Question
I am a 29 year old male that races mountain and road bikes.  I have pyriformis syndrome and more recently adhesions in my left hamstring.  I have found a doctor to perform active release and it seems to be a temporary fix.  After active release of the hamstring the pain seems to creep back in.  My question is am I doing damage to my hamstring by training and pushing through the pain in between doctor visits?  Being a competitive cyclist I do not want to take time off.  Thank you.

Answer
Hello Lyal,

   Racing will definately increase the stress on the glutes and hamstrings.  Often with atheletes that what to continue at the same level of intensity recovery may take a little longer.  Basically a battle with your muscle relax and breakup adhesions before you create new ones.  If your pain is increasing in intensity between treatments you may want to reduce your training/racing.  However, if you are slowly improving you may want to continue at your current pace and treatments.  Make sure the doc. is working on the glutes, hami's, low back, and pelvis.  All the fascia is connected and sometimes it takes a multifaceted treatment to completely reduce the condition.

Have a great day,
Dr. Brendon O'Brien D.C.