Piriformis syndrome

What is Piriformis Syndrome?

Piriformis syndrome is characterized as a neuromuscular disorder that produces sciatica. This means that when the piriformis muscle spasms or becomes tight, it presses on the sciatic nerve, the longest nerve in the human body that runs through the buttocks region and down the legs. In turn, this produces pain, numbness, and tingling in these areas.

Piriformis syndrome accounts for about 0.3 to 6% of sciatica or low back pain cases. Roughly, this comes out to about 2.4 million cases per year.

The Symptoms of Piriformis Syndrome

What should you watch out for when it comes to piriformis syndrome? How do you know if you have it or not?

A diagnosis from a physiotherapist or doctor is often required to determine if you have piriformis syndrome or not. You can try our symptoms checker to see if you should see a doctor.

If you are experiencing these symptoms, it is very likely you have piriformis syndrome. However, if you are only experiencing symptoms involving numbness, tingling, or pain running down the legs, this may mean you have sciatica, irritation of the sciatica nerve, due to another cause. It may be best to consult with a sports doctor or physiotherapist if this is the case.

Causes of Piriformis Syndrome

Generally, this condition is caused by the close proximity of the piriformis muscle to the sciatic nerve. Yet, under normal conditions, this close arrangement works perfectly fine. It isn’t usually until the piriformis comes under distress that this becomes problematic.

The piriformis can become irritated or aggravated by direct trauma. For example, sports injuries, such as a hit to the buttocks, sprains, strains, or scar formations, may result in a spastic piriformis.

It’s also been thought that sedentary behaviour may contribute to a tight piriformis, again, leading to spasms or a compressed sciatic nerve. For instance, if you spend the majority of your day working from a desk, you may be at a higher risk of developing this syndrome.

How can you tell the difference between piriformis syndrome and other hip conditions?

The tell-tale signs of piriformis syndrome include pain in the buttocks accompanied by neural pain, such as numbness and tingling, down the legs. Other hip conditions, such as arthritis, may have more pain upon moving the hip in most directions. For arthritis, there may also be stiffness throughout the hip joint. If it is merely a pulled muscle, this will likely also appear as a more sore and stiff pain.

With piriformis syndrome, you will not have pain on the outer or front side of the hip. In the case of piriformis syndrome, pain is further isolated to the buttocks region and down the legs. These tips should help you differentiate between piriformis syndrome and other conditions. It may also help you to understand what is causing your pain in the first place by reviewing the causes above.

How Long Does it Take for Piriformis Syndrome to Heal?

Typically, piriformis syndrome does not require treatment. Usually, rest will suffice. Within a few weeks to six weeks and with the proper care, you should not longer be experiencing pain caused by a spastic piriformis.

Can You Recover Completely From Piriformis Syndrome?

You can absolutely make a full recovery from piriformis syndrome. Rest is sufficient in most cases, but if you find the pain returns, we suggest checking out your treatment options below. For some, exercises, medications, and heat or ice therapy may be necessary to make a full and complete recovery.

Treatment For Piriformis Syndrome

You’ve determined you likely have piriformis syndrome - now what? You’ve tried resting, but it doesn’t seem to help too much. Or perhaps the pain has returned a second or third time. What else can you do?

Exercise is an excellent way to help your body heal and recover. It can help soothe a spastic muscle, such as the piriformis. It can also help strengthen often weak areas, which can aid in future pain prevention. Exercise further helps increase blood flow and increases your body’s natural healing mechanisms.

The body is very capable of healing itself, and movement can often help the healing process along. Usually, it comes down to performing the right movements as per your condition, injury, or pain.

Whenever you are performing any exercise, it is also important to listen to your body. If you ever feel an increase in pain, you should immediately ease off of the exercise. This may mean releasing a stretch to the point before pain or only performing a strengthening movement to the point before pain. Always go slow with any new exercise and ensure you are performing it correctly.

Now, what exercises can help relieve your piriformis pain? Let’s take a look!

Exercises For Piriformis Syndrome

The three exercises below offer a few ways you can help yourself when it comes to alleviating the symptoms associated with piriformis syndrome. For the two stretches, hold each for 20-30 seconds. This will maximize the benefits of the stretch. Aim to perform the stretches 2-3 times on each leg on a daily basis. The strengthening exercise can be performed for 8-12 repetitions. Listen to your body and determine an amount that is right for you. Aim to complete a specific number of repetitions for 2-3 sets on every other day.