Persistent Glute Pain

[sooghs]

Hi BBM Team,

First, a huge thank you for everything you do. Your content and information on pain/training/everything else has helped me to self-manage and progress in the gym on countless occasions.

For the past month, I have been dealing with persistent “glute pain” that seems to be aggravated by sitting/resting. The pain persists from morning to evening, but it does not radiate and has not limited me from training normally or living my life. It’s just…quite painful.

I don’t seem to be sensitized to any particular movements per se, which is why I’ve been having trouble thinking about how to make adjustments to my training. I am currently running the Powerbuilding II template and was planning to just lower my training stress globally by implementing lower RPE caps, tempo variants, alternate stances, etc. Does that seem like a reasonable approach?

Thanks,
Aidan

[Michael_Ray]

@sooghs

Hi BBM Team,

First, a huge thank you for everything you do. Your content and information on pain/training/everything else has helped me to self-manage and progress in the gym on countless occasions.

For the past month, I have been dealing with persistent “glute pain” that seems to be aggravated by sitting/resting. The pain persists from morning to evening, but it does not radiate and has not limited me from training normally or living my life. It’s just…quite painful.

I don’t seem to be sensitized to any particular movements per se, which is why I’ve been having trouble thinking about how to make adjustments to my training. I am currently running the Powerbuilding II template and was planning to just lower my training stress globally by implementing lower RPE caps, tempo variants, alternate stances, etc. Does that seem like a reasonable approach?

Thanks,
Aidan

Hey, thanks for the question. Adjusting training load and dosage of activity to tolerance does make sense. However, have you tried also adjusting those provocative movements such as time spent sitting/resting? May help just changing positions or moving about for a few minutes.

[sooghs]

Hi Dr. Ray,

Thanks for the response and for your suggestion. I’ll try to switch positions and move around more often, as I do tend to be quite sedentary when not training.

I will add that since the time of posting, I have become more sensitized to knee extension and “deadlift patterns” on the affected side, so I have been trying to find load management strategies around those issues.

While I am confident in my ability to self-manage my pain, do you think there would be an appropriate point at which to seek a professional work-up? I do not think that affixing a specific diagnosis to my situation, such as sciatica, tendinopathy, etc, would meaningfully change my management. However, I am open to getting professional help, if warranted.

Thanks again,
Aidan

[Michael_Ray]

@sooghs

Hi Dr. Ray,

Thanks for the response and for your suggestion. I’ll try to switch positions and move around more often, as I do tend to be quite sedentary when not training.

I will add that since the time of posting, I have become more sensitized to knee extension and “deadlift patterns” on the affected side, so I have been trying to find load management strategies around those issues.

While I am confident in my ability to self-manage my pain, do you think there would be an appropriate point at which to seek a professional work-up? I do not think that affixing a specific diagnosis to my situation, such as sciatica, tendinopathy, etc, would meaningfully change my management. However, I am open to getting professional help, if warranted.

Thanks again,
Aidan

If you are concerned about the situation or looking for assistance with management, then it is reasonable to seek consultation. We’d be happy to remotely consult with you. Just complete our intake paperwork HERE and someone will be in touch to get you scheduled.