Self-Care – Buttock Pain with Tightness in the Back

Reaching and Twisting

This sort of movement stresses the erectors of the back. In addition, many people have an unstable or awkward balance while doing this. Instability or long periods of this substantially increase your odds of re-activating this pain pattern.

Surprise!

This pain often surprises people, and they have trouble figuring out the exact motion that creates the pain. Sometimes it is reaching up and back, sometimes, curling forward while lifting the knee.

Pain Patch Can Really Help

The trick is to put it in the right spot.

Get one of those large pain patches. Then, place it on the green asterisk in the picture. That’s right. Not on the pain, on the trigger point.

If you put your hands on the muscles by the asterisk, you’ll feel how tight it is there. Incidentally, I have used this in sessions to show the client that this is where it belongs. But, consistently, they are surprised that it offers relief to the pain, which is much lower.

By the way, a pain patch won’t usually stay on your hip as you move around. If you want to try that, use a pain cream. However, a pain patch around the base of the ribs will be more effective and will stay on. Moreso, it will last for hours longer. Unfortunately, the pain cream tends to lose its effectiveness much sooner.

Ice, Heat, Ice Baby

Contrast therapy can be very effective here, as long as you end with ice. Often, some rib heads are out of place, and contrast therapy will help to re-mobilize them.

Here are guidelines for Icing and Contrast Therapy

Loosen the Joints

Sometimes, this has stubborn joints that are binding. This exercise is great for gentle loosening.

Make sure to put the rolled magazines a little lower than usual. They need to cover the base of the ribs, where these muscles and joints are tight. Over 8-12 minutes, the joints will loosen.

This exercise is effective, as shown in the video. However, some people are tender in this area. The process is even more effective and less bothersome and offers greater release if you use a pain patch while doing it. For some people, the magazines press sharply into their backs. In that case, use a towel over the magazine roll to soften the pressure.

If This Pain has Bothered you for a While…

These may be bothersome when this is acute. However, if you’ve had this for a while, use this simple exercise to strengthen and stabilize the area.

Twenty a day keeps back pain away.

As you get older, these low back muscles are slower to recover and your back is more vulnerable. Fortunately, this machine is affordable and doesn’t take up much space. Additionally, that front foot is wide enough to make it stable. It’s not the cheapest one, but it is the best seller for a reason.

This can be done on a swiss ball. But, especially for people over 40, this hyperextension stand is worth the expense. The instability of the ball may even aggravate this.

I Do This Daily

As a bodyworker, I’m bent over people every day. As a writer, I’m bent over keyboards quite a bit too. I added this to my routine about 20 years ago. Occasionally, I get off track. Inevitably, I always come back to this for strength and relief.

Lots of Balance Poses May Bother You

This pain pattern tends to grab as you flex and extend your back. If this is a recent injury, balancing poses may even create sharp, disabling pain. So, you may need to get a little bodywork for relief before returning to classes.

Bridges are a great fundamental builder of the spinal erectors and glutes. Be gentle with this until it is less acute.

Cranio Cradle Cup

This mug has classic, colorful illustrations of the craniosacral system and vault hold #3. It makes a great gift and conversation piece.