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When you have sciatica pain, whether it's situated along your lower back, has traveled into the buttocks or has migrated down the back of the legs, you want that pain gone or at least to receive some relief from that sciatica pain. There are several options open ranging from temporary over the counter remedies, cold pack and heat packs to longer lasting epidural steroid injections of cortisone into the spine. Stretching exercises have proven to help by increasing muscle strength relieving pressure from the sciatic nerve in the affected area. Yoga also has shown to have positive benefits in this way.

Another method that seems to bring relief is called triggerpoint therapy. Basically pressure is placed on the area in question or the triggerpoint as it's called. You can use a ball or just the palm of your hand. The pressure can be applied anywhere from less than a minute to up to several minutes. For the method to be effective on your lower back or buttocks you will need to use tennis balls as it would difficult and awkward to try to exert enough pressure with your hands in that location. You can use a smaller ball to start with if the tennis ball seems too large. Otherwise you can wrap the tennis ball in a towel or cloth for cushioning.

To start relieving tension along the spine and hopefully reduce the sciatica pain, lie on the floor and place the tennis balls on either side of your spine about at the midpoint or you can place them directly at the affected areas where the pain seems to be localized. Now slowly begin to move around on the tennis balls letting them massage your back. Work you way down to your lower back and around, then work go back up along the Try to relax. If you should feel any sharp or unusual pain than stop.

Your hips and pelvis area can also be massaged in this way. For this to work you need to place the ball begin your hips and a wall. It can be done in a standing position, but it will be easier if you lie down on the floor. You can start from the base of the spine or tailbone, then move it around to the back of the hips and finally to the sides. From here move it back to the top of the buttocks and the piriformis muscle. These triggerpoint massages can be done for up to several minutes, as long as they don't cause any additional pain and actually seem to be helping.

The piriformis muscle can further be massaged as well as the buttocks or the gluteus muscles in this next position. For this one you will sit on the tennis balls with one in the center of each buttock or at the point of pain. You may also choose to use a smaller size ball. Make sure the ball is not too hard. You don't want to cause any muscle damage to the area as your weight is centered just on these two small areas. Slowly start to move around on the balls from the tailbone down to the upper thighs.

I know from personal experience the huge difference this techniques can make, but it takes a lot of work. If you sit 8 hours a day, five minutes of stretching isn't going to cut it. I perform flexibility training 5 or 6 days a week, with sessions ranging from 20 to 90 minutes. After having low back issues for over 10 years, I believe this is the number one reason I have stayed out of surgery. To me, the time spent is well worth it. I believe flexibility training is the most important and most overlooked aspect of not only physical preparation, but health in general. My clients can attest to the positive changes improved flexibility has made to their everyday activities.

When you have sciatica pain, whether it's situated along your lower back, has traveled into the buttocks or has migrated down the back of the legs, you want that pain gone or at least to receive some relief from that sciatica pain. There are several options open ranging from temporary over the counter remedies, cold pack and heat packs to longer lasting epidural steroid injections of cortisone into the spine. Stretching exercises have proven to help by increasing muscle strength relieving pressure from the sciatic nerve in the affected area. Yoga also has shown to have positive benefits in this way.

Another method that seems to bring relief is called triggerpoint therapy. Basically pressure is placed on the area in question or the triggerpoint as it's called. You can use a ball or just the palm of your hand. The pressure can be applied anywhere from less than a minute to up to several minutes. For the method to be effective on your lower back or buttocks you will need to use tennis balls as it would difficult and awkward to try to exert enough pressure with your hands in that location. You can use a smaller ball to start with if the tennis ball seems too large. Otherwise you can wrap the tennis ball in a towel or cloth for cushioning.

To start relieving tension along the spine and hopefully reduce the sciatica pain, lie on the floor and place the tennis balls on either side of your spine about at the midpoint or you can place them directly at the affected areas where the pain seems to be localized. Now slowly begin to move around on the tennis balls letting them massage your back. Work you way down to your lower back and around, then work go back up along the Try to relax. If you should feel any sharp or unusual pain than stop.

Your hips and pelvis area can also be massaged in this way. For this to work you need to place the ball begin your hips and a wall. It can be done in a standing position, but it will be easier if you lie down on the floor. You can start from the base of the spine or tailbone, then move it around to the back of the hips and finally to the sides. From here move it back to the top of the buttocks and the piriformis muscle. These triggerpoint massages can be done for up to several minutes, as long as they don't cause any additional pain and actually seem to be helping.

The piriformis muscle can further be massaged as well as the buttocks or the gluteus muscles in this next position. For this one you will sit on the tennis balls with one in the center of each buttock or at the point of pain. You may also choose to use a smaller size ball. Make sure the ball is not too hard. You don't want to cause any muscle damage to the area as your weight is centered just on these two small areas. Slowly start to move around on the balls from the tailbone down to the upper thighs.

