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Home > Forum > Triathlon Forum > Deep Gluteal Ache/soreness/tightness?

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Deep Gluteal Ache/soreness/tightness?
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AlyraD
Jan 22, 20 6:48
Post #1 of 7 (1228 views)
I started my training for a marathon 3 weeks ago and leading up to the end of the second week (Thursday, jan 9) I went particularly hard and about 30 minutes after the run my lower back was stiff. Ive had that happen before and so i just tried stretching the next day which happened to be a rest day so I thought, "great, itll be better." I noticed my right glute hurt pretty bad deep in the muscle, like to the point i couldnt tell if it was a muscle or the ball joint and I was hurting walking down stairs when I put weight on it. The pain was VERY sharp. I went for an easy run that Saturday and every step on that leg was painful in the glute/hip area. I was only able to run 2 miles and had to stop 3 times due to the pain. I've been rolling and stretching constantly and sometimes it feels like its gone, but then other days it is just an achy sensation. Like a dull muscle pull kind of feeling. I have been on 2 runs since then, one a 3 miler and it hurt but I didnt feel i needed to stop; and the other was a 5 miler which felt the same - hurt but didnt feel i needed to stop, but both of these i had to go significantly slower than normal or it would hurt to much and I felt my form was compromised. Strangely, when I run up hill it feels better in that my muscle or hip joint doesnt feel stressed. I can ride a bike no problem and it doesnt hurt, its just when I run.

I'm trying to determine what it may be and gather anyone else's experiences with something similar. I am just in the boat right now that I just cant go see someone because I dont have the money and I know that will be everyones first order of advice. I am resting it to not agitate it further and am trying to swim and ride to keep up some workouts because I have my eye/heart set on Boston this April. I did some yoga yesterday and that felt good, but this morning it still felt sore. The soreness seems to not be as isolated now like it was last week. Instead of just being deep in the hip around the joint it now feels ALSO like my upper glute is sore. Stretching does provide temporary relief but it doesn't seem to really last long. It does feel better standing than sitting too.
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Re: Deep Gluteal Ache/soreness/tightness? [AlyraD] [ In reply to ]
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AndrewL
Jan 22, 20 10:35
Post #2 of 7 (1174 views)
You seem to be describing referred lower back pain, especially since you noticed a concurrent stiff lower back. Rest is not typically helpful for lower back pain. Your best bet is to stay active, without making yourself worse overall. If you can get to see someone, a McKenzie credentialed PT is your best bet. Good luck.
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Re: Deep Gluteal Ache/soreness/tightness? [AlyraD] [ In reply to ]
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Toban
Jan 22, 20 14:21
Post #3 of 7 (1107 views)
I’ve been working through something similar. For me it is sciatica, with a nerve being trapped/squeezed by periformis muscle. Hip openers, low back stretches, and foam rolling have helped. Also dry needling hop area along the sciatic nerve path. It turns out that it was my bike riding/position causing it, but I felt it when running and when sitting.
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Re: Deep Gluteal Ache/soreness/tightness? [Toban] [ In reply to ]
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dreamsquasher
Jan 23, 20 18:58
Post #4 of 7 (947 views)
I, too, have gone through sciatica flare ups twice which sounds similar to what you describe. Here's my n=1. I was back to normal in about two weeks.

Went to the chiropractor. It gave me about 24 hours of relief.
I put on rocktape about two inches below where the pain was up to about the middle of my back on both sides of my spine.
I used a tennis ball against a wall instead of a roller. The tennis ball seemed to hit the pain point exactly and provided a lot of relief. I found it helped even keeping the ball against the pain point when I was sitting.
I also found that a short (20-30 minute), very easy bike ride helped loosen up the muscle around the nerve.

Good luck.
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Re: Deep Gluteal Ache/soreness/tightness? [AlyraD] [ In reply to ]
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wimsey
Jan 23, 20 19:12
Post #5 of 7 (940 views)
As others have mentioned, sounds like a sciatic nerve is upset. Could be the piriformis muscle that is irritating it, could be referred pain from a low back/vertebral issue.

Stretching, heat and judicious use of ibuprofen can help with the symptoms in the short term. Sit on a tennis ball on a hard surface - hurts like a mofo but does good things. Longer term, for me it is usually muscle imbalance that has to be corrected to really address the root cause. Squats and both loosening & strengthening hamstrings helped, as did working on abductors and adductors. And one time it was a footwear problem - too-narrow shoes were causing biomech issues up my legs that (among other symptoms) manifested as sciatic nerve pain.
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Re: Deep Gluteal Ache/soreness/tightness? [AlyraD] [ In reply to ]
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Sandrhodie
Jan 23, 20 21:32
Post #6 of 7 (909 views)
I had something similar a few years ago on my right side.
Turned out to be very tight hamstring muscles. Frequent stretching, deadlifts and squats totally eliminated the pain. I think the strength work was the key.
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Re: Deep Gluteal Ache/soreness/tightness? [AlyraD] [ In reply to ]
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Dr. Triax
Jan 23, 20 22:15
Post #7 of 7 (895 views)
Your symptoms resemble the ones I had during the development of the stress fracture in the hip (mine was in the right pubic symphysis). They started as a sharp pain starting in the right lowerback down to the back of the knee. Felt it even walking. After a few rest days were it eased, I could run but with pain that made stop a few times. I felt like stretching a lot, that temporary calm the pain, and running uphill resulted in much less pain than in the flats! But it never went away. As I kept on training the fracture slowly develop, and the pain and muscle soreness moved around through various areas: the lower back, the inner thigh, the deep gluteus, and all around those areas. Deep needling loosened the tight areas, but the injury was deep below. After a few weeks/maybe months I could not stand it anymore, because my running got very bad (slow and short) to the point where I was not gaining any performance but loosing it. Long story short, after a 3 week non-running it felt much much better, but it came back as the weeks went by and my running again progressed. The MNR scan showed the stress fracture: 5 months (20 weeks counted 1 by 1) no running, no jumping, no impact. Just easy spinning on the saddle and swimming. The prescription is between 12-15 weeks of rest, but being over 40yo, and with the season over, we extended it to 20. Then the sequence was running in the deep side of the pool, shallows, grass, and so on. From March till September that I took my first very easy strides on solid ground.
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