Sorry about the title! LOL! Don't know how else to ask.
I thought I was having SI joint problems for months, but I have narrowed the pain down to a new spot. It is in the soft tissue halfway between my hip bone and my spine. If I press into the tissue it is one spot about the size of a quarter that sets off pain in every direction. When I sit down, the pain radiates around the whole area, but it is coming from this one spot. There is no bruise or injury.
Is this a fibro trigger point? If it is, is there anything I can do to help it? I know how to deal with joint pain with various stretches, various general soft tissue pain, etc, but not sure how to deal with an area of soft tissue pain like this. It is very painful when any position puts pressure on the tissue: laying, sitting, etc.
There are a lot of tendons and ligaments in that area. I do not know why soft tissue can become so sore in PsA but it does. When I have what you describe I take tylenol (or Vicodin) and but heat on it. If I have to go somewhere i put a Salonpas pad on it. My Rheumy says there is a lot of fibro like pain with PsA, and that may very well be one of the trigger points. I find it is more likely to occur around a joint I have stressed, like mopping a floor or getting in and out of the car. I hope this helps, i hope you feel better.
I have lived with a pain in my butt for more years than I would like to remember. Mainly my right side but it does go over to the left, it never seems to be on both sides at the same time. I also get pain in the saddle region on the same side as my lower back pain.
My Rhuemy always blames my past back history of surgery after a herniated disc in my lower back. The surgery helped me walk without excruciating pain but the pain in the butt never went away. At times it is similar to a toothache pain only over a much larger area. I now wonder if this was actually due to my PSA which was not diagnosed. I also get sciatic pain from time to time.
Stretching exercises do help but make sure you see a Physiotherapist to be sure you are doing the right ones the right way. Stretch before getting out of bed. I find ice better than heat or try alternating heat and ice. I see an Osteopath that massages me and stretches me out and that is so good and helps. Massage is good to break up any knots in the muscles, it may hurt a bit but worth it.
Swimming helps but that is not possible all year long. If your not up to swimming then exercising in a pool will help. When I am at my worse I will get into the pool in the deep end and use a noodle and just let my body hang and that helps. Try not to sit too long and change what your doing regularly. I have to avoid bending over as I never know which time I bend it will stir up and cause my lower back pain. A good Physio will show you how to lift to protect your back and lots of other things that we do daily. Getting the washing out of the washing machine is something you need to make sure you do correctly because it can be one of those things where you might be leaning to one side and stretching in, this stirs it up for me if I don't do it properly but that is because I am short.
I just stick to Paracetamol because I don't want to take stronger meds and I have found they don't work any better and zonk me out.
The problem I find is the more I try and do the worse I get and this is generally the case with all my PSA. I have learned to pace myself and take numerous breaks in between and you will need to rest when it gets bad because if you keep on going it won't go away. Even resting for too long can cause me to cease up. It is finding that balance of moving enough and combining it with rest and not doing too much to aggravate your lower back pain.
I can’t help but comment on this, as I too have pain in my butt. Mine isn’t sciatic or due to back or disc problems though. If I sit on a hard surface for too long, I actually will develop a hard painful mass in my glute right where my boney tush comes in contact with the chair. This just started in the last month or two and I am positive that it is associated with PsA. It is so weird!! When it happens, I have to make sure to sit on padded seats until the knot goes away. I have had it happen three different times and I am perplexed by it. PsA is so very strange sometimes.
It makes sense to me in a weird sort of way. The tendons are ate the ends of muscles. The big fat belly of the muscle is in the middle but on each end the muscle tapers into a tendon which attaches to a bone usually near a joint. How's that for an elementary AP course? It makes sense to me that when our tendons are inflamed and swollen as happens in PsA that we would get muscle pain and knots too. I think this is what my Rheumy means by fibro like pain. I know that 2 different types of massage I get really help; one is regular muscle massage with attention paid to knots. The other is more like a cranial sacral adjustment with some knot "snapping" also. I have been alternating them for over a year with 2 different masseurs and they know me well enough now that i have very little pain after now and in about 24 hours I am pain free. I think if we all sat perfectly still in a room we wouldn't get such bad tendon and muscle pain but as we need to keep moving and our joints are not well any more it stresses the tendons and muscles so we end up with some pretty impressive pain. I do try to alternate business with rest but it is not a perfect world....yet!
