Buttock Pain When Sitting Home Remedy
Self-care Techniques May Help Relieve Discomfort from Buttock Pain July 16, 2010 Dear Mayo Clinic: I’m 71 and have been experiencing mild pain in one of my buttocks for the past three months. It’s uncomfortable to sit at times. What would cause this? What can I do for some relief? Answer: This type of pain can have a variety of causes.
Simple self-care techniques may be all you need to relieve the discomfort. But if pain persists, make an appointment with your doctor to have your condition evaluated and develop a treatment plan. The most common causes for the pain you describe are these. First, the source could be arthritis affecting the joints of your spine, particularly the joints between the vertebrae (facet joints) or those that connect your lower spine and pelvis (sacroiliac joints).
Second, hip joint disorders are a common cause of buttock pain but are often overlooked. Third, your pain could be the result of a soft tissue condition, such as problems in the muscles of your buttock or hip regions, their tendons (tendonitis) or bursa (bursitis).
- A fracture of your sacrum — the bony structure at the base of the spine — could also be the problem.
- This is a type of stress fracture and can occur without significant injury.
- A sacral fracture is of particular concern for people in your age group, especially women, because it could be a sign of osteoporosis.
A less common possible explanation of the pain is a spinal disk that’s causing a pinched nerve. Very rarely, buttock pain may be caused by a serious condition, such as a tumor, cancer, infection, rectal disorder, neurologic disorder or a severe rheumatologic problem.
Before you pursue a medical evaluation, however, try the following techniques at home. Take over-the-counter pain medications, and use a hot pack or a cold pack. Or alternate heat and ice on the area, 15 to 20 minutes at a time, several times a day. Try gentle daily stretches for your legs, hips and buttocks.
To relieve pressure, use a cushion when you’re sitting. If after two weeks there’s no improvement, or if new symptoms develop, see your doctor. An evaluation will include a review of your medical history and a physical exam. Your doctor may inquire about your overall health and current symptoms, as well as any additional signs or symptoms that could point to a more serious underlying disorder.
- Those may include unexplained weight loss, fever, chills or night sweats, among others.
- Tell your doctor if you’ve recently had a significant injury or if you have a history of cancer.
- A spinal X-ray may be necessary to determine if a fracture or other spinal instability is to blame.
- Other imaging tests — an MRI or bone scan — may also be needed.
If you have a sacral fracture, your doctor should investigate for a possible diagnosis of osteoporosis. Treatment depends on the underlying cause. Generally, though, pain control and physical therapy to strengthen muscles in the back and buttock region help in most situations.
As a rule, the emphasis of treatment is on a return to normal activities, as much as possible. From there, treatment decisions are often based on how much the pain interferes with daily functioning. If discomfort causes you difficulty in performing normal activities, or otherwise limits your quality of life, treatment will likely be more aggressive than if the pain is a nuisance that doesn’t have a large impact on your daily routines.
Surgery is rarely needed to treat buttock pain. Try the self-care steps outlined above. If that’s not enough, see your doctor. Your primary care physician can offer medications and refer you to physical therapy, if needed. If your doctor feels further evaluation is necessary, you may be referred to a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician or a pain medicine physician who specializes in spine care.
Contents
Why does my buttock hurt when sitting only?
Conditions That Cause Buttock Pain – Your buttock pain when sitting might happen due to different conditions, including proximal hamstring tendinopathy, ischial tuberosity bursitis, sciatica (lumbar nerve root impingement), piriformis syndrome, and gluteal tendinopathy. So, let’s examine these conditions in more detail and get to the bottom of your pain!
How long does it take for buttocks to heal?
How is it treated? – You will need to change or stop doing the activities that cause pain until your muscle or tendon has healed. For example, you may need to swim instead of run. Your healthcare provider may recommend stretching and strengthening exercises to help you heal. A mild strain may heal within a few weeks. A more severe strain may take 6 weeks or longer to heal.
When should I be worried about bum pain?
Anal pain (pain in the bottom) can be distressing. But is often just the result of a minor, treatable condition. Many common causes of anal pain will improve with self-care treatments. See your GP if your pain is severe, doesn’t improve after a few days or you have rectal bleeding.
What foods help buttock pain?
Sciatica is condition that causes pain in the back, hip, and outer side of the leg. Sciatica is caused by compression of the largest nerve in the body, the sciatic nerve, which begins in the lower back and travels down the buttock and the length of the leg.
- Sciatica can occur suddenly and be a painfully debilitating new experience, or it can be a recurring condition that you have lived with for many years. Dr.
- Barry Goldstein, a clinical nutritionist in Times Square, realizes that often, sciatica is treated with varying anti-inflammatories and over-the-counter medications.
What most people who suffer from sciatica do not realize is that clinical nutrition is a powerful tool when combating sciatica. A high percentage of sciatica sufferers are able to relieve their pain by altering their diets. Follow the below diet tips to alleviate sciatic nerve pain through clinical nutrition:
Sometimes, sciatica can be triggered by poor diet that causes constipation. You should incorporate fiber rich foods and add a lot of fruits and vegetables in order to prevent constipation. Oily fish such as salmon and halibut that are rich in omega 3 fatty acids Fresh pineapples and berries are anti-inflammatories that aid in healing and also boost the immune system Drink 2-3 cups of green tea Add turmeric, ginger, and garlic to your meals B-Vitamins are very important to take in when suffering from sciatic nerve pain, and can be found in green peas, spinach, navy beans, nuts, bananas, etc. Foods rich in A-Vitamins such as dairy products, dark leafy vegetables, orange colored fruits, eggs, and oily fish. Foods rich in C-Vitamins, especially citrus and tomatoes K-Vitamins sources such as broccoli and spinach Drink plenty of water, between 1.5-3 liters a day
What to avoid:
Clinical nutritionists in Times Square recommend cutting out animal products besides oily fish for the first two weeks. Avoid foods that contain sunflower oil, corn oil, sesame oil, margarine, and partially hydrogenated oil. Stay away from stressor foods such as caffeine, processed food, soda, refined sugars, and chocolate.
Alcohol and cigarettes also produce a stress reaction in the body, so be sure to stay away from those products as well.
Why can’t I sit without pain?
Possible causes – Hidradenitis suppurativa may significantly limit sitting down in patients (with lesions in sacral, gluteal, perineal, femoral, groin or genital regions), and prolonged periods of sitting down itself can also worsen the condition of the skins of these patients.
- Pain while sitting is a well known symptom when having ischial tuberosity pain, myofascial pain syndrome, coccyx pain ( coccydynia ), failed back surgery, arachnoiditis, sciatica, piriformis syndrome, and back pain in general.
- An inability to sit is one of the signs of chronic low back pain.
- Low back pain is a condition that affects a large part of the general United States population at some point in life.65 to 80% of Americans have an episode of low back pain at some time in their lives.
Although most cases resolve quickly, 40% recur and 5% result in a residual disability after 1 year. In the U.S., acute low back pain (also called lumbago) is the fifth most common reason for all physician visits. About nine out of ten adults experience back pain at some point in their life, and five out of ten working adults have back pain every year.
- With several severe pain syndromes, like neuralgia or pelvic pain ( symphysis pubis dysfunction ), pain during pregnancy or after given birth, the pain can be aggravated by sitting.
- It is possible to get Social Security benefits for a sitting disability.
- Sitting problems are usually an invisible disability,
This, combined with the fact that reduced ability to sit is not mentioned in research or anti-discrimination laws, makes it even harder for people to live with this kind of impairment.
Why does it hurt when I sit down for a long time?
Back Pain When Sitting – Why does my back hurt when I sit? It’s a question anyone who works at a desk might ask themselves at some point. Sitting for prolonged periods of time can be a major cause of back pain, cause increased stress of the back, neck, arms and legs and can add a tremendous amount of pressure to the back muscles and spinal discs.
How can I test myself for piriformis syndrome?
Piriformis Syndrome Self Test – While your doctor can fully evaluate you to determine if you have piriformis syndrome, you can also conduct a preliminary self-test at home. Here are some tips for doing that. First, you should determine if the pain is worse when you are sitting down.
Pay attention to if you have pain or numbness in the buttocks and/or back of your legs. If you don’t have this pain or discomfort, then it is unlikely that you have piriformis syndrome. If you answered yes to these questions, then it’s time to move forward with the rest of your self-test. Try pressing on the muscle in each buttock.
Press slightly in the middle of the cheek. If you experience pain on one or both sides, then you may have piriformis syndrome. You can also try what is referred to as the “straight leg test.” You should ask a family member or friend to help you with this test.
