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Pain in the butt - Can't sit down
Chronic Pain | Last Active: Nov 6, 2023 | Replies (276)Comment receiving replies
Have you requested your records so you can read your radiology report? See if it says anything about any "incidental findings" of Tarlov cysts. They are also called perineural cysts. I've been a "chronic pain patient" for 15 years (since my accident) and am finally finding out that I've had these cysts the whole time. There seem to be a lot of "incidental findings"! Anyway, these cysts basically bulge from the nerve root sleeves that exit the vertebrae and cause a multitude of symptoms. Rarely does a doctor even acknowledge them because they are "incidental findings" and they weren't taught any more than that about Tarlov cysts in medical school. You will need to mention them to your doctor or even have him/her pull your pelvic MRI up to see if you have them. Radiologist may or may not even document them, I guess it's their choice.
I have the same "pain in the butt" that others have described on here. I know exactly the kind of pain you're talking about because I have it in both. I can't even put any pressure on my right butt cheek. It feels like there are hard balls of muscle/nerves in there and the pain is crazy. That nerve pain then spreads down my leg and into my feet. I now have peripheral neuropathy because of this. These cysts, when big enough, push on your sacral nerves causing cauda equina syndrome. For more info. look up Tarlov Cyst Foundation.
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@qball2019 yes. I had the exact same thing. I’m going to be highly speculative, below. Briefly, this sit pain is a weird intersection of nerve compression, aging metabolism and poor wound healing I think.
One can’t know for sure but the sit pain is probably one of three things: 1. bursitis from tension. With bursitis comes intense pain that is 100% contact pain. Standing good. No pain. Sitting = excruciating pain. 2. It can also possibly be abnormal scar tissue /adhesions. Slow trigger point massage /myofascial release like @jenniferhunter mentions might help this. 3. There is also the possibility that bursa fluid has crystallized. I had the feeling like I had an ice pack under my skin. Again, slow trigger point massage (rolling on balls/Rollga , etc., Myofascial release) can help. The irony is that involves contact and pressure which can cause some pain. However, you might want to work the adjacent areas as they are referring the pain and tension to the ischeal tyberosities. Going back to #2, the hard tissue in those adhesions can be fibrin deposits (as in what is in you cloys). As we get old wounds don’t necessarily heal the same. I think citrus bioflavonoids with vitamin c especially and other plant supplements might help actually dissolve those fibrin deposits. Also , I take turmeric, rutin (low dose!) quercetin, resveratrol) and supplements that help mobilize fat rather than sugar (ie citrulline maleate and carnitine) might help (burn sugar = lactic acid buildup). To some extent the Myofascial tension might be a metabolic issue associated with aging, too.
My blood pressure went down and my triglycerides went from high to normal levels with those supplements and I think they mostly cut some of my nerve pain (except citrus bioflavonoids slightly increase my nerve pain but I think they help me heal the abnormal tissue). It has softened up considerably since I started them. It could take several months. Discontinue those when the scar tissue remodels. Keep the other supplements. Monitor blood pressure while taking supplements or natural pain supplements, too. Some raise it, most lower it.
Cure the root cause though which is the Myofascial tension. Stretching, rolling, exercise I mentioned in earlier posts and the supplements above really did it for me. I also use a wall hugger model of lazy boy. Easier on the back and bottom and you can get to zero gravity and sit comfortably.
My sit pain is almost all gone. I had chains of trigger points and tension all up and down my legs (quads, IT band, hamstrings and glutes) which can cause pain as well as bursitis. It took me two years of hard work and a lot of experimentation. Again, see my several prior posts in this thread.
I would guess those are not Tarkov cysts at you tuberosities. Either scar tissue or bursa. However, nerve compression causes the tension which may drive bursitis or scar tissue formation. For me it is DDD and tight Myofascial tissue near the sciatic nerve that drove the tension and pain I think. Get rid of the tension, the other issues should get better. Also, no one can count on therapists to do it all for you. You need to do whatever you can for yourself every day to get better. Good luck.