Question
I recently began seeing my current chiropractor about seven weeks ago.  I had a full workup done...my neck is completely straight, I have three det. disks, and some bone spurs (spurs don't bother me).  I fell down a flight of stairs in 2003, landing on my bottom at the top of the stairs and then rolling down several times...lots of bumps and bruises but no bone breaks.  I fell down two stairs, landing on my head about 18 months ago (large hematoma on back of head from that), but never had problems until recently.  Also, I had a period of time from 1996-2002 where I was hit from behind in my automobile five times while sitting still in traffic.  I am a 38 year old female (no child births if that makes a difference), and for several years now have been having problems with my right hip/lower back.  I do ballroom dance a lot, and after two or three dances, I get a ball of tension above my right buttock and then I lose the ability to move my leg, forcing me to drag it.  It doesn't really hurt bad or lose sensation or tingle...just lose the ability to move it normally.  After I stretch my lower back out, I'm good for a few more dances, and so on.  I've had X-rays, MRIs, nerve conduction tests, drug therapy, physical therapy...you name it.  Deep tissue massage therapy seemed to be working a little bit on it.  My chiropractor is trying different things on me, and none seem to be working.  He just tried something new on me this morning...which I was a little uncomfortable with and could not find on the Internet.  He said he was putting pressure on the ligament at the very end of my tailbone because it seemed like it was tense; he said that it should loosen up the muscles in my back and that he would not be able to adjust me afterward.  It hurt really bad, but then the pain subsided after a few minutes.  I felt really uncomfortable because of how he had to get to that "spot" because he just "went there with no warning of what he was going to do" and all and wanted to know: 1) what is this procedure called (I'd like to look it up on the Internet); and 2) does he seem to be on the right track with my problem?  Thanks!

Answer
Hi Cathy,
It sounds like if you didn't have bad luck, you wouldn't have any luck at all!

The procedure is called trigger point therapy, it is uncomfortable while it is being done but feels much better soon after. The reason why it is effective is that it forces out lactic acid build up as a result of poor blood supply to the avascular component of the ligamentous attachment. Think of it as flushing the toilet of all the bad pain causing chemicals that build up from chronic inflammation.

You probably have a piriformis syndrome, very common, stretch exercises take care of it. The doctor should have you lay on your stomach and bend you symptomatic side at the knee and force it outward away from your body while it is at 90 degrees. This will stretch the piriformis allowing the sciatic nerve, which passes under it, to be relieved of pressure.
If your doctor is familiar with PNF (propioceptive neuromusculo-facilitation) I would have him do this, the results are remarkable. If not, find another doctor.

Hope this helps!

Dr. Timothy K. Durnin
drs.chiroweb.com