Piriformis Syndrome: A pain in the butt…and leg

Sciatica is term to describe pain that can include any part of your lower extremity from your buttocks all the way down to your toes. It occurs when your sciatic nerve, a very large bundle of nerve fibers that begins in your lower back and travel downward to provide nerve information to your legs and feet.

“Sciatica” is a general or descriptive term and not a specific medical condition, because it can be caused by many primary conditions. In other words, if you have sciatica it is purely a symptom of an underlying condition.

The most common causes of sciatica are:
· Disc bulge or herniation
· Disc degeneration
· Subluxation or misalignment of spinal bones
· Spasm of the Piriformis muscle in the buttocks
· Tumor of the lower spine

Much is written about disc disease, bulges and herniations. Subluxations are also referenced a lot particularly by Doctors of Chiropractic. Tumors are relatively rare. Piriformis muscle spasm is getting more and more attention and in fact is becoming so “popular,” I am beginning to see it becoming “over diagnosed” by many general practitioners of all persuasions.

Therefore, this article will briefly explain what Piriformis syndrome is, how to tell if you actually have it and what can be done about it.

To understand Piriformis syndrome you just first be familiar with two important anatomic structures: The Piriformis muscle and the sciatic nerve.

The Piriformis muscle is located underneath your gluteus maximus muscle. It attaches to the side of the sacrum or tailbone and inserts into the top of the femur or hipbone. It’s purpose or action is to rotate your leg outward. The Piriformis muscles shape varies from person to person.

The largest nerve in the body is the sciatica nerve, which is a bundle of nerves that arises from he spinal cord at about the L4, L5, S1, S2, S3 and S4 levels. I say about because this nerve varies from person to person. Some people have branches that being as high as L2 or L3. Skin sensation and muscle strength of the thigh, lower leg and foot are supplied by the sciatic nerve.

In many people the sciatic nerve passes under the Piriformis muscle and then branches off into two parts to supply different parts of the leg. In others, the nerve may branch before the Piriformis muscle and overlap parts of it and still another variation is where the Piriformis muscle is split in two parts with the sciatic nerve passing between the muscle branches.

In Piriformis syndrome the muscle contracts and thickens due to spasm in response to a strain, injury or chronic postural stress. When it thickens it squeezes the sciatic nerve causing the characteristic pain from the buttocks to the thigh or lower leg.

How to tell if you have Piriformis syndrome:
This is a simple 5-second test that will tell you if your sciatica is caused by your Piriformis muscle. Locate the area of your Piriformis muscle by finding the part of your hip bone on the side of your leg that sticks out. Slide your fingers backwards towards your buttocks 3-4 inches. You should be over the Piriformis. Put firm deep pressure with a thumb or fingers into the buttocks over the Piriformis area. If you have pain only where your fingers are pressing, you have an inflamed Piriformis, but not Piriformis syndrome. Your sciatica is probably caused by one of the other causes mentioned earlier.

If on the other hand, you have localized pain and also experience numbness, tingling and/or pain radiating down your leg, it is likely you have Piriformis syndrome as a cause of your sciatica.

What to do about Piriformis syndrome:
Successful treatment and a good recovery rate are often found with chiropractic manipulation of the sacrum and pelvis along with therapy modalities such as heat, stretching, deep massage, electrical stimulation, etc. The initial goals of treatment are to reduce inflammation around the nerve and reduce spasm of the muscle. Later, stretching and active exercises are employed to keep the muscle relaxed and elongated rather than bunched up.

Chronically recurring Piriformis syndrome may indicate you have a variation of the sciatic nerve and/or Piriformis muscle in which you are predisposed to this problem. Reportedly, 15% of the population has this variation. It may also indicate an underlying disc issue where the nerves are being slightly irritated by the disc bulge and then again by a tight Piriformis muscle. The resultant “double crush” of the nerve causes sciatic pain. Both the disc and the muscle must be treated for complete resolution.

