It may not help your problem but it sure ain't gonna fix your problem either. I have had this on and off and I would be extremely skeptical of a saddle causing this kind of problem. More likely: weak core causing over tight hammies, under performing glute max.

If you like the saddle otherwise, leave it and go see a physio.

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

Also, too high a saddle. That's what was causing it for me.

did you lower your seat any when you got it? the adamo is a little taller than most other saddles, so it might be that your seat is a little too high.

I've had piriformis on/off for years. This is the first year in about 3 I haven't had any issues with it. I put the adamo on my bike in april and it hasn't aggravated it.


Get a baseball and sit on it/roll around on it until you find the knot in your glute. I do that whenever I feel it start to get tight. Keeps it from cinching down on the nerve.

No way I could use the Adamo for this same reason. I had a wide based saddle and could not get rid of the pain. Switched to the Terry Damselfly because it was the most narrow saddle I could find. Not a problem since.

Jodi

i tried adamo and terry- I had to go with Koobi

Thanks for all the suggestions. I am currently doing therapy for the problem, it comes and goes. I tried the Koobi a while back and it was uncomfortable so I went for the Adamo. The Adamo was really comfy for a while so I don't understand why it is not now. I was talking with Natasha Van Der Merwe yesterday and she said as her body changes (getting fitter to off season) she has to change out her saddles which I thought was very interesting. So maybe it is like clothes, I have two to three sizes in my closet so maybe I need to change out saddles as my butt gets bigger and smaller.

The Cobb V-Flow Plus cured me.

I got a tip about rolling a tennis ball around the painful spot. You might try.

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Such a Bad Runner

Hi there,

I haven't suffered from Piriformis syndrome, but have suffered from a sore butt! The adamo saddles just didn't work for me. However the Selle Italia women specific gel flow saddle has been great - 100km rides are a breeze.

X2 on this. I found something called a "practice baseball" at Walmart. It is an upholstered version of a baseball. Still firm, but a little more forgiving. Hurts when hit that spot, but it is very effective.

Man Nancy do I know your pain (literally) I just got over the same dang thing.... it took a long time and the road was a bit embarassing but it was well worth it. I was going to PM this too you but I haven't figured out how to do that yet so here goes....

I rode a standard Felt saddle for awhile when I got my first bike. I never had any issues with my rear end just with all the other important things going numb (not good) so I switched to an Adamo saddle... that was good for a long time but then one day my husband noticed that I was standing full weight on a dry kidney bean and asked me "did you feel that?" and I'll be damned the middle of my heel was completely numb! Well what followed was two MRI's (low back and hip) to rule out if I had a pinched nerve in my low back or a problem in my hip... nada on both. So then it was 6 weeks of PT at one place that just seemed to be guessing at what to do, all of which did nothing to resolve the issue.

Fast forward 7 months... I finally go back to my spinal surgeon (broke my neck after getting hit by an 18 wheeler in the rain and now have a three level fusion) and he refers me to a different PT.... first thing this guy does is ground me from my bike :o( and starts me on tons of one legged "windshield wipers" with ankle weights, some swiss ball work for core and then came the embarassing conversation.... pelvic floor stability.... I was assigned a minimum of 100 Kegles a day with a 10 second hold as well as yoga bridges and lower ab stability exercises.


Finally after 3 weeks I was assigned to ride my bike into PT as fast as I could possibly go... then go home after PT at a leisurely pace. The first day I got PT I thought I was going to die my tail bone hurt so badly, the PT had me squat down to stretch and then in the squat had me constrict my pelvic muscles as tight as I could for as long as I could stand... and it stopped immediately (blessed miracle *lol*) ... so the PT had me sit on this really odd foam and then he measured the distance of my sit bones and then measured my seat. Well turns out I was riding way to narrow of a saddle in the back end when I was riding roadie (up in the hoods) which made sense because when you're on an ISM you are using a different part of your hip girdle structure to carry you.... and taking into consideration that I never had the pain when I was riding primarily aero on the Adamo... It was time for a ... Seat change!!


I work for a bike shop so I took those measurements and got a road saddle that was 155mm wide at the widest point in the back and to be quite honest I never hurt anymore unless I totally slack on doing the Kegles and even the most minor amount of the swiss ball and hip stabilization exercises the PT gave me. So I make doubley sure that when I am sitting or even on the bike I am holding my lower ab nice and tight. I still do those crazy "windshield wipers" with 5 pound weights on but not as often as I should. I also took a friends advice and bought the Trigger Point ultimate kit and I use the quad roller and the trigger point ball (not as hard as a baseball, not as soft as a tennis ball) when I feel things are getting tight or cranky.

What I finally figured out from our mechanic is that you can skip the trial and error with seats by going into your local Specialized dealer and having your sit bones measured (they are the only manf that he knows of that has a way to do this) then try a saddle in the suggested width, they (Specialized) has a 30 day fit promise and some even shops have a road test programs as well so you can try different saddles and find the one right for your anatomy. Once you know whats comfortable and relieves (or prevents) the pain then you can buy any brand of seat you like as long as its width is wide enough to accomodate your sit bones.. I now ride a womens Ruby Race saddle from Specialized when I am up in the hoods, if I am going to ride areo then I have a second seat post with my ISM on it and I just switch out the posts (which have been measured and marked for easy switch out) yeah, its a little more work... but its well worth it and the best thing, no pain.

Hope this helps :)

LBB

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I am an avid cyclist who is also the co-owner and buyer for Low Country Multisport a performance specific F.I.S.T. certified fit studio and repair shop in the beautiful Lowcountry of South Carolina. And, I just happen to be married to a retired Marine who is completely addicted to the iron distance. "lord help my wallet!!"