The sciatic nerve passes along or through the piriformis muscle, goes down the back of the leg, and eventually branches off into smaller nerves that end in the feet. Piriformis syndrome usually starts with pain, tingling, or numbness in the buttocks as a result of the sciatic nerve being compressed. The pain tends to be triggered when climbing stairs or sitting for long periods of time perhaps at work or while driving.
A muscle spasm in your piriformis might not sound like such a big deal but the resulting impact of the spasm can lead to piriformis syndrome. A spasm can result in swelling, tightening, or irritation of the piriformis leading to a literal pain in your butt. To add insult to injury, this can also irritate your sciatic nerve causing pain, tingling, or numbness in the back of the thigh, calf, or foot. The medial piriformis trigger point lies along the piriformis line about an inch outside the edge of the sacrum which is a large, triangular bone at the base of the spine.
The lateral piriformis trigger point is a few inches to the inside of the greater trochanter landmark, along the piriformis line. Both of these piriformis trigger points in the buttocks are capable of transmitting pain to the sacroiliac joint, posterior hip, and general buttock. Piriformis trigger points cause lower back pain for many people but it is treatable and you can get relief from your pain. There are 3 key steps to relieving the pain caused by irritation or injury to these two muscles.
If you choose to do a self piriformis release make sure to stretch the unaffected side of your body as well. Everybody has certain muscles in their core that are not as strong as they could be.
These regular exercises are key for our patients and they are a simple thing you can do on a daily basis to prevent pain. In addition to easing your pain, our doctors can help you strengthen your piriformis muscle so you can avoid having this kind of pain in the future. We can give you a variety of stretches and exercises you can do at home to strengthen your piriformis muscle and core muscles, ease back pain, and prevent future injury.
Click here to schedule your appointment! Monday am - pm pm - pm. Tuesday am - pm pm - pm. To help get you up to speed, here is what you need to know about the anatomy of your piriformis muscle and the pain associated with it:.
See What Is Piriformis Syndrome? The first thing you need to know about your piriformis muscle is that it is located in your buttock. More specifically, the muscle starts in your lower spine and passes through your greater sciatic notch. It then attaches to the upper part of each of your femurs you have a piriformis muscle on either side of your body. See Sciatic Nerve Anatomy Video. Your piriformis muscle runs diagonally, and your large sciatic nerve runs below it. However, for some people all or part of their sciatic nerve runs through their piriformis muscle.
See Sciatic Nerve and Sciatica. Your piriformis muscle has 2 main functions. First, it helps enable your hip to rotate. Second, your piriformis muscle allows your leg and foot to turn outward. Piriformis syndrome is defined as a condition in which your piriformis muscle spasms and causes pain in your buttock.
This spasming may also aggravate a nearby sciatic nerve root, which in turn sends sciatica-like symptoms racing down your large sciatic nerve.
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