SI joint dysfunction is a change in the range of motion of the SI joint, which is located where the sacrum meets the large hip bone at the base of the spine. The joint becomes inflamed if it is too stiff or too mobile. As the sciatic nerve travels by the joint, it can become irritated by this inflammation. Piriformis syndrome is hard to diagnose; a physical therapist trained in muscle imbalance identification may have the best luck. People with piriformis syndrome generally have tight hip flexors and hamstrings and weak gluteal muscles. Prolonged tightness of the piriformis will require forced relaxation. A technique called self-myofascial release employs a foam roller to elongate and relax the muscle.

When you have sciatica pain, whether it's situated along your lower back, has traveled into the buttocks or has migrated down the back of the legs, you want that pain gone or at least to receive some relief from that sciatica pain. There are several options open ranging from temporary over the counter remedies, cold pack and heat packs to longer lasting epidural steroid injections of cortisone into the spine. Stretching exercises have proven to help by increasing muscle strength relieving pressure from the sciatic nerve in the affected area. Yoga also has shown to have positive benefits in this way.

Another method that seems to bring relief is called triggerpoint therapy. Basically pressure is placed on the area in question or the triggerpoint as it's called. You can use a ball or just the palm of your hand. The pressure can be applied anywhere from less than a minute to up to several minutes. For the method to be effective on your lower back or buttocks you will need to use tennis balls as it would difficult and awkward to try to exert enough pressure with your hands in that location. You can use a smaller ball to start with if the tennis ball seems too large. Otherwise you can wrap the tennis ball in a towel or cloth for cushioning.

To start relieving tension along the spine and hopefully reduce the sciatica pain, lie on the floor and place the tennis balls on either side of your spine about at the midpoint or you can place them directly at the affected areas where the pain seems to be localized. Now slowly begin to move around on the tennis balls letting them massage your back. Work you way down to your lower back and around, then work go back up along the Try to relax. If you should feel any sharp or unusual pain than stop.

Your hips and pelvis area can also be massaged in this way. For this to work you need to place the ball begin your hips and a wall. It can be done in a standing position, but it will be easier if you lie down on the floor. You can start from the base of the spine or tailbone, then move it around to the back of the hips and finally to the sides. From here move it back to the top of the buttocks and the piriformis muscle. These triggerpoint massages can be done for up to several minutes, as long as they don't cause any additional pain and actually seem to be helping.

The piriformis muscle can further be massaged as well as the buttocks or the gluteus muscles in this next position. For this one you will sit on the tennis balls with one in the center of each buttock or at the point of pain. You may also choose to use a smaller size ball. Make sure the ball is not too hard. You don't want to cause any muscle damage to the area as your weight is centered just on these two small areas. Slowly start to move around on the balls from the tailbone down to the upper thighs.

When you have sciatica pain, whether it's situated along your lower back, has traveled into the buttocks or has migrated down the back of the legs, you want that pain gone or at least to receive some relief from that sciatica pain. There are several options open ranging from temporary over the counter remedies, cold pack and heat packs to longer lasting epidural steroid injections of cortisone into the spine. Stretching exercises have proven to help by increasing muscle strength relieving pressure from the sciatic nerve in the affected area. Yoga also has shown to have positive benefits in this way.

Another method that seems to bring relief is called triggerpoint therapy. Basically pressure is placed on the area in question or the triggerpoint as it's called. You can use a ball or just the palm of your hand. The pressure can be applied anywhere from less than a minute to up to several minutes. For the method to be effective on your lower back or buttocks you will need to use tennis balls as it would difficult and awkward to try to exert enough pressure with your hands in that location. You can use a smaller ball to start with if the tennis ball seems too large. Otherwise you can wrap the tennis ball in a towel or cloth for cushioning.

To start relieving tension along the spine and hopefully reduce the sciatica pain, lie on the floor and place the tennis balls on either side of your spine about at the midpoint or you can place them directly at the affected areas where the pain seems to be localized. Now slowly begin to move around on the tennis balls letting them massage your back. Work you way down to your lower back and around, then work go back up along the Try to relax. If you should feel any sharp or unusual pain than stop.

Your hips and pelvis area can also be massaged in this way. For this to work you need to place the ball begin your hips and a wall. It can be done in a standing position, but it will be easier if you lie down on the floor. You can start from the base of the spine or tailbone, then move it around to the back of the hips and finally to the sides. From here move it back to the top of the buttocks and the piriformis muscle. These triggerpoint massages can be done for up to several minutes, as long as they don't cause any additional pain and actually seem to be helping.

The piriformis muscle can further be massaged as well as the buttocks or the gluteus muscles in this next position. For this one you will sit on the tennis balls with one in the center of each buttock or at the point of pain. You may also choose to use a smaller size ball. Make sure the ball is not too hard. You don't want to cause any muscle damage to the area as your weight is centered just on these two small areas. Slowly start to move around on the balls from the tailbone down to the upper thighs.

The gluteus muscles are made up of the gluteus maximus, the gluteus medius, and the gluteus minimus, and triggers can occur in any of these with a variety of symptoms. In large muscle groups such as the gluteus muscles it's quite common to have clusters of these points of muscle spasm. The gluteus maximus is the largest of these muscles and contains the most common location for a gluteus trigger. They are common at the top of the gluteus maximus muscle, where it joins the pelvis, and this point can be found just below those lower back dimples that we all have.

