All The Facts About Andie MacDowell's Unusual Medical Diagnosis
As a seasoned and gorgeous actress, Andie MacDowell has held a wide variety of roles from Jane in "Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes" to Del Landry in Hallmark's "The Way Home." Whereas the road to success certainly has had its fair share of ups and downs, MacDowell has always presented herself with grace and poise. But when the area around her hips started to seize up on her, it put a kink in her typically effortless style and eventually paved the way to reveal a rare medical diagnosis.
Sitting on the couch for an appearance on "The Drew Barrymore Show," the "Groundhog Day" actress revealed she has piriformis syndrome. "It's a muscle that kind of clamps down on my sciatic nerve, and it was shooting down my leg," MacDowell explained. According to the National Institutes of Health, this unusual syndrome is "a rare neuromuscular condition that occurs when the piriformis muscle in the buttocks presses on the sciatic nerve." This can make it difficult to perform daily routine movements like walking, running, or even simply standing for long periods of time, and often manifests itself similarly to sciatica. Luckily for MacDowell, she listened to her body and stepped into action when it was time to seek care.
Andie MacDowell noticed her body felt off
While cuddled up next to Drew Barrymore, Andie MacDowell divulged her journey to being diagnosed with piriformis syndrome. The "Ready or Not" actress admitted to pushing her body just a bit too hard during the lockdown portion of the COVID-19 pandemic. Getting swept up in the Peloton craze of the "shelter in place" phase, MacDowell was riding her stationary bike "like a crazy person." To the point that her body was starting to deteriorate. "I thought I was literally falling apart," she told Barrymore on the talk show. The pain was so intense, she explained, "I thought I was gonna have to have a hip replacement."
Luckily for MacDowell, a hip replacement was not necessary. But she did have to update her workout routine. "It's not appropriate for my body, and I ended up with bad knees and a bad hip," she said, before explaining her robust physical therapy and rehab exercises. "I have to work my tiny little bottom and my hips ... I just do it every day," MacDowell explained before acknowledging that all this hard work is paying off and she is relatively pain-free. However, there is one part of her body still giving her trouble. "My knees are good except for aging. They've aged." Luckily for MacDowell, she is remarkably good at embracing her aging body.
Embracing aging comes naturally to Andie MacDowell
When Andie MacDowell revealed her stunning new red carpet look in 2021, the world was taken by storm at how absolutely gorgeous she looked with her natural gray hair. Whereas MacDowell has been incredibly open about embracing the silver locks as part of her aging journey, it was a bit harder for her to come around on reminding herself the rest of her body needs the same amount of grace. MacDowell not only had to lay off the intense biking due to aging knees and her piriformis syndrome, but she also had to accept that the rest of her body would need some love too. According to People, when a dress wasn't fitting right for a major event, MacDowell initially wanted to beat herself up for not being able to shed a few pounds before realizing, "I'm too old to starve myself for 5 pounds nonstop. I just can't do it anymore."
Besides, MacDowell herself has confessed that she feels sexy as an older woman and it's given her an intuition that's been life-saving. Not only did listening to her gut lead her to rock the silver locks, but it's also what helped her to go to the doctor to care for her sciatic pain. And it's something she wants to encourage other women to do as well — specifically her daughters. "I try to instill in them a feeling of being their own person and trusting their instincts," she told People. Luckily for MacDowell, slowing down and being with her famous family is also part of her road to recovery.
Andie MacDowell is taking it slower with the help of her family
After admitting her diagnosis on "The Drew Barrymore Show," Andie MacDowell opened up about how slowing down and spending more time with family has been the real medicine. "I'm happier now than I have been in a long time," MacDowell dished to Barrymore. Although, she mentioned that moving to South Carolina and taking care of herself took longer than expected, mostly because she misses her children — Margaret Qualley, Rainey Qualley, and Justin Qualley. "Once my kids left, I felt this huge void in my life, because they were so important to me."
However, it was MacDowell's relationship with her daughter Margaret that really got her to tap into her inner confidence. "Margaret really was kinda telling me I was supposed to be having the time of my life, but I wasn't," MacDowell admitted to Barrymore. With the help of her lookalike daughter, MacDowell was able to harness the energy she needed to take her health seriously and remind herself to enjoy life. Telling Barrymore, "I'm having the time of my life now. It's really good."