buttock pain

[jordy27]

hi,my son is twelve and is very active with sports( football,cricket etc)but he is experiencing pain which seem to start in his left buttock and run down his leg,it started about a year ago whilst on holiday,he couldnt get out of bed,he was sleeping on a lilo as we were camping,we consulted his doctor who prescrided some anti imflammatory tablets to see if it eased the pain,which sadly it didnt.since then hes had blood test and xrays and even a mri scan it all come back with no problems(which was a relief)his next appointment is not till august,has anybody any ideas what it could be,and the possible treatment
many thanks

[Heidi]

Hi

This sounds like a problem I have encountered a few times, although more often in older sports people.

It may be caused by tightness in the muscles of the gluts, especially one called Piriformis. This is usually caused by a weakness in the muscles which stabilise the hips, or a leg length discrepancy.

Tightness in this muscles causes an impingement of the sciatic nerve which normally travels just under the Piriformis. In some people the sciatic nerve actually passes right through the Piriformis muscle (which may be the case with your son, given his age, either that or the leg length problem)

I have seen people with this problem who have been through similar steps to your son with MRI's/X-rays, hospitals etc with no help. They have come to see me, a couple of massages and stretching/strengthening exercises later and they are back on track.

Visit a physio/sports therapist or similar for an assessment. Make sure they check his leg length and if there's a centimeter or more difference get a heel raise. They should massage the glut muscles (especially piriformis) and the hamstrings, and show him some stretching exercises

Have a look here for more info:

http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/back/buttocks/piriformis.htm

Good luck!