For a long time my father was told that the shooting pain in his legs and buttocks were due to sciatica, but like so many others his condition didn't respond to sciatica treatment. It was only after many months of misery that he finally visited a physical therapist, who correctly diagnosed the source of the pain as myofascial trigger points in his gluteus minimus rather than pressure on his sciatic nerve. Sciatica is not the only condition that is commonly misdiagnosed in relation to myofascial triggers in the gluteus muscles. A vast proportion of lower back pain cases are actually due to trigger points in the gluteus maximus, and these can easily be resolved by regular massage and stretching if caught early enough.

Trigger Points in the Gluteus Muscles

The gluteus muscles are made up of the gluteus maximus, the gluteus medius, and the gluteus minimus, and triggers can occur in any of these with a variety of symptoms. In large muscle groups such as the gluteus muscles it's quite common to have clusters of these points of muscle spasm. The gluteus maximus is the largest of these muscles and contains the most common location for a gluteus trigger. They are common at the top of the gluteus maximus muscle, where it joins the pelvis, and this point can be found just below those lower back dimples that we all have.

Trigger points in the gluteus maximus are usually felt as acute lower back pain, which is often worse at night, preventing sufferers getting a good night's sleep. They may be caused by regular stair climbing or jumping, but are also common in people that sit incorrectly in a chair for most of the day, resulting in the gluteus maximus being continually stretched outside of its neutral position. Gluteus medius and minimus triggers tend to be felt as pain that is concentrated in the buttocks, or that radiates down the back of the thighs, especially when the active points are pressed. It is points of spasm located in these muscles that are commonly misdiagnosed as sciatica.

Trigger points in the gluteus medius or minimus are commonly caused by muscle imbalance or instability in the pelvis. In athletes a prime cause of muscle spasms is sprinting from a start when the gluteus medius is not strong enough to support the pelvis in a stable position and therefore has to contract outside of its usual capacity. Strengthening the core muscles can help to reduce triggers in the smaller gluteus muscles.

Combat Trigger Points by Stretching

One of the best ways to avoid myofascial triggers in the gluteus muscles is to do regular stretching exercises; you'll be amazed at the impact a few simple stretches can have on back, buttock and leg pain. The gluteus muscles are often neglected during warm up sessions, but they require stretching in the same was as leg and upper body muscles.

I know from personal experience the huge difference this techniques can make, but it takes a lot of work. If you sit 8 hours a day, five minutes of stretching isn't going to cut it. I perform flexibility training 5 or 6 days a week, with sessions ranging from 20 to 90 minutes. After having low back issues for over 10 years, I believe this is the number one reason I have stayed out of surgery. To me, the time spent is well worth it. I believe flexibility training is the most important and most overlooked aspect of not only physical preparation, but health in general. My clients can attest to the positive changes improved flexibility has made to their everyday activities.

For a long time my father was told that the shooting pain in his legs and buttocks were due to sciatica, but like so many others his condition didn't respond to sciatica treatment. It was only after many months of misery that he finally visited a physical therapist, who correctly diagnosed the source of the pain as myofascial trigger points in his gluteus minimus rather than pressure on his sciatic nerve. Sciatica is not the only condition that is commonly misdiagnosed in relation to myofascial triggers in the gluteus muscles. A vast proportion of lower back pain cases are actually due to trigger points in the gluteus maximus, and these can easily be resolved by regular massage and stretching if caught early enough.

Trigger Points in the Gluteus Muscles

The gluteus muscles are made up of the gluteus maximus, the gluteus medius, and the gluteus minimus, and triggers can occur in any of these with a variety of symptoms. In large muscle groups such as the gluteus muscles it's quite common to have clusters of these points of muscle spasm. The gluteus maximus is the largest of these muscles and contains the most common location for a gluteus trigger. They are common at the top of the gluteus maximus muscle, where it joins the pelvis, and this point can be found just below those lower back dimples that we all have.

Trigger points in the gluteus maximus are usually felt as acute lower back pain, which is often worse at night, preventing sufferers getting a good night's sleep. They may be caused by regular stair climbing or jumping, but are also common in people that sit incorrectly in a chair for most of the day, resulting in the gluteus maximus being continually stretched outside of its neutral position. Gluteus medius and minimus triggers tend to be felt as pain that is concentrated in the buttocks, or that radiates down the back of the thighs, especially when the active points are pressed. It is points of spasm located in these muscles that are commonly misdiagnosed as sciatica.

Trigger points in the gluteus medius or minimus are commonly caused by muscle imbalance or instability in the pelvis. In athletes a prime cause of muscle spasms is sprinting from a start when the gluteus medius is not strong enough to support the pelvis in a stable position and therefore has to contract outside of its usual capacity. Strengthening the core muscles can help to reduce triggers in the smaller gluteus muscles.

Combat Trigger Points by Stretching

One of the best ways to avoid myofascial triggers in the gluteus muscles is to do regular stretching exercises; you'll be amazed at the impact a few simple stretches can have on back, buttock and leg pain. The gluteus muscles are often neglected during warm up sessions, but they require stretching in the same was as leg and upper body muscles.