Talking about Back Pain
Been sitting in front of the computer too long – haven’t been stretching – or conversely, have you been running lots, climbing lots?
Suddenly the back hurts. I mean, really hurts. And it’s a very specific point, yet there’s lots of sore spots. Dig your fingers into the buttock and the back and try to find the source of the pain – very difficult. The buttock hurts, the spine hurts, the sacrum hurts.
So you go off to the doctor and the doctor recommends pain killers, x-rays, physiotherapy, chiropractic treatments, or whatever. They prod you, they jump on you, they x-ray you, they have NO idea what is causing this pain.
Ever heard of Piriformis Syndrome?
Okay.
So have you ever heard of Piriformis Syndrome? The piriformis is a relatively small muscle in the buttock that can cause HAVOC.
When I studied Anatomy and Physiology as part of my Aromatherapy course, the first thing that our professor told us about when we covered the back was this muscle: the piriformis. It’s such a beautiful name, but boy, when it is not happy it really is NOT happy.
This comes from spine-health.com:
‘The piriformis is a muscle located deep in the hip that runs in close proximity to the sciatic nerve. Piriformis syndrome is used to describe when the piriformis muscle becomes tight and/or inflamed; which may cause irritation of the sciatic nerve. This irritation leads to sciatica-like pain, tingling and numbness that run from the lower back, to the rear and sometimes down the leg and into the foot.’
How to deal with it?
So what is the cure? Stretching exercises (there are internet sites that will give you some exercises but anything to stretch out the leg and buttock will help alleviate the symptoms). Rest is actually not the best thing – exercise and movement will help.
Jin Shin Jyutsu holds to ease the Piriformis
In terms of Jin Shin Jyutsu holds to ease the piriformis muscle, I find that holding the ‘hot spot’ pain areas with one hand and holding the outside of the heel bone under the ankle (SEL 16) with the other hand helps to ‘melt’ the pain.
Might take a bit of time but keep at it, and it will eventually ease. Along with the stretching exercises, you should feel the pain and discomfort easing within 24 hours….
See also:
Jin Shin Jyutsu relieves lumbago or lower back pain
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