Andie MacDowell revealed she was diagnosed with piriformis syndrome and suffered with shooting pain until discovering a “miracle” physical therapy treatment.
Andie MacDowell Reveals Piriformis Syndrome Diagnosis
The Four Weddings and a Funeral actress made the confession during a January 23, 2025, appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show.
Andie explained to host Drew Barrymore, “So it’s a muscle that kind of clamps down on my sciatic nerve, and it was shooting down my leg. I thought I was going to have to have hip replacement, thank God, my hips are fine.”
The Maid star first found out she had the syndrome after riding her Peloton “like a crazy person” and discovering that stationary bikes were “not appropriate for my body.”
“I ended up with bad knees and a bad hip, and … I thought I was literally falling apart, like I was gonna have to get new pieces,” she continued. “But the good news is my pieces are fine. My knees are good except for aging. They’ve aged. I’m working out really hard now doing PT. I’m not falling apart.”
Andie MacDowell Is Now Pain-Free
Andie does exercises where “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,” and she’s had a successful outcome. “It doesn’t hurt anymore — it’s a miracle, it really is.”
What Is Piriformis Syndrome?
Piriformis syndrome “causes pain or numbness in your butt, hip or upper leg. It occurs when the piriformis muscle presses on the sciatic nerve,” the Cleveland Clinic described regarding Andie’s condition.
Andie MacDowell Opens Up About Aging
The Groundhog Day star has been open about how she’s accepted the aging process and all that comes with it.
“There came a time, I think, right around 60, where I just needed to be comfortable with the fact that I was an older woman, and I’ve embraced it,” she told Harper’s Bazaar in March 2024. “And there’s a comfort level once you give up the idea that you need to be something that you’re not, and just kind of drop into where you are.”
Andie shared advice for younger people to love and accept their bodies, as their skin and figures are going to change with time.
“There are so many things I didn’t appreciate when I was younger. And I tell young people that all the time — like, I will tell them to wear shorts. And don’t sit around and think about the size of [your thighs] — just wear shorts! Your skin is so gorgeous. When you’re young, don’t worry about your size. Just wear shorts and short dresses,” she advised. “I can’t — I don’t wear short dresses anymore. It just doesn’t work for me.”
Why Did Andie MacDowell Stop Coloring Her Hair?
Andie famously quit coloring her hair during the COVID-19 pandemic, deciding to embrace her gray locks.
“I loved it,” she gushed in a February 2024 interview with Flow Space. “I thought my eyes looked like a completely different color. I loved my skin tone, and I just really wanted to do it. I had to do this for myself, ’cause you only get one life. And this was gonna bring me so much pleasure and joy.”
Andie admitted she “felt prettier” after going gray. “It made me so much more powerful and so much more comfortable. It made me feel me … I’m not trying to be something that I’m not,” she told the outlet.
