I’ve always had some issues along the right side of my body because of an injury I felt after pullups in 2009. It’s usually affected my right shoulder/neck/tricep area, but I also feel it has affected the right side of my torso, through my hip down my leg.  That is what this post is about. 

I have been foam rolling my back and various places for a couple years now, but have rarely dedicated any time to my psoas, piriformis, glutes, or hip flexors specifically. I am a lifter, and focus on a lot of compound movements (squat, deadlift, bench). My right hip flexor started becoming an issue a few months ago, most noticeably on high rep squats, or stiff legged deadlift. I have since identified some nastiness in my right hamstring that I have been trying to smash (even bought a rumbler roller, but also have used tennis balls, etc..) The symptoms I typically feel is a strain like feeling along the right hip, hamstring glute…that causes my lower right back to feel like its having a spasm. I tend to aggravate it more with stiff leg deadlifts. I used to be able to do the pigeon stretch quite well, by crossing my right leg onto my left and almost pulling my left knee down to my chest.  Now, I can barely get my right leg even into the crossed position without extreme stretching/pulling on the outer right knee.  I have since moved to using a table so my left leg can hang off, but even then it is quite uncomfortable, and I know the area of my outer right glute is extremely tight and sore.  

I sit at a desk all day, but I exercise in the afternoon every day, and try to stretching throughout the day.

Last night was the first time I worked my psoas (which is an odd feeling), and I spent a good amount of time grinding into my right calf and ankle, which are most extremely tender and sore.  The area behind my right knee is very tight and tender. I’ve placed a ball behind it and closed my leg, focusing on tender spots. I feel like I swell the area up after massage.  

At night after my stretching / rolling sessions, I feel ‘decent’ though the pain and uncomfortableness tend to come back, and the next day (today) I am quite stiff and sore. Is that normal to feel after a good smash session on your joints and muscles? It often feels like groundhog day where I help myself, and the next day feel like I am at square 1. 

Here is a video of me trying the table based pigeon stretch and trying to describe the pain https://vid.me/yPcd

Here is a video of my squat (don’t mind the music) https://vid.me/KBfn   (a more full angle here https://vid.me/BpdU) 

Anyways, from a foam rolling, stretch perspective I don’t know if I am doing the right things or what.  I don’t actively practice the contract/release method. 

also, when focusing with a lacrosse ball and the piriformis, when I do cross my right leg to a somewhat comfortable position and try to target those bad spots, the more I lean to my right, I damn near feel fire shooting up my right leg and it’s hard for me to sit through it.  

Sorry for the jumbled mess of a post