Piriformus/Hamstring Pain

[Becky1]

I have had pain on/off in my right piriformus and have stretched, iced, even saw a chrio.  Now the pain is radiating into my hamstring.  Any ideas?  I have reduced mileage, but should I run flat, take time off?

[Calvin]

I took time off when the pain became acute.  (it was painful even to walk).   Otherwise, i've been dealing with minor pains off and on for over 3 years.  Icing, stretching, strategic days off (and sometimes NSAIDs and/or topical anesthetics like sports cream or aspercream) help to manage the symptoms while still allowing you to train.   It can be a delicate balancing act.

[Neil Price]

Currently struggling with piriformis injury.  In my case, rest did not alleviate the pain while running.  My symptoms are gradually becoming less painful after a good deep tissue massage to the affected area and daily stretching (google PS and you'll get a bunch of youtube videos demonstrating stretching exercises).  I've also started sitting on a tennis ball at work and isolating the affected area and that seems to be an effective technique.  Good luck.