What is piriformis syndrome?
Piriformis syndrome is a condition that affects the piriformis muscle in the buttocks. This muscle can spasm and cause persistent pain in the buttocks.
Spasms can also irritate your sciatic nerve, the large nerve that travels from your lower back down into your legs. Irritation of this nerve can lead to sciatica, a condition that causes pain, numbness, and tingling that affects your hips, legs, and feet.
While the underlying cause of piriformis syndrome isn’t understood, muscle spasms may be the result of an injury, inflammation, or bleeding in the area around the piriformis muscle.
What are the symptoms of piriformis syndrome?
An early warning sign of piriformis syndrome is a persistent tenderness in the buttocks. You may also experience sciatica symptoms that radiate from your lower back down into your legs.
Other common signs of piriformis syndrome include:
- Back and leg pain when climbing stairs
- Pain in the back of your thigh and calf
- Reduced range of motion in the hip
- Increased pain after sitting for an extended time
You may experience some relief of pain by lying flat on your back. However, if your pain persists or worsens with physical activity, you should schedule a diagnostic evaluation with the team at Performance Pain and Sports Medicine.
How is piriformis syndrome treated?
The physicians at Performance Pain and Sports Medicine can confirm your piriformis syndrome diagnosis by reviewing your symptoms and your medical history. They also physically examine the muscles in your lower back and buttocks to check for swelling and tenderness.
Once they confirm the condition, the providers create a treatment plan to relieve pain and frequent muscle spasms. This may include:
Anti-inflammatory injections
If you can’t participate in physical therapy to stretch your muscles due to your pain, you may be a candidate for injections of an anti-inflammatory and local anesthetic.
Muscle relaxers
The Performance Pain and Sports Medicine providers can also prescribe muscle relaxers to loosen your piriformis muscle and the muscles in your lower back and legs.
Botox® injections are also available. This prescription medication temporarily paralyzes overactive muscles to reduce the frequency and severity of muscle spasms.
Acupuncture and chiropractic treatment
If you have pain from both piriformis syndrome and sciatica, the providers may also recommend acupuncture or chiropractic care to keep your muscles relaxed and improve your blood circulation.
Radiofrequency ablation
For chronic pain relating to piriformis syndrome, the pain specialists can perform a nonsurgical radiofrequency ablation procedure. A thin needle delivers high-frequency energy into the surrounding nerves to destroy part of the nerve tissue. This prevents pain signals from traveling to your brain.
If you have symptoms of piriformis syndrome, you can schedule a diagnostic evaluation by calling the Performance Pain and Sports Medicine office nearest you today. The friendly staff keeps your wait time to a minimum in their comfortable office setting.
