Definition
In medicine, the buttock describes the muscles of the buttocks and the subcutaneous fat layer, which together carry and cushion the weight of the body in a sitting position and also perform powerful muscle movements in the hip joint. If a pain is described in the left buttock, it also generally refers to the lower back, hip, parts of the thigh and the genital and anal regions. The pain, which can be pulling, throbbing, dull or stabbing in the buttocks, is caused in these areas of the body. If the pain persists over a longer period of time or is extremely severe, a doctor should be consulted in order to exclude or treat basic orthopedic diseases.
Causes
The causes of pain in the buttock can be traced back to many structures. The buttock itself consists mainly of three large muscles. These extend from the lower back to the thigh and perform powerful stretching movements in the hip joint.
Their strength is particularly required during activities such as climbing stairs. In some cases, the muscles themselves can be the cause of pain in the buttock. Overloading, incorrect strain, bruising, strains or other minor accidents can lead to this.
Especially for strength athletes or after intensive stair climbing the day before, a simple sore muscle can be the cause. Even if a sporting activity took place the day before, unnoticed overloading or strains of the muscles may have occurred. Muscles and tendons can also be strained and hurt by one-sided, incorrect, monotonous movements.
In the case of newly started sports such as jogging or hiking, this may be the case at the beginning. However, the cause of the pain in the buttocks can also be found in the back or hips. As a ball joint, the hip joint has enormous freedom of movement and possibilities of injury.
In addition to fractures, dislocations, tendon and ligament problems of the joint, long-term wear and tear can also occur in the hip joint. The pain in this area is often described as pain in the buttock. Nerves can also be irritated in this region.
From the back, various nerves in the area of the pelvis and buttocks move to the legs and genitals. The nerves can be irritated or damaged in their course. This irritation can lead to unpleasant pain and sensation.
Often the sciatic nerve is affected, one of the largest nerves in the body, responsible for many structures in the legs. A possible pregnancy can also promote complaints of this kind. In rare cases, a fistula can also cause pain in the buttock.
A fistula is a tubular connection between two parts of the body, which should normally not exist. Fistulas can develop in the context of inflammation. An example of a fistula on the buttocks is the coccyx fistula.
Here, individual hairs grow into the skin at the level of the coccyx and become inflamed there. Bacteria and other pathogens can penetrate the skin and lead to a greater inflammation. The inflammation spreads to the inside of the body and leads to a fist-like connection with the pelvic organs.
Such a fistula almost always requires surgical treatment. Over time, it can cause great pain and the inflammation can become life-threatening, which is why it must be surgically removed quickly. The sciatic nerve, which emerges from the spine at about the level of the 3rd lumbar vertebra, runs across the buttocks and into the legs on both sides.
The irritation causes the nerve to send pain signals to the brain by mistake. These are often perceived as shooting and electrifying. In addition, numbness and a tingling sensation in the buttock on the left can also occur.
Such irritation of the sciatica occurs when, for example, there is a constriction of the left sciatic nerve. This can occur, for example, in the pelvic bone or through the left piriformis muscle. The nerve can also be irritated at the point where the left sciatic nerve exits the spinal column, which can also cause the pain to be transmitted from the buttock on the left to the brain.
The growing uterus causes pressure in the pelvis, which can compress the nerve. The piriformis syndrome is also an irritation of the sciatic nerve, which causes pain in the buttock. The irritation here is secondary to the piriformis muscle, which can pinch the nerve between its muscle belly and the pelvic bone.Above all, monotonous sitting and lack of movement are held responsible for the development of this pain.
Pressure from outside or incorrect movements can also trigger the syndrome. The therapy consists mainly of movement, targeted muscle exercises and massages. Hip arthrosis is a long-term and creeping change of the hip joint.
The wear and tear of the joint cartilage and joint surfaces occurs as a result of normal wear and tear in old age or after incorrect posture and incorrect loading in the hip joint. Since the disease develops over years, the symptoms often only appear after the joint has already been damaged. The pain that then occurs can be external to the joint, the cheek or groin.
Radiological examinations will often reveal strong external signs of wear and tear at this stage. ISG blockage is a muscular blockage of the sacroiliac joint. The cause of ISG blockage can be faulty permanent stress or one-time triggers.
Often it is described by affected persons that the trigger was a kind of “stepping into the void”. ISG blockade also causes back pain and pain in the buttock. In principle, the blockade is reversible, in that the muscle and ligament structures are loosened by certain exercises and movements.
A doctor or physiotherapist can often release the blockage within a short time with certain movements. The pain is often aggravated by lying down and by certain sitting positions. Lying down with bent legs is particularly relieving.
For example, lying on the floor with the calves on a chair is often pleasant for the patient. The pain can sometimes extend into the legs. A blood clot, i.e. a thrombosis, can generally cause pain in the left buttock.
Such clots usually settle in the deep veins of the legs, from where they can be transported to the groin. If the thrombosis gets jammed in the left groin, pain can develop that radiates into the left buttock. A direct thrombosis in a vessel supplying the left buttock is rather rare. In thrombosis, the pain is caused by the fact that the tissue behind the blocked blood vessel can no longer be supplied with sufficient blood, oxygen and other nutrients. As a result, pain is caused by a lack of blood supply.
