Andie MacDowell is battling a painful neuromuscular disorder.
“I have piriformis syndrome, so it’s a muscle that kind of clamps down on my sciatic nerve, and it was shooting down my leg,” MacDowell shared on “The Drew Barrymore Show.”
“I thought I was going to have hip replacement — thank God, my hips are fine,” she remarked.
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Piriformis syndrome occurs when your piriformis muscle compresses your sciatic nerve and results in inflammation. It can cause pain or numbness in your buttock and down the back of your leg. It can happen on one side of your body or both, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
The 66-year-old actress added that she practiced daily exercises to mitigate any pain.
“I have to work my tiny little bottom and my hips. I have to work the bottom and work my hip. I just do it every day… it doesn’t hurt anymore… it’s a miracle,” said MacDowell.
During her appearance, MacDowell made a vulnerable admission about her health, saying she thought she was “literally falling apart” after she started riding her indoor bike “like a crazy person.”
“It’s not appropriate for my body, and I ended up with bad knees… a bad hip,” she explained.
“The good news is my pieces are fine,” MacDowell said. “My knees are good except for aging. They’ve aged.”
She continued, “I think as you age… lift weights, work with a [personal trainer] PT person to build your muscles.”
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The “Groundhog Day” alum additionally shared that she left Hollywood for a simpler life in South Carolina.
During her interview, MacDowell touched on how she’s coped with her children growing older and moving out.
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“Everything changes, it’s a hard shift,” she confessed. “You hear about how a lot of mothers… are happy… they’re free… I didn’t have that feeling, I still don’t have that feeling. I’ve had to work really hard on my independence.”
The “St. Elmo’s Fire” actress shares three children with her ex-husband, Paul Qualley — daughters Margaret and Rainey, along with their son Justin. Both daughters have followed in their mom’s acting footsteps.