Wow. That is a really interesting thought, especially how you related it to fibro pain. Maybe that is what they mean? I don’t know, but it’s going on the list of questions to ask the doc. I want to do massage desperately, but I am waiting on a referal so I can write it off.
Have you tried trigger point injections? One of my friends does them. I don’t think he takes my insurance, but he’s the only one I’ll let stick needles in my back. (he never has to sedate his patients and they never cry)
No I haven't done any trigger injections. I bought a membership to Massage Envy so I only pay 57.00 per 90 minutes. I am old enough to be both masseurs mom but they are so good with me. If I need help turning on the table they help me. I have found such relief with the combination of PT in the warm pool 88-92 degrees and massage. I should probably look into whither my insurance would pay for it or not. But I haven't gotte that far yet.
I am going to ask. The worst they can say is, “no”. If they don’t cover anything, then I’ll save it for taxes next year. That’s why I am waiting on the referral; so I can be official.
You have the exact same plan that I am aiming for: massage and warm water PT. I do think that I’ll let my doctor friend do trigger points too. He does them on himself and says they are wonderful.
I hope to get my referrals on Monday, I am itching for some relaxation!
6 years ago I began having similar pain and went to a Physiatrist (Physical Medicine physician). 6 wks of PT did not help. Ended up with a deep injection of steroids. Magic! Couldn't believe how fast that worked.
I find that if I do not walk enough the pain returns. I have a desk job and have sat more with the PSA diagnosis. So, I do try to walk when I can.
Massages can help but only if the masseuse understands how to massage that spot. I found that a few can move your knee and leg to manipulate that joint but it takes expert knowledge.
How do you get a massage referral - I want one ! :-) Seriously, your insurance will pay for a massage? Does the referral have to come from a doc?
GrumpyCat said:
Wow. That is a really interesting thought, especially how you related it to fibro pain. Maybe that is what they mean? I don't know, but it's going on the list of questions to ask the doc. I want to do massage desperately, but I am waiting on a referal so I can write it off.
Have you tried trigger point injections? One of my friends does them. I don't think he takes my insurance, but he's the only one I'll let stick needles in my back. (he never has to sedate his patients and they never cry)
Some insurances will pay for some things like a mattress or massage if found to be medically necessary. Some insurance will not. You have to call the insurance and find out if they will cover it than get a "prescription" from your doctor.
I have a PPO and a discount plan with United Health Care. The discount plan can be used for massage and I get 20% off with certain providers. I get a referral from the doc and a discount slip from UHC. The discount slip is completed online and I take it with me to my appointment with the referral. Also, any cost not covered by insurance or the discount can be written off of my taxes at the end of the year. Since I will be using the expense toward a tax write off, I keep a copy of the referral.
My insurance discount plan also offers a steep discount on gym memberships, nutritionists, laser vision correction, smoking cessation therapy, online drug stores and online organic and specialty food companies. There are quite a few companies and providers that participate with the discount plan. It was easy to find several massage therapists in my area. The discount plan just comes along with my insurance package; I didn’t have to sign up for it or pay any extra to use it.
Some insurance will cover more as a part of your main plan, so you have to look into what your plan will cover. Many insurance companies offer a discount plan too. I didn’t know that I had it until I logged into my plan online to check my benefits for massage therapy. I didn’t think that I could get anything covered, so I was really happy to find the discount plan. I was surprised at all of the savings I have been missing out on.
Frances said:
How do you get a massage referral - I want one ! :-) Seriously, your insurance will pay for a massage? Does the referral have to come from a doc?
GrumpyCat said:
Wow. That is a really interesting thought, especially how you related it to fibro pain. Maybe that is what they mean? I don't know, but it's going on the list of questions to ask the doc. I want to do massage desperately, but I am waiting on a referal so I can write it off.
