists in abducting and laterally rotating the thigh." Source: http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/piri.html
My current stretching regime is as follows: (FYI – this stretching regime has not proven to be good or bad yet, so I am not suggesting it as the answer)
- Sitting cross-legged as much as possible
- Chair Stretch -cross one leg over the other with your ankle resting on the knee of the opposite leg. Gently press down on the inside of the knee and slowly lean forward (I can do this one at work at my desk)
- Lying piriformis stretch – Lay on your back on the floor and cross right leg over the left, with the right ankle resting on the left knee. Slowly lift the left foot off the floor and toward you while you apply gentle pressure to inside of the right knee.
- Pigeon Pose – a little too complicated for me to explain so here is a link to not only the pigeon pose but the whole stretching series I have been using above http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/flexibilityandstretching/qt/Piriformis_str.htm
Here’s hoping this works! Stay tuned….