Why the confusion over diagnosis?
Many cases of sciatica, no mater what the underlying cause, present with tightness and tenderness of the buttocks musculature. Often general practitioners, who do not spend the majority of their time focused on this one area of the body, misdiagnose Piriformis tightness and tenderness with the sciatica-causing syndrome. True Piriformis induced sciatica must reproduce leg pain on palpation of the muscle. If not, it is just a tight sore muscle.

For more information on sciatica and it’s many causes and for information on other low back pain related issues, visit http://www.cureforlowerbackpain.com.

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Did your HMO doc send you to 2 weeks of therapy, give you some pills and then say that’s all you need?

Are you being pressured by your attorney to settle your case for peanuts because there wasn’t much vehicle damage?

If you answered “yes” to any of the above questions, then you need this Free E-course. This online course reveals facts about auto accident injuries you need to know…such as:

• Symptoms after an accident may be delayed by days, weeks, months, even years
• The severity of your injury has nothing to do with the amount of vehicle damage
• Whiplash can occur at very low speeds
• One particular treatment has been proven to be the most effective
• Improperly treated whiplash can result in permanent and disabling pain
• And more…

This Free online course is designed to educate injured victims, attorneys and physicians to arm them with the facts they need to manage whiplash injuries.

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Are you as healthy as you’d like to be? Have you made the decision to be healthier, but don’t know how to start?

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When All Else Fails…

Have you tried everything you can and you still haven’t quite achieved the level of health you’d like? Do you catch everything that goes around? Do wonder why others get results from various treatments, but you don’t?

Maybe there is a deeper issue with your health…

There are 3 main aspects to health:
>Physical health…having all of the parts and systems of your body intact and working correctly.

>Chemical health…having your biochemistry in proper balance by drinking plenty of water and taking in proper nutrition by eating right and supplementing where needed.

>Emotional health…having your brain clear and able to function at it’s highest level to make everything else work right.

The latter is something your doctors rarely speak to you about, but it’s an important aspect of living an abundantly healthy life.

If you are working on your physical health by exercising and getting chiropractic adjustments routinely and you have a handle on your chemical health by eating well and taking supplements, but you still get sick or feel bad, then it is likely your emotional health is lacking.

First off, let’s agree that everyone has emotional issues to one degree or another. Nobody skates through life without some bumps and bruises to our feelings. It’s natural. But some people internalize these negative emotions and allow them to color our thoughts covertly from deep within.

Have you ever been in a tense or emotional situation and then suddenly blurted out something hurtful from the past to someone else? I know I have. That stems from a deep seated emotional pain that has been unreleased. It is lying dormant in you just waiting to spring out when the time is right.

Other emotional issues can run like an automatic computer program that limits your life in one way or another.

Have you ever looked in the mirror and said, “I’m fat, I need to lose weight” and then went right to the fridge and ate a piece of cake? Once again, I have. Consciously you know what’s right, but unconsciously there is a hidden computer program that sabotages you. It makes you do things that are contrary to what you desire.

These emotional scripts and blockages can remain hidden for a life time controlling what we do, how successful we become, how much self-esteem we have and even how healthy we are.

Depressed yet?

You shouldn’t be, because there is a way to locate these hidden blockages and remove them. No, I’m not talking about psychotherapy or drugs. There is a mind-body science that was developed by a pastor that unlocks your brain to allow the full expression God intended for you—without drugs or therapy. And it works quickly. Better yet, once you learn it, you can do it at home.

This amazing mind-body science is called Emotional Freedom technique or EFT. It is used by some the world’s leading success and wellness coaches. It has transformed my life and countless others I have shared it with.

With EFT you may enjoy greater health because you will be aligning your physical, chemical and emotional health.   Adding EFT to your daily health regime may be the missing piece that helps you attract the abundant health you’ve been yearning for.

To learn how EFT may help with your specific health concerns, success achievement, self-esteem or stress, visit http://www.MyEasyEFT.com