Have you tried trigger point injections? One of my friends does them. I don't think he takes my insurance, but he's the only one I'll let stick needles in my back. (he never has to sedate his patients and they never cry)
I can't offer any "REAL" information butt, I couldn't resist...
The second morning after I started MTX I woke-up....My eyes slowly focusing, I stretch!!! My eyes pop open....why does my butt hurt?! I shift my eyes around the room....O.K. ...this IS my bedroom! I don't feel like I was chloroformed BUTT, WAIT, how would I know?! I walked into the familyroom and my wife was sitting there...."morning"....WHY DOES MY BUTT HURT!
I haven't talked about it again till now...I'm assuming it was a weird side-effect or something butt, it hasn't happened since(LOL)!
Robert,
Welcome back (side)! Now that I’ve got that behind me…you are terrible! I made it to the rear end of my post without succumbing to the giggles and adding a bunch of butt jokes! It was really a pain in the the tushie, butt when I arsked myself I decided that I wanted to be more mature than that. In hindsight, I guess I could have snickered my way to bottom like a ten-year-old!
I too, have the pain just above the buttocks. I find I get it most often when I am carrying something or have my computer bag across my shoulder. I guess that comes into play with the walking straight and the bag sometimes throws my balance off.
Marietta, I never forgot this post - Butt Pain. Well, I've been having constant pain in my butt, both sides and figured out how to eliminate the pain for a long while. I lie on the floor and put a lacrosse ball where it hurts and roll it around and often press it into areas for about 10 seconds and release. It does wonders for my pain. I hope it helps others. I have a ball at home and at work.. I can close my office door and it only takes a few minutes. I also roll the ball under my foot when it's hurting. A real cheap remedy.
Does anyone else have butt pain in the bones that we sit on. No matter how much padding I have on my butt even though I have always had a Rubeneque size derriere it still hurts. Sitting is what seems to what causes that tail bone pain. Then there is the groin pain and the hip so now it does sounds as if I am whining, not meant be, this is how it is. I have resorted to taking a chair pad with me hidden in one of those green shopping bags - a perfect fit. Next time I am going to try two as one was not enough. I plop it down as discreetly as can on to a seat. Perhaps anyone who sees me will think I am only trying to protect my cloths from a dirty seat. Who is likely to even ask and I fast getting past even caring.
I also have butt pain. I get it when I sit on a hard surface, like a wooden bench or plastic chair. A year or so ago, I was exercising on the stationary bike at the gym. My butt actually went numb on one side while riding the bike. Within a few days, the pain was so intense, I could barely walk. I had to go to several weeks of PT and get deep tissue "massage" with a metal rod. Eventually it got better, but I still get a mild form of that same pain.
I was told by the physical therapist that it had something to do with my piriformis muscle and I need to stretch it regularly. Well, I often forget to stretch and I'm reminded whenever I feel the butt pain. This happened before my PsA dx, so am wondering now if it's related.
I have a styrofoam tube that I can roll my leg/butt on. I also use a TENS unit and heating pad for the pain.
bella said:
Does anyone else have butt pain in the bones that we sit on. No matter how much padding I have on my butt even though I have always had a Rubeneque size derriere it still hurts. Sitting is what seems to what causes that tail bone pain. Then there is the groin pain and the hip so now it does sounds as if I am whining, not meant be, this is how it is. I have resorted to taking a chair pad with me hidden in one of those green shopping bags - a perfect fit. Next time I am going to try two as one was not enough. I plop it down as discreetly as can on to a seat. Perhaps anyone who sees me will think I am only trying to protect my cloths from a dirty seat. Who is likely to even ask and I fast getting past even caring.
That is exactly where your piriformis is! That muscle is prone to tightness and can be very painful. It's tightening up to relieve SI pain and damage. I have a tone of ways to fix it but I can't fix it over the internet :( .... Except for stretching. Look up piriformis stretch and try it. Good luck!
I made it to the rear end of my post without succumbing to the giggles and adding a bunch of butt jokes! It was really a pain in the the tushie, butt when I arsked myself I decided that I wanted to be more mature than that. In hindsight, I guess I could have snickered my way to bottom like a ten-year-old!