Piriformis Sciatica and Piriformis Pain

If you’re not familiar with the Piriformis (“pear-shaped’) muscle, it’s a muscle deep in the buttocks area of the lower limb, attached to the flat bone at the bottom of the spine just above the tail bone. It crosses the buttock and attaches to the top of the thigh bone. Its main function is to rotate your hip when you turn your leg out and up to the side. Piriformis pain is literally a “pain in the butt”!

Over 2 million Americans suffer from this little known type of sciatica called “Piriformis muscle syndrome” or “Piriformis Sciatica“. It’s misdiagnosed a lot, so isn’t treated properly. Most people suffer with Piriformis pain for months or years before getting the right diagnosis. They may be told that they have a spinal disc disease or gynecological issues, and can go through a lot of unnecessary and costly testing and scans.

When the sciatic nerve gets “pinched” or inflamed, that causes piriformis pain, “Piriformis muscle syndrome” (Piriformis syndrome) or “Piriformis sciatica”. The pain radiates from the upper buttock down the thigh, sometimes to the lower leg, lower back, or groin area.

The most common causes of Piriformis pain and Piriformis sciatica are sitting too long, twisting or rotating your torso, or a trauma like a fall onto your buttocks. Men who carry wallets in the back pocket can also get Piriformis muscle syndrome. It can happen to anyone, regardless of age, sex, fitness or weight.  The easiest way to diagnose it is if your pain gets worse when you sit or put pressure on the buttock, you could very well have piriformis muscle syndrome.

Piriformis Stretches and Piriformis Exercises for Piriformis Muscle Syndrome

There are things you can do for Piriformis pain and Piriformis Sciatica or Piriformis muscle syndrome including ice and heat, and stretches and exercises specifically for Piriformis pain or Piriformis Sciatica.

There are two recommended Piriformis stretches and Piriformis exercises that you can do at home, but you should be assessed before you do any of them. They are:

1. Sit with your right leg straight, left knee bent with your left foot flat on the floor next to your right knee.
2. Put your right elbow on the outside of your left knee, and pull your right shoulder forward. Put your left hand on the floor behind your body so the right of your chest comes forward toward your left thigh (your left chest will go toward the left arm).
3. Rotate your torso around to the left while pressing the outside of your left knee with your right arm.
4. Hold this position for 15-60 seconds and repeat on the other side to avoid back pain.

**If you’ve had back surgery, don’t over-rotate your torso.  The next exercise:

1. Lie on the right side of your bed or a bench with your right hip and knee flexed to 90 degrees.
2. Bring your left leg forward over the edge of the bed or bench.
3. Holding on with your left hand so you won’t fall, bring your torso forward and left, dangling your left leg over the edge. You should get a good pull under your right buttock and thigh.
4. Relax the muscles in your rectal area and genitals and repeat on the other side.

This exercise is very useful for the disabled who sit a lot and are limited in exercising.

You’ll need to determine if your back pain cause may be postural issues or muscle imbalances, which is very common. Other things for Piriformis pain relief and Piriformis Sciatica are walking backwards on a treadmill which balances the muscles, trigger point therapy, reducing stress, drinking more water, back inversion table therapy, and some seating devices can be good treatments for Piriformis muscle syndrome.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010 at 10:41 am and is filed under Sciatic Nerve Pain Treatment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.