Buttock pain when walking

Some people wake up in the early morning and go out for exercise, and they will find that one side of their buttocks always hurts when they walk. At this time, they will think about what they did last night. Could it be that they have strained their muscles? In fact, there are many reasons for buttocks pain when walking or cycling. The most serious one may be piriformis syndrome. So what should you do if your buttocks hurt on one side when walking? The editor will introduce it to you below.

Common symptoms of piriformis syndrome

There is pain in one side of the buttocks and occasional discomfort in the lower back. As time goes by, in addition to the buttocks, there will also be numbness and pain in the back of the thigh.

In severe cases, the numbness and pain may spread all the way to the toes. In even worse cases, if the numbness and pain persist for a long time, you may begin to feel weak in your feet and have a limp when walking.

Because the location and direction of numbness and pain when the symptoms are severe are similar to those of a herniated disc, it is often mistaken for sciatica caused by a herniated disc.

But generally speaking, sciatica is often accompanied by lower back pain, and the mobility of the waist is also affected. However, piriformis syndrome does not necessarily cause lower back pain. It is often not painful or just a little uncomfortable in the waist, which does not affect the mobility of the waist.

How does piriformis syndrome occur?

The piriformis muscle originates from the front of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th sacral vertebrae, is distributed on the inner surface of the small pelvis, enters the buttocks through the greater sciatic foramen, and ends at the back of the greater trochanter of the femur. The internal iliac artery is divided into the superior gluteal artery and the inferior gluteal artery, which pass through the upper and lower foramina of the piriformis muscle to the buttocks, and branches nourish the gluteal muscles and iliac joints. The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the human body. It starts from the spinal cord in the lumbar region, passes through the pelvis, and exits from the greater sciatic foramen to reach the buttocks, then runs down the back of the thigh to the foot.

When you sit for a long time, or sit in an incorrect posture, such as crossing your legs, it will compress the piriformis muscle. When the compressed piriformis muscle is injured and inflamed, causing tightness, spasm, or even hypertrophy, it will compress the sciatic nerve. When the sciatic nerve is compressed, it will naturally cause numbness and pain in the buttocks, back of the thighs, and back of the calves, symptoms similar to sciatica.

Lie down and take the left piriformis muscle as an example. First, bend your right leg, then cross your left leg. Hold the back of your right thigh with both hands. Then bend both legs together and pull them towards your chest until you feel tightness in your buttocks. Hold for 20 seconds and then relax.

Lie prone on the floor with your feet together. Taking the left side as an example, lift your left leg, hold for 3 to 5 seconds, then slowly lower it, keeping the movement smooth and slow. One up and down counts as one time. Do 15 times in a set and do three sets.

You should not feel any pain while practicing the above exercises. If you feel any discomfort or difficulty in practicing, please stop.