Hi Everyone,

I’ve been dealing with some ongoing low back/sacrum/part-time glute issues over the past few months. I’ll try to be as brief as possible with what has happened and what I’ve done:
– Late-February: I’m a runner, was finishing up an 8 week aerobic conditioning stretch. On a run I intentionally tried to brace my core – squeezing glutes and contracting core/TA – this quickly tweaking my low back. Next day the LB was tender and spasmed when, say, bending over a low sink in a bathroom. Later that week I hit my tailbone hard sledding – yup – and it was definitely tender for a while (1-2 weeks) on a sit up or even lying down.
– Went to Chrio, got an adjustment and had quite a bit of compression. Generally felt okay, but had to go back ~2 weeks later.
– Early March – Was continuing with stretching, and remember noticing some PSIS “pain”, almost a burning or intense sensation, after laying down in bed after a long forward fold. Felt fine overall
– Mid-march: Longer runs, 2+ hrs, 13+ miles on the weekends. Started to have glute pain close to sacrum at beginning of runs, very noticeable on L side. This pain started to crop up at night/in the morning.
– Continued running through mid-April, with hip stiffness or even pain in early morning hours. Eventually, morning pain radiated around my illiac crest, glutes, and low back – impossible to lay down in any position and would have to get out of bed. Went to chiro twice after that. Last real run was 4/15.
– It took 1.5-2 weeks for pain to really subside. First week, without running, pain was quite bad at night. Forward folds eventually helped alleviate some pain.
– Since then, I still struggle with early morning pain, which has become more isolated to the very low back/upper sacrum area – almost exactly between and just below the PSIS.

I’ve tried a variety of things such as: glute strengthening, mcgill big 3, lots of rolling on glutes, upper back, low back, hamstrings, quads. I’ve dabbled in a variety of mobility items from TRS and old MWOD vids. All of this said, I still get some stiffness and even pain early morning, and walking even less than a mile often triggers a L glute/piriformis “pain” – or really just noticing it.

I would greatly appreciate any thoughts this community might have about the cause, treatment, etc. of this issue. It’s very confounding to me, and while the chiro is unconcerned about a herniation or other significant spinal issue, I still don’t feel like I have a good direction.

Thank you very much!

Kyle