A Pain in the Butt

  You may think this month’s newsletter is about some pesky, pain in the rear relative. Instead it’s about something much worse: buttock pain!

  Office workers are scratching their heads right now, but for those of you working on your feet all day—nurses, retail salespeople, bussers & servers—you know what I’m talking about. The relentless tightening hip, the constant awareness of your butt muscles aching, muscles you shouldn’t actually feel, they should just function without your knowledge.

  I remember one of my visits with Ami. I was complaining about the pain and really wanted a “fix” so I could stay employed in an on your feet all day career. During my myofascial release treatment—which helped me tremendously—she went on to tell me the muscle names causing me grief. They were the psoas and the piriformis. Great! I thought, at least the problem now had a fancier Latin name.

  Of course I read up on them online. I won’t bore you with all the scientific details. I will tell you that I learned the buttock muscles are the hardest working muscles in the body, and are key to good posture. And if these two muscles are pushed too hard and are not taken care of it can turn into a neurological problem called sciatic pain. This is a condition where pain shoots down from your lower back or buttocks into your leg, oftentimes causing numbness and tingling.

  Thankfully I did not have that issue, but I didn’t want to get it either. My intention was to stay working on my feet and get this condition under control. Ami suggested a monthly treatment accompanied by daily stretches, which she showed me how to do in her office. At first I skipped the stretches as too insignificant. But when the tightening began to creep back in before my next scheduled appointment I began doing them every day.

  I feel this combination of stretching and monthly treatment saved my career. Painkillers can only do so much. Plus when working with the public I wanted to stay alert, not drowsy. If I hadn’t started this with Ami I would’ve eventually been unable to perform my job. And as for the cost factor of the treatment each month? I feel it more than pays for itself because when I am feeling better I can be happier and make more sales. That equals more commission and it balances itself out in the end.

  If you or someone you know works in an on their feet career and suffers from buttock pain, consider getting a myofascial release treatment. It will help you function better now and help prevent further debilitating issues down the road.