Piriformis
Syndrome (Sciatic Pain)
Here’s what you need to know about
Piriformis Syndrome (Sciatic Pain)...
by Jesse Cannone, CFT, CPRS + Steve Hefferon,
CMT
If you’re reading this article, it’s a good
bet that you have a radiating pain running down the back
of your leg that just won’t go away. If what I’m
about to tell you sounds familiar, don’t worry, help
is on the way.
Sciatica and Piriformis Syndrome are the same condition...
it is just that the medical community is starting to call
the condition by the muscle (Piriformis) that is involved
and getting away from calling it by the name of the nerve
that is involved (sciatic) nothing more than semantics.
Did you go see your primary care physician and get diagnosis
of Sciatica only to have them refer you to an orthopedic
specialist and than get a diagnosis of Piriformis Syndrome...
and than be told to see a Physical Therapist and the PT
tells you a little heat, ultra sound, electrical stimulation
and some therapeutic exercises and we will have you good
as new???
If this is the path you have been down and you're tired
of all the worthless treatments that just don’t work,
you must read this article! I guarantee you, it will likely
be far different than what you have read or heard anywhere
else!
First, let me tell you why today’s traditional treatment
methods just flat out miss the boat. The medical community
is so conditioned and focused on treating only the symptoms
and trying to get in as many patients a day as possible,
that many people are misdiagnosed and/or mistreated.
What is Sciatic Pain (Piriformis
Syndrome)?
Sciatic pain is simply caused by pressure being placed
on the sciatic nerve and there are primarily four things
that can create this... you may have one or more of the
following:
1. Pressure caused by shortening and tightening of the
piriformis muscle. This is almost always due to months or
years of muscle imbalances in the hip rotator muscles.
2. Pressure caused by spinal stenosis, which is a decrease
in the space between the vertebrae. This is primarily caused
by uneven pressure and compression due to muscle imbalances.
3. Pressure caused by Isthmic spondylolisthesis which is
simply when a vertebrae slips or moves... this can sometimes
pinch the sciatic nerve but often times people who have
this condition don’t have any pain, symptoms, or even
know they have it!
4. Pressure caused by a herniated or bulging disc. A herniation
is when a disc protrudes out from between the vertebrae
and this can either be caused by an event like a car accident,
or, by months or years of uneven pressure due to muscle
imbalances. It is also important to note that many people
with herniated discs don’t even experience pain or
symptoms, and many don’t know they have the condition.
As you can see, there is a trend here... in nearly every
case, muscle imbalances are the primary cause of the pressure
being placed on the sciatic nerve.
If you are not sure which one of the four is causing your
sciatic pain, I recommend you start with the basics. Most
cases of sciatic pain are caused by muscle imbalances so
if you begin to work on correcting any muscle imbalances
you have, you should start to see improvement right away. |
