Are you having pain in your lower back that radiates down into your hip or leg? It might be sciatica or pseudosciatica.
True sciatica involves pressure on the sciatic nerve as it leaves the spine.
Pseudosciatica or ‘false sciatica’ is caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve by muscles next to your spine called QL. Pressure can also be caused by the gluteal muscles (buttocks) as it starts the journey to your leg.
The QL or quadratus lumborum muscles are often the cause of nervy pain called sciatica that runs down your leg. They are also the cause of lower back aches.
Sometimes they are called the four-sided devils. (They do have 4 sides.)
These muscles on each side of your waist are called QL’s for short. The quadratus lumborum muscles are used for twisting and tilting.
Golfing can aggravate them as can any twisting or tilting to the side. Twisting while lifting can cause a QL to go into a spasm that will cause extreme discomfort. (Tip: Don’t twist and lift at the same time. Lift straight up facing the weight.)
The good thing about them is they are muscles.
Muscles can be relaxed or released. They can be released by a knowledgeable massage therapist or by you.
If you are able to press your own thumbs into the junction of your upper hip bone and spine, you might be able to feel something tender. That would most likely be your QL’s. Pressure applied to muscles can relax them so pressing into these tender areas can help relax them.
You might be able to use a tennis ball or similar ball as a pressure tool for those muscles, too.
Just lay on the ball thoughtfully when you find the most tender area of muscle or soft tissues (not bones) for about 5 minutes. The discomfort will go away as the muscle relaxes.
The QL’s are responsible for a lot of scoliosis (curvature of the spine) but so are differences in leg length. Is one pant leg always shorter than the other? It could be one of your QL muscles or it could be a leg length difference.
The QL is called a hip-hiker. But that can only be seen when you are laying down on your back.
Lay down on your back and touch your ankle bones together. If one feels higher than the other, you may have either an anatomical leg length difference or a tight QL. It’s easiest to treat a tight QL or other muscles first before looking for a short leg.
When you stand, a tight QL causes you to tilt slightly to the side of the tighter QL.
The side with the tight muscles can push bones and disks in the spine into nerves on the other side. That causes pseudosciatica. It feels like sciatica but it’s not.
If only one QL was “tight” to start, soon the other side will also be uncomfortable. Why? Because something is pulling it (the tight side) and it is trying to resist.
You see, tight muscles pull on other muscles. They also pull or push on bones and nerves.
Out of balance muscles move bones. That is how muscle imbalance causes pain.
And there are also other muscles that can sciatic-type pain like the piriformis muscle which is tucked into your buttock or gluteal muscles.
So sometimes the sciatic nerve pain comes from the bone pressure where the nerve exits the spine. More often, it’s “false sciatica” and is actually caused by tight muscles pressing on the sciatic nerve as it runs through the powerful buttock muscles.
Those tight buttock or gluteal muscles can be relaxed by laying on a tennis ball or similar ball.
Just lay on the most uncomfortable spot and after about 5 minutes you’ll notice the ball less. That means the muscle is starting to relax. Then you can do the next tender place.
About three tennis treatments on each buttock will probably do it.
