Pulled glute and side butt muscle - My situation

  Help - Question by Anonymous

So here is my strained glute muscle story and nightmare situation, I pulled my glute muscle stretching (and I was only lightly stretching when it occurred). In my case I'm sure thats how it happened because I felt an unusual tweak at top of left butt muscle, so I stopped and waited a short time and it felt fine so I continued doing other stretches on hamstring. Clearly it was doing damage after that first tweak I felt, I should have just quit and waited a day. It seemed fine but a few hours later became very painful all through the outside of the glute muscle and top of glute muscle on top of the butt muscle, and even down into hamstring. Very painful, so painful there was zero chance of sleeping, laying down made it hurt just as bad no matter what angle, what side, or what pillow I put under knees or legs trying to find a position without pain.

Taking ibuprofen helped some, but for me it was also hard to even rest this muscle because sitting in certain chairs was putting strain on it and that would last hours once I irritated it. You need to realize this right away, and find a way to sit where this doesnt happen. In my case this went on for about 2 weeks. Thats how long it took to get to the point where I could sleep and then it rapidly improved once it reached that point.
Do not take any stairs! If you do, do them one leg at a time and rest that muscle. Each stair is stretching the butt muscle and putting all your weight on it.  In my case it also helped finding a seated position on couch hunched way low (so that muscle area wasnt bent much) and then standing up or sitting down I used a pole to pull myself up or use it to sit down to take the weight off the muscle during that motion.  You might be able to use a broom if you dont have a pole, whatever works to try to take the pressure off. This is what I did anyways. I didnt have any black and blue (indicating a tear) so I didnt go to a doctor.  Not sure what they would have done anyways and it would have been painful for me to sit in vehicle on way there anyways.  Its even hard to sit on the toilet of course because that glute muscle bends and stretches when you do that motion to stand or sit.

Once it got to the point where it was no longer painful (but stiff and could still feel it), I started walking a little to get blood flowing but only about 60% pace so I dont stretch it much.  It felt pretty good and I needed to start getting exercise especially after being motionless for so long.  Work back into it slowly and do several walks if you can, for me I was just making sure I didnt walk to fast where I would risk reinjuring the muscle.  I figure the rule of thumb on this is if you can walk pain free then you should start doing that even if just small steps, then see how you feel that night.  Over the next week (week 3) I started walking at speed of 80% and doing 20 minutes at a time, so thats still in progress but I can sit in any chair now and can get a normal night sleep again.  

Answer - Anonymous

Here are the different types of glute strains or pulls that you need to be aware of.

1) Grade 1 - Muscle is sore but no swelling and no discoloration. No black and blue etc. This will take several weeks but you might start feeling better after 3-5 days, make sure you dont do something to reinjure it. Described as a long "dull pain" not a "sharp pain".

2) Grade 2 - Feels tender if you massage the muscle or poke it with finger. No discoloration. This could take 1.5 months to 2 months. This is more of a strain not a pull.

3) Grade 3 - Has color, black blue brown etc.  This is a tear and could take beyond 2 months. Depending on how it happened or how much force etc, this should probably be looked at by a doctor.

This is what I read searching around with my injury and I never really had that much soreness in the muscle if I poked or pushed on mine, but it was just a really dull pain extending from butt muscle down into hamstring.

Answer - Dan

I had a glute strain and was doing treadmill and thought I would walk at a 2 degree incline to work the glute muscle more for recovery rehab. Dont do the incline! lol I felt really sore that night after doing it. Lesson learned, wait another week before pushing that or just do something really short and see how it feels that night before extending it longer. Baby steps!

Answer - Anonymous

Heck you dont even have to walk outside, just start pacing back and forth from one end of house to the other to start getting slow movements in as long as its not hurting you or causing pain of course (wear shoes for this, its bad to walk barefoot on hard surfaces for long time, unless you can walk on cusioned carpet of course). For me it was even really hard getting my left shoe on, I could bend or stretch to touch it anyway I sat without it pulling on that glute muscle.