Pain in the butt!

Has anyone else got pain in their butt? It's just on my left bum cheek (sorry) & i am in agony, sitting down is a nightmare, trying to get up is horrendous too. I have chronic back pain but this is totally different, dr says it's not coming from my back but won't send me for any tests.

[Madlegs1]

Google " piriformis syndrome"

[hypercat54 in reply to Madlegs1]

Thank you very much for the link. I have been suffering like this for quite a long time and now think it could be piriformis syndrome instead. The doctor didn't give me any exam but just said go to physio. I had never heard of this before and have now saved it to my favourites. Fantastic thanks again. x

[Hidden in reply to Madlegs1]

This is exactly what my symptoms are.

Thank you,I’m going to go back to doctor to see what he can suggest.

[Avarose09]

Hi Cathy, I've suffered with what u describe for 8 years. First 4 years was on and off and last 4 years I have been my worst. Currently bed bound and in agony. I've been fighting for years for an MRI, they gave me one on my lumber which showed herniated disc so all long I thought my pelvic pain was the disc. However after injections with no affect to pain. I've just had a pelvic MRI for my si joint and coccyx. I suffer with pain in my feet which I feel is caused from whatever is wrong in my bum. Will find results soon but I'm 32 and have 2 girls and bed bound using crutches but today the pain is to much. Tell me a bit more about ur symptoms and ur story, feel so alone x x

[Hidden in reply to Avarose09]

I’ve got ME & have suffered from chronic back pain for 15 years also got sciatica on left leg. This pain is different though, sitting down too long I’m in agony, struggle to get up, going up & down stairs is a nightmare. I last had an mri about 9 years ago which showed degenerate disc disease but dr won’t send me for another one even though this pain is so different from my back pain. Hope that makes sense.

[Avarose09 in reply to Hidden]

Yes it does and poor u. When it goes does it crack? I can't sit down at all either I haven't left my house for a while now so depressing. I can only lie in bed but even then I'm uncomfortable. Is it around your coccyx? My dr yesterday said it sounds like pudendal nerve pain. But every dr thinks it's something different I'm praying something shows up in the MRI. I've had to leave work

[Hidden in reply to Avarose09]

No it doesn’t crack when I sit down. I’ve not driven or been out shopping (which I love) as it’s so painful walking/driving. I can only lie on right hand side when trying to sleep & if I try to move during the night I’m in agony. Same as you I get told different things by different drs & now they want to take me off amitryptyline- this is the only thing that guarantees me at least 5 hours sleep. It’s so depressing & unless you have chronic pain I don’t think anyone understands.

[Kristina64 in reply to Hidden]

It sounds like Pudendal Neuralgia to me. Very painful to sit, do stairs, etc, all your symptoms!! I had a MRI and the radiologist that did my MRI said he believed it was Pudendal Neuralgia. It’s also associated with getting it with childbirth and bicycling. It’s nerves that run through the butt and can even go into your private area and create terrible pain.

I have severe degenerative disc disease in lumbar spine and yes this is very different !!! I believe I got it after biking 100 miles a week to then needing rotator cuff shoulder surgery and being forced to lay around- that’s when it creeped in out of nowhere.

With childbirth the Pudendal Nerves can be effected while delivering a child if doctors press or irritate the nerves.

I finally got relief after I went to female physical therapist that specializes in female disorders, she actually gently worked inside my vagina to do trigger release to the muscles punching the Pudendal nerves, after about 6 sessions I was pain free!! The sad thing is she is the only specialist in Rochester NY that does this so it took me 3 1/2 months to get in to see her.

Please look up Pudendal Neuralgia!! If it weren’t for the radiologist telling me what he thought I had, I would not know!!! It gets misdiagnosed all the time!! Even with gynecologists and other specialists.

They can do injections by Interventional Radiologists that follow by CAT scan, and do injections near the nerve to calm down inflammation so the nerves can relax if being pinched!!

One of the main symptoms is pain with sitting, driving , stairs etc. I ended up having it start in my left butt cheek but it went to my privates with pain and numbness!!

Hope this is helpful, I know how unbearable the pain is. Good luck and God Bless You!

[AuntieH in reply to Kristina64]

Can you sit down without pain now?

[shortandround]

Possible SI joint pain, are you offloading on one butt cheek when sitting ? I.e putting more weight through one side.

How was ME diagnosed ? Could you possibly have fibromyalgia ?

I think about 20% of back pain is due to the SIJ, and the area you highlight - it could well be possible.

[Hidden in reply to shortandround]

My ME was diagnosed 10 years ago after I had meningitis, I knew that something wasn’t right & dr sent me to a specialist & it was her that diagnosed it. I try & sit with weight evenly on both sides but with left side being so painful I do sometimes have more weight on right side. I can pinpoint exactly where pain is on my butt so going to go back to drs again & see what he says.

[shortandround in reply to Hidden]

Have you looked up sacroilitis and SI joint pain. Look on google images and see if that helps. Usually the pain is very bad.

There are some provocative tests that can be performed to test for it.

[Blondie503]

This sounds like proximal hamstring tendinopathy. I have the same. It's mainly tight hamstrings causing pulling on the hamstring tendons. I've set up a Facebook page and Twitter account for it. I'll post a link to the FB page shortly. This can also cause low back pain. Hope this helps.

[Painintheass]

I've had bad butt pain for the last 4 years and my doctors are now suspecting it to be due to bad blood flow. I'm suspicious as to whether that's a red herring although when wearing tight jeans or tight gym clothes the pain is worse, I then change into loose clothing and it eases but still remains and will continue to get worse until I've slept. Like yourself I'm also on amitryptyline which is the only way I get decent sleep. I've had physio for tight hamstrings and various tight muscles in the butt area (there are numerous tendons and muscles in this area) and stretching them actually increased the pain and gave me more symptoms so I stopped this. I find that my pain is worsened by doing exercises that isolate the hamstring, I know mine are weak and that they are tight in general. Tightness in muslces is caused by weakness in other areas as the tight muscles is being over worked. I've been experimenting by doing isolated glute exercises at the gym, you can do these at home also. But like blondie503 mentions the pain you get is likely under the "sitting bones" which would suggest that it's the tendon that attaches the hamstring and glute to the pelvic bone.

To summarize the above, you need to firstly identify the muscle with weakness, this is done by isolating it in exercise. For butt muscles you can do perform the bridge, Laying on your back place your feet at 90 degree angle and then raise your pelvis into the air for as many reps as you can. Disclaimer this will cause pain, but this is good as you'll know this is the issue. This exercise does also work the hamstrings however, but you can intensify the butt muscles built clenching them at the top of the movement.

To isolate the hamstrings you'll need to to do some googling for this as you suffer from back pain and most hamstring exercises included the lower back and we don't want to agitate that issue.

I suspect that the issue is the tendon but it's about finding the muscle causing the inflammation on the tendon. Drs can simply inject a cortisol into the tendon, is pain is relieved then that'll be the issue. They can also prescribed naproxen that would treat the inflammation although it would not be know what inflammation this resolved so injection would be better from my pov.

Don't be fooled by drs, they don't know everything, they only hold general knowledge, some drs have specialisms in certain areas so you can ask for a Dr at your surgery or another to check you over. Also you are allowed to complain to the General manager of the surgery practice if you feel you are not being dealt with in timely fashion and with appropriate pain treatment as I've been through the same and now I'm being taken seriously after complaining. Also note that you can switch surgery's if you want to, as long as they are taking people from NHS. I did look at going done private road but once an issue is start with NHS insurance companies won't pay out but it may be worth looking into as the premiums are not that high if you are serious about being treated and healthy in the next year.

Hope some of the above helps, I know your pain, it does feel like God or some other higher power is testing you for no reason but it'll make you stronger in the long run. When you are fixed you'll understand that what you've been through will only help to overcome other difficult problems.

Additionally try some meditation, it doesn't give you constant pain relief but while in the "zone" you'll feel no pain at all and you'll feel more rested afterward too.

[CtKathleenUSA]

Hi Cathy,

I'm sorry to hear this has been plaguing you so long. I've had the pain in the butt like you described. At first I thought it was the glut muscle. For me it's actually caused by inflammation in my hip. I just feel it in my rear, and infrequently in my groin. I discovered it was caused by an autoimmune illness I have. I've been working to control inflammation, and my rheumatologist gave me an exercise to try. Both have almost eliminated the pain.

Please pursue this. Medical information is so vast, one doctor cannot possibly know it all. I have had a couple second opinions in my time. I've also sought out a specialists on my own before. It's your body and you know it best.

Take care. I hope you find answers and can look forward to brighter days soon.

[Hidden in reply to CtKathleenUSA]

Thank you 😊

[waylay]

I get horrendous muscle spasms in my left gluteus medius and top of my left gluteus maximus. Thought it was part of my back pain, but think it may be piriformis issues...