Pain in one side, going down to butt / thigh

[Mitya]

Hi, friends - thank you for this program and I'm hoping it's going to be hugely helpful for me.

Question: my struggle is with the pain that is mostly located to the right side of lower back and extends into back side of the thigh and even into the calf area. The pain is mostly prevalent / most acute when I stand up after sitting / laying down and try to stand straight (chin up, straight spine, no bending at the hip joint). When I sit, the pain is mostly in the right butt area, and extends from there into lower back (or at least that's the way I feel it)

Various exercises I've done from this course so far provide temporary relief, but I wonder if there is one or two that seem to be most fitting for the situation based on your experience?

Thank you

[Pat (pogo69)]

This sounds very much how I experience sciatica (could be piriformis syndrome, as never formally diagnosed).  Although, I do not experience pain down into the calf, merely the thigh.

As for you, I find temporary relief with variations of several of the Stretch Therapy movements - piriformis stretches (for me, the floor p.stretch is best), hamstring stretches (elephant walks are great, but I have to be very careful getting into it, if it is very twitchy; bent leg pike stretches with gentle movement), and hip flexor stretches (wall hip flexor stretch with plenty of support).

For me, to maximise relief, and minimise exacerbation of "rebound" effects, relatively short and very gentle periods of limbering are best; done periodically throughout the day.

I haven't done it for a while, but I also really like @Craig's Psoas Lying Relaxation:

 

[Nathan]

Hi FIeldwolf,

I was waiting to respond because I was hoping Kit or someone with personal experience would reply first. I agree with @Pat (pogo69) - it sounds very much like sciatica/piriformis syndrome to me. That said, no one here can diagnose you, and I don't think there's any need to decide you are this or that. I would keep exploring and taking note of which movements work for your body, and continue to do those and see how things progress. All of Pat's suggestions are great and offer excellent directions for your exploration. I would encourage you to consistently engage in a relaxation practice (lying relaxation, etc.) as well, if you are not already. This turns out to be the "secret ingredient" of Stretch Therapy for many people.