Causes of Sciatica - Piriformis Syndrome

Causes of Sciatica – Piriformis Syndrome

Piriformis Syndrome Therapy

It s important to understand when looking at the causes of sciatica that sciatic nerve pain is not a condition; it is a symptom of a condition. We address this concept further in our article about Sciatica Exercises.

Three of the main causes of sciatica are Herniated Disc, Piriformis Syndrome and Spinal Stenosis. This article specifically addresses Piriformis Syndrome but you may also find the following information useful:

Causes of Sciatica – Herniated Disc

Causes of Sciatica – Spinal Stenosis

Causes of Sciatica - Piriformis Syndrome

www.LoseTheBackPain.com – Further Information

What is Piriformis Syndrome?

Piriformis Syndrome is the most common cause of sciatica. The piriformis is a muscle located in the outer hip – it runs behind the hip joint (behind the gluteus maximus) from the sacrum (at the base of the spine) to the outer hip bone.

The sciatic nerve runs under (and sometimes through) the piriformis muscle on its way out of the pelvis. Piriformis syndrome occurs when the sciatic nerve is compressed or irritated by the piriformis muscle as the sciatic nerve passes through the hip on the way down to the foot. This can happen when the piriformis muscle and piriformis tendon are too tight or when the muscle spasms or tenses.

Piriformis Syndrome Causes

The condition occurs when the piriformis muscle is tight and inflamed and continuously irritates the sciatic nerve. In some cases, it can be caused by a trauma (injury, fall, accident). The piriformis muscle may then begin to swell and thus put pressure on the sciatic nerve and it may go into spasm. Eventually the muscle will heal but some of the muscle fibres inside the piriformis muscle are replaced by scar tissue, which is less elastic than normal muscle tissue. So the pain can continue as the sciatic nerve is still being irritated by the pressure from the piriformis muscle. But it is important to understand that in the majority of cases, people suffer from piriformis syndrome because of damage done by repetitive movements over a long period of time. Examples of this are many and varied for example running and other forms of exercise, heavy work, getting in and out of a car, holding a baby on your hips, having a habit of weight shifting onto one foot, even prolonged sitting.

These all cause a shift in the use of your core muscle and over time you will develop what are called muscle imbalances. Typically muscle imbalances in the hips and lower back will pull and tighten the piriformis muscle and hence put pressure on the nerve. These muscle imbalances will develop into what are called postural dysfunctions and it is these postural dysfunctions that are the root cause of piriformis syndrome and other sciatic, hip, back and leg pain conditions. Postural dysfunctions can mean that the pelvis is not in the proper position and the sciatic nerve will have abnormal contact with the piriformis muscle. Hence sciatic pain.

Piriformis Symptoms

The most common symptoms of Piriformis Syndrome are:

- Buttock Pain – a dull ache or a deep pain.
- Pain, tingling or numbness along the sciatic nerve which runs down the back of the leg and into the foot.
- The pain is usually felt only on one side although it sometimes felt on both sides.
- Symptoms worsen after prolonged sitting.
- Symptoms worsen when walking up stairs or inclines.
- Symptoms improve after lying down on the back.

Traditional Treatment of Piriformis Syndrome

Traditional treatments include:

– Physical Therapy to ease spasm and pain in the piriformis muscle and to try to relieve irritation on the sciatic nerve. This will usually include piriformis stretches.
– Heat Application.
– Ice.
– Rest avoiding the activities that caused the symptoms for at least a few weeks.
– Anti-Inflammatory Medication is commonly used to treat the pain and inflammation caused by the irritation on the nerve.
– Deep Massage.
– Ultrasound.
– Electrotherapy for example, a TENS machine.
– Inversion Therapy.
– Injections of Local Anesthetic to temporarily relax the piriformis tendon and muscle (this is useful to confirm the diagnosis of Piriformis Syndrome)
– Cortisone Injection.
– Surgery – this is usually the last resort and is undertaken to release or loosen the piriformis muscle and piriformis tendon.

Our Recommendations

Most traditional ways of treating piriformis syndrome only address the symptoms. The only effective long-term treatment is one which addresses the actual cause of the problem, that is, the postural imbalance which caused the condition in the first place. Your personal Action Plan will need to have a whole body assessment phase looking for muscle imbalances and postural dysfunctions as the basis of your recovery. In our opinion, it is best not to even start or even try to do a single stretch or exercise before you have completed this whole body assessment. It is essential that you first work on identifying and then addressing your muscle imbalances. The exercise program I used to cure my sciatic nerve pain gives detailed instructions, both written and on video, and the whole process of assessment took me about 30 minutes.

Muscle Balance Therapy aims to restore balance and proper function of the muscles and joints and therefore addresses the problem of piriformis syndrome at its root cause. That is why we strongly recommend Muscle Balance Therapy as the long-term solution to your problem. I have experienced sciatic nerve pain and I never want to go there again, which is why I am so enthusiastic in recommending this system to anyone looking for a long-lasting solution for their sciatica pain. It has produced amazing results for thousands of people worldwide and it is a non-invasive, natural method to achieve long-term sciatic nerve pain relief based on a 3-Step System – Assessment, Pain Relief, Exercise.

Full Details Can be Found Here – Lose the Back Pain System

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This 3-Step System has worked for thousands or people worldwide.