Okay, so I went to go pump gas. Reached over to pull something out of the trunk and then when I bent down I felt my lower back tense up. Went to urgent care and was prescribed some ibuprofen and muscle relaxants but it doesn't seem to be working. It's a pain in the ass to sit down/stand up/drive.
What do? 
Ha. If you find the answer let me know. Been dealing with it for 10 years. I'm 34 and hurt all of the time. 
Lots and lots and lots of drugs. For me it was hydromorphone and motrin every four hours for 3 months. My chiropractor put me in the decompression machine three times a week for almost a month. I miss that machine!
Stretch your periformis
Pain is in the buttocks, and all of my left leg. Stretching it is excruciatingly painful. Phone Post 3.0
Yoga, seriously. There are specific stretches for it.
Sit in the floor with one leg extended, bring one leg up and put your foot on the outside of the extended leg, then pull that leg towards your chest.
Also, google is your fren.
If pain is isolated just to the gluts and stops above the knee it's a piriformis issue - it's in spasm.
If it goes all the way to the foot it is an l4 vertebrae issue -you said you were pumping gas so more than likely you have what is called a flexion lesion. Basically the vertebrae has twisted and got trapped in flexion. The twisting is tapping the nerve hence the pain.
It's actually an easy fix if you get a decent osteopath - do not see a chiropractor.
Stretching or trying to build up the piriformis is problematic. It's often wrapped around a nerve so strengthening or stretching might just cause it to swell (or even get larger), and then it presses on the nerve more.
In MY case, and I can't guarantee it will help everyone, I dropped all wheat and wheat by-products for 6-7 weeks and this caused the pain to subside markedly.
Mind you there is WHEAT in EVERYTHING, from soups to soy sauce. You have to read the labels CAREFULLY.
After 7-8 weeks, I relaxed the restriction and the pain and spasm has not recurred.
Good luck - you might be one of those that have a hypersensitivity to wheat and this might help you.
PS: The idea came from reading the book 'Wheat Belly', by William Davis.
If you have back issues, one of the best things you can do is hang upside down from your feet or just hang from pullup bars. It will realign your spine and take the pressure off the nerves.
gfs had it for years
no easy cure
shes tried sooo many things
1 doc thats had it forever said long walks really help
u can do cortisone, anti inflamatories
some stretches help while others hurt it
eating sugar supposedly increases inflammation
The Topester - Okay, so I went to go pump gas. Reached over to pull something out of the trunk and then when I bent down I felt my lower back tense up. Went to urgent care and was prescribed some ibuprofen and muscle relaxants but it doesn't seem to be working. It's a pain in the ass to sit down/stand up/drive.Get that checked out at your primary care doctor. Something along like this happened to me and it just so happened to be a lot worse. Eventually I had a mri taken...
What do?
Wasn't good news but I was dealing with what you mentioned. I couldn't sit much, laying down was very difficult and it ended up being my disk compressing the nerves. Just be careful.
I've dealt with sciatica previously. Chiro is shit, the answer is physiotherapy. Exercise your core and use your back as much as possible, chances are you've got a mild form of scoliosis and need to maintain the muscle you currently have.
Stretch, a lot.
get a racket ball and a softball and work the soft tissue all around (lower back, glutes etc)
Mike Wazowski - Stretch your periformisThis. Find a doctor that does ART (active release technique) and have him stretch the glute medius as well.
Find a reputable massage therapist that will do piriformis? work. It is the difference between night and day to anything else that I have ever had done.
thesleeper - Yoga, seriously. There are specific stretches for it.Was going to say this.
Sit in the floor with one leg extended, bring one leg up and put your foot on the outside of the extended leg, then pull that leg towards your chest.
Also, google is your fren.
Update : icy hot patches seem to be helping a little bit. I stretched earlier but the pain is extreme right now. This fucking sucks.
Foundation Training
Dr. Eric Goodman
2nolatch4 -THIS!Mike Wazowski - Stretch your periformisThis. Find a doctor that does ART (active release technique) and have him stretch the glute medius as well.
I suffered for months. A combination of stretching (pictured above) and ART took care of it in about three weeks total.
I was battling sciatic pain since earlier in the year. Around mid August I lost the majority of muscle function in my right calf. Had this MRI done and you can see the disc bulge that I had surgery on late August. No more sciatic pain. Still have some lower back pain but I have battled this on and off for years given abuse from martial arts over the years.
I'd recommend an MRI to at least find out if it is a disc issue. Good luck with it - sciatic pain can go suck it - worst pain I have ever been in.
