Question
Hello, I am 17 years old. I am a gymnast (have been for 10+ years), as well as a diver and a pole vaulter. I am very active, but also have a lot of pains.  I have had this aching pain in my lower back, dead center. It has been present for about 1 1/2 year, but I haven't said anything to anyone.  The pain has gone away for the most part, now it just bothers me every so often.  Although this pain is mostly gone, there is this pain on the top of my left hamstring.  It is almost directly underneath my buttock.  It is the worst only when I am sitting (as in during school) or driving.  I have very flexible hamstrings, but this area of my leg will not stretch out.  I have done some research, and what I came up with was pirformis syndrome or sciatia.  I wanted to see what someone else thought it was.

Do you have any suggestions??

Thanks, Jordan

Answer

Hanna Somatic Educatio Hello, Jordan.

If your hamstrings won't stretch out, then they are not flexible.

With regard to sciatica, it's possibly mild sciatica.  Please see my write-up:

http://somatics.com/sciaticasymptoms-piriformissyndrome.htm

Low back pain indicates tight back muscles and/or tight hip joint flexors.

more in back pain:
http://somatics.com/back_exercises_for_lower_back_pain.htm

Since you are an athlete, I would suggest you investigate the system of somatic exercises called, "The Cat Stretch" at http://somatics.com/page7.htm


Just to clarify about stretching, here's my write-up with a different perspective:

http://somatics.com/stretch.htm

regard,
Lawrence Gold