Though the stretching for my hip has helped considerably, it just hasn't gone away completely. A few things I have noticed:
1. It gets worse when I don't train or do cardio.
2. It gets really bad at night while sleeping.
3. It gets really bad when I sit in my car or in my computer chair for any length of time.
Anyone who follows my journals will know that I have dealt with back pain for a long time but that I have fended it off quite well the last few years. This particular situation is somehow related to my back BUT ... my back feels great right now. I have no pressure, tightness or pain in my lower back, at all. All of the pain/discomfort is in my hip only.
I got frustrated (pronounced frust RATE d - like Simon Cowell with a British accent just for fun) the other night and started researching and it didn't take me 5 minutes to find out what it was.
Piriformis Syndrome is an inflammation of the sciatic nerve where it runs under the piriformis. The tight piriformis essentially causes the inflammation and this is exactly why when I warm up to train or do cardio it feels great and why it doesn't feel great when I am immobile - especially while sleeping. It isn't too bad when I go to sleep but the more I sleep the worse it gets. Obviously, this is motivating me to get all of my cardio done. lol
The stretching helps quite a bit but the reality is that with any inflammatory-type situation, rest would be best. It likely isn't helping with all of the cardio I am doing, either. However, I have no plan to stop the cardio or the training so right now I am pushing through and will continue with my current plan unless it gets worse. Some days I think it is getting better and then others it feels worse. It tends to get really bad on the weekends when I don't weight train and cardio is at a minimum.
In situations like this it can be hard to tell whether it is piriformis syndrome or just a pinched nerve or compressed nerve coming off of L5 but in my situation there is no pain in the lower back, at all, whether in the gym or out. In fact, right now my back feels as good as it has felt in the gym in a very long time. I put up numbers on squats this week that were the best I have put up in many months and did it without a belt because some douchebag stole my ammonia-soaked belt a couple weeks ago. If the problem were from a pinched or compressed nerve I would almost certainly have in the back, as well.
Other than this latest obstacle (there is always something), everything is going quite well. I am closing in on 200 and should baseline tomorrow at 204 and I anticipate dropping below 204 by the time the Skipload comes around on Sunday. Still at 10 sessions of cardio and feeling great.
My wife finally started back training, too, after dealing with a lot of health issues over the last year and my 17 yo daughter is getting into it pretty seriously, as well. It should be fun to see how this all pans out after a few months.
Photo Credit: Thieme Atlas of Anatomy page 438