The piriformis muscle is found deep inside the buttock, running down the lower spine to the top of the thigh bone. When it presses on the sciatic nerve, you experience piriformis syndrome. Newtown piriformis syndrome causes sciatica-type symptoms, including numbness, tingling, and pain.

Sciatica includes numbness, tingling, or pain that shoots from your lower back (buttock) and runs down to the back of the leg. Piriformis symptoms usually get worse with activity as the muscle press against the sciatic nerve. Such activities include running, sitting, and walking up the stairs. Due to the symptoms closely resembling sciatica, the condition can be misdiagnosed. As such, you need a professional diagnosis to establish if you have piriformis syndrome.

Piriformis syndrome diagnosis

Your doctor will first consider your medical history, followed by a series of physical tests. The tests rule out disc injury, sciatica, and lumbar sprain. During the physical examination, the doctor will establish if activating or stretching the piriformis muscle is causing the pain. If the muscle is tender to touch and you experience pain deep in your gluteal region, the doctor will run more tests, including:

  • FAIR