Daily Mobility Exercises by Dr. Kelly Starrett › Forums › General › numbness after glute smash

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    • 05/10/2017 at 2:11 pm #71780
      AvatarBrent Kelly
      Participant

      Hello everyone-

      I’m hoping someone can help me out here. I have very tight hips, typical desk jockey scenario.
      I was reading ‘Deskbound’ and decided to try a few hips movements. I did a banded hip extension for about 2 minutes on each side first. Then, knowing that I have many sore areas in my glutes, I decided to smash my right glute (right hip is the problem hip with my imbalance), supported with both hands with a racquet ball.
      I found a painful point very central to the glute (sorry, don’t know the anatomical terms). It felt as though it was just above my hip socket, if that is possible. I did four contract and release cycles. I wiggled a bit, but stayed on the same spot. Total time was probably about two minutes. It felt very good actually and on a pain scale it was simply a 5 out of 10.

      When I got up, I found that from the point I had worked down to mid hamstring was numb. This is a straight line down. This area also extended to my outer hamstring and glute, forming a rectangle of about 4 by 12 or so.
      This occurred about 12 hours ago, and the numbness seems steady at this point.
      Of course I’m worried if I’ve permanently damaged or nerve, and am wondering what I should do next. Wait a week? Perhaps some other movements to counteract?
      Any thoughts or insight you might have would be deeply appreciated. Right now I am admittedly a bit stressed about the situation.
      Thank you.
    • 05/14/2017 at 12:27 am #76913
      AvatarPatrick Thomas
      Participant

      Have you seen a doctor or practitioner to determine what exactly is occurring?

    • 05/16/2017 at 1:47 pm #76914
      AvatarBrent Kelly
      Participant

      I did go see my chiro. His theory was that my SI joint was out of place. He did some typical adjustments to my hips and lower back. There was no lessening of the numbness at that point. He felt pretty sure that I had not physically damaged a nerve (sciatic) with the smash.

      Now, I would say numbness has decreased about 50% since my original post, and is located moreso in my outer hams.
      What remains aside from that numbness is a vague ache right at my right hip joint. It is deep down, not a surface pain. Actual muscle pain from my piriformis and various glutes is minimal at this point.
      So I am wondering how to proceed really. Of course, I have no interest in smashing my glutes again at this point. But perhaps a banded hip extension might make sense..
    • 05/16/2017 at 1:47 pm #76915
      AvatarBrent Kelly
      Participant

      I did go see my chiro. His theory was that my SI joint was out of place. He did some typical adjustments to my hips and lower back. There was no lessening of the numbness at that point. He felt pretty sure that I had not physically damaged a nerve (sciatic) with the smash.

      Now, I would say numbness has decreased about 50% since my original post, and is located moreso in my outer hams.
      What remains aside from that numbness is a vague ache right at my right hip joint. It is deep down, not a surface pain. Actual muscle pain from my piriformis and various glutes is minimal at this point.
      So I am wondering how to proceed really. Of course, I have no interest in smashing my glutes again at this point. But perhaps a banded hip extension might make sense..
    • 05/16/2017 at 3:38 pm #76916
      AvatarTom Matchinsky
      Participant

      I would leave the smashing to an even softer ball at this point to get started and stay away from the joint of the hip and work along the crest of the pelvis instead. If you have never done any of this kind of stuff before it is important to start smaller than you think. Pair any banded hip work with some kind of goblet squat holding a kettlebell or dumbbell, light one. There are many resources available about goblet squats.

      Travis
      MWOD Staff
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