Piriformis Pain
For multiple years I’ve done spring cleaning, both in and out of the house and yard, without pain issues. This year started like any other, the days got longer, snow started melting, preparations for the greening of the yard began. When spring arrives we spend long hours working to clear debris, compost leaves, turn the garden and then start planting. With all the arduous work, we would get overtired which required more sleep, this particular year I got more than that.
Each free moment we worked around our yard and got a lot tended to as the weather warmed. On Mother’s day weekend we celebrated, as we always do, by helping my mother around her yard. After a long weekend we came home to continue digging and planting at our home. We are preparing for a new fence installation, which required moving two dozen 10 foot 4×4 posts that were water-soaked. We loaded them into a wheeled cart and I used my left hand to lift the cart while my husband grabbed with his right, it was an awkward heavy job that required more than one trip. We finished the job as the sun was setting, collapsing in an exhausted heap onto the couch, it was Sunday and I had to work in the morning.
I didn’t notice any soreness or tenderness Monday, by Tuesday I noticed a burning sensation on the outside of my left calf with tightness in my hip/glute area. Since I lift weights, and doing heavy squats, I thought I might be having IT Band issues. I started researching the condition and planned more stretching for the next day. At 2 o’clock in the morning on Wednesday, I woke to intense pain I have never experienced before. I tried to find a comfortable position but nothing worked, tears rolled freely down my face. I searched the house for the cache of ibuprofen, it was now 3am, I knew I wouldn’t be going to work or back to sleep. The ibuprofen was enough to take the edge off but within 3 hours it would wear off and I would count the minutes until my next dosage, this went on for 24 hours.
After a little research, I learned about Piriformis Pain
Thursday I was still in considerable pain, not to the extreme of the previous day, I had an appointment to with my physician on Friday morning, the diagnosis was sciatica. It was in my first ever physical therapist visit, having treatment within 20 minutes of having my pain diagnosed, I considered myself lucky. Sciatica, or piriformis syndrome, can be brought on my sitting too much or by overuse, the waiting room was full of people with the same condition as myself, I was not alone in my springtime pain. My therapist and I have much in common and discussed organic gardening during ultrasonic treatment; while I got electric stimulation we talked about her bees. We have had three visits and each one is the same, I get treatments that make my sciatic better while having wonderful conversations.
It is now two weeks later and the hip is better thank you, May 2010 will go down in my history as the spring of pain, I hope to never repeat this experience again.
