The piriformis is a flat, long, and narrow muscle extending from your lower spine to your buttocks and the top of your thighs. Along with other tendons and hip rotators, the piriformis is essential in balancing your hip joint and promoting the movement of your thighs and the rest of your lower body in different directions. However, due to issues like lower-body injury, severe exercising, and improper carrying of something, damage to the muscle may lead to Newtown piriformis syndrome. Nearly 5% of patients with sciatica pain suffer from the compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve by the piriformis.
When you have piriformis syndrome, you may have various symptoms in your lower body, such as pain, aching, and loss of sensation or feeling. The symptoms often worsen when certain physical activities exert maximum stress on the piriformis muscle, which compresses the sciatic nerve. The activities may include running, sitting for an extended period, walking, or climbing a staircase.
Diagnosis
There is no specific test for diagnosing piriformis syndrome.
Generally, your doctor will ask you about your symptoms and activities and examine your health history, including past and present injuries. Your health specialist may also ask you to perform a few movements, vital for understanding the source of your discomfort and pain.
Diagnostic procedures like computerized tomography (CT), diagnostic medical sonography, and MRI may be useful for identifying the underlying health issues causing your pain and other symptoms.
Treatment options
Health experts often approach the treatment of your piriformis syndrome conservatively. The general approach is to minimize or eliminate the inflammation of the piriformis muscle.
Once there is pain relief, the muscle should gradually undergo strengthening and conditioning exercises to protect you against the same issue later.
Get adequate resting
Resting prevents you from participating in activities or performing tasks that may injure or inflame your piriformis muscle. The syndrome’s symptoms will disappear without carrying weighty objects, running, playing football, or weightlifting.
Cold and heat therapy
Alternatingly subject the painful area to cold and heat therapy. Applying gel pads or ice to the lumbar region can significantly minimize muscle cramps or spasms, which are the uncontrollable contraction of muscles without relaxation.
On the other hand, heat therapy improves blood circulation and flow because of the exposure to the affected region to a higher temperature.
A form of heat therapy may involve taking a hot bath lasting about 25 minutes thrice a day until your piriformis muscle relaxes.
Physical therapy
It would help if you went to your physical therapist or chiropractor to subject you to exercises that ensure you strengthen, stretch, and condition your piriformis muscle. The practices should make your spinal system, muscles, and lower body recover from your sciatica and avoid future issues with your piriformis muscle.
Injections
Botox treatment is an increasingly popular injection option for treating piriformis syndrome. The procedure introduces a neurotoxic protein known as Botulinum toxin in an area of your lower back to encourage the elimination of muscle tension and offset existing imbalances causing the swelling.
Contact Performance Pain and Sports Medicine today for professional diagnosis and treatment of your piriformis syndrome.
