STA133 Focus on The Hip Pt2 : ’Buttock Pain’ with guest Dr. Sarah Rollins

In Ep.133 of the Sports Therapy Association Podcast, we bring you Part 2 of this month’s ‘Focus on The Hip’, with special guest Dr. Sarah Rollins discussing Buttock Pain (posterior hip pain), a condition treated by soft tissue therapists but all too often under the assumption that all buttock pain arises from the Piriformis muscle. Dr Sarah Rollins delves into the anatomy of the posterior hip and the many potential reasons for our clients & patients suffering from buttock pain.

Dr. Sarah Rollins spent 11 years training & serving as an Army GP. In 2009, she left the Army and took up a post with the Ministry of Defence as a Civil Servant GP. In 2012 she moved to the Regional Rehabilitation Unit in Aldershot to work in Sport, Exercise & MSK Medicine.

In 2017, Sarah completed her Masters in Medical Ultrasound and in 2018 wrote the FSEM UK training guidelines for MSK Ultrasound training & mentoring.

Sarah is a runner and orienteer, and an ex-GB athlete herself having represented Great Britain at 11 World Orienteering Championships. She continues to compete at a Master’s level winning a Gold medal in 2022.

Topics discussed:

• 6:40 Dr Sarah Rollins role in the Army & Ministry of Defence. 
• 9:00 Representing Great Britain at 11 World Orienteering Championships
• 11:55 Buttock Pain covers a large category of possible issues. More complex than often taught. 
• 13:59 Research suggests 6% to 36% of buttock pain involves the piriformis. 
• 15:35 The importance of not dismissing what a patient 'thinks' is the problem. 
• 16:20 What percentage of piriformis syndrome is caused by the sciatic nerve piercing the piriformis? 
• 18:44 Anatomy of the buttock area
• 26:23 Does the 'type' of pain described by the patient help in diagnosis?
• 29:30 Importance of the location & journey of the pain, and red flags
• 34:30 What can 'pain when sitting down' be caused by?
• 39:10 Subjective assessment: the importance of letting the patient speak
• 42:26 Motivational Interviewing: shout out to Dr Gary Mendoza of stagesofchange.co.uk
• 46.00 Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy 
• 48:30 Gluteal Medius & Minimus Overload
• 50:15 How often is "weak glutes" the cause of buttock pain?
• 54:00 The usefullness of massage & passive therapy. Shout out to Paul Coker of movecornwallphysio.co.uk
• 56:00 How useful is stretching and yoga for buttock pain?
• 59:00 Back next week with Sports Physio Emer Acton to talk about rehab for these conditions!  

Useful Links:

• Twitter: @DrSarahRollins
• Pure Sports Medicine · Raynes Park, London
• Sports Therapy Association Website 

Our sincere thanks to Dr Sarah Rollins for giving up her time to be a guest on the show! 

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Questions? Email: matt@thesta.co.uk