Connect
Upper Hamstring/Lower Buttock Pain
Hi, My wife (47) thought she pulled her hamstring muscle in February of 2025 while shoveling. We are in June of 2026 and the pain has not gotten better and may have even worsened. She has seen about 7 or 8 different doctors (physiatrists and ortho specialists in spine, hamstring, hip, etc, as well as PT). She has had Spinal MRIs (no change from a pre-injury scan), Hamstring MRI (no issues), Hip MRI (degeneration was seen I believe but not anything that would lead the doctor to believe it is causing the pain), nerve studies (normal). She has undergone dry needling, which seems to have made it worse. She has had spinal injections, hamstring injections (X-Ray guided into where it meets the hip). She went to PT and did Laser therapy and another machine as well. The hamstring doctor doesnt believe it is periformis syndrome, and all the doctors keep saying is "at least you dont have to have surgery" and "I am at a loss". The pain is impacting her uality of life at this point. Working out and activity makes it worse. She is taking LOTS of advil. Laying down makes it better. Sitting on hard surfaces makes it worse. The last thing we want is for her to have to go on a narc. But also the amount of Ibuprofen being taken is alot. We just need some answers and not sure where to turn next. We are in Massachusetts. Anyone else have anything similar?
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Chronic Pain Support Group.
Connect
I have had buttox pain for about 15 months and MRI shows moderate to severe Spinal Stenosis . Beware the daily Advil can effect kidney functioning as my GRE dropped to 54.
I also had dry needling for 6 months and tried to believe it was helping, but it triggered neuropathy, so I finally stopped. Ortho Surgeon talked abt a spinal fusion with screws which scared the he'll out of me.
So now take 650 Tylenol and 25 mg Tramadol twice a day with Bioron Arnica 30 C twice a day( Amazon) and do exercises 3 x a week and try to ealk 2 miles a day
After awhile you get used to the pain, but the RX describes helps a lot.
Best of luck to her!
I have something similar from a 3 hour car trip two weeks ago. I’m trying heat and cold. Aqua therapy and cupping. Also stretching in hot tub. I’m taking Gabapentin but don’t recommend because it’s thought to cause dementia. I will check back in to see how your wife is doing. Wishing you and her all the best.
I was diagnosed with ischial bursitis. I had the exact same journey. I tried everything. I had three cortisone injections into that bursa and its gone. I went to a pain specialist.
I did pt, dry needling, anti inflammatories of all types, MRI of lumbar spine, ice, heat, sitting pillows, rest, increased exercise activity, neuromuscular specialist, orthopedic surgeon, massage, lidocaine parches……nothing worked. The pain specialist knew right away what it was. The first injection eliminated the pain completely for 6 hours then gradually came back over a month. Second injection worked three weeks. Third injection has lasted. My pain was directly in my butt, low, right where the butt meets the leg. It was bad. I couldn’t ever get comfortable. Now i can!!!
@nancyjo1490 What did the pain specialist inject? Will the pain rrelieve relief ever be permanent? Was the cause for the pain discovered? I have had over 4 years of similar pain so I gave an understanding of your pain.
Have an understanding not gave
I am in the same situation right now. However I’ve been through 5 years of numerous doctors, injections, every type of treatment possible and finally a hip replacement 4 months ago. As I’ve been rehabbing the hamstring/ lower glute pain as well as trochanter/ IT band pain has come back in full force. What I’ve learned is tendinopathy can be in all these areas and especially for me who had instability in my hip while also going through menopause, I was really putting a strain on my tendons. Tendinopathy is extremely painful and yes I even tried hydromorphone prior to surgery. I am now trying to rehab my tendons very gently with ball and band exercises as well as slowly trying to heal from hip replacement. I am using nitroglycerin patches for blood flow to the tendon pain points and focused shockwave once a week along with the physio. I know it is an extremely long process to try to heal but I’m trying to stay focused on the fact that my instability in the hip has now been “fixed”. Sorry for the long post but I truly feel her pain and the feeling of helpfulness.
Sorry to read that your wife has been suffering. Has she tried osteopathy or acupuncture? Can't hurt to do so. Good luck to her!
@snu injected contrast dye under fluoroscopy to confirm they were in the bursa. Then local anesthetic, then cortisone. The cause is from too much sitting and the ischial bursa becoming inflamed. The injections are becoming more effecand last longer each time but remember, the inflammation was going on for a long time so its going to take a bit for the cortisone to completely resolve the inflammation. The local anesthetic takes away the pain completely for a few hours. Thats confirming they definitely hit the right spot. Its magical!!! Good luck.
@jpeach I have suffered severe spinal stenosis plus other deterioration in the lumbar area for quite some time now. Most of the remedies you mention are for pain relief (I do understand how important that is for any quality of life). Unless the actual cause is addressed the pain will continue and most likely get worse. With stenosis the spinal nerve is actually physically pinched and otherwise aggravated by a narrowing of it's canal in the spine. If left unaddressed that constant abrasion of the spinal nerve worsens leading to more pain and possibly other serious issues. That was my diagnosis anyways-yours sounds similar since you mentioned "serious". In my case the remedy was surgery since that was the ONLY method that could remove enough offending bone and tissue to create the proper space that would stop the nerve from further damage. It is a big decision-I hope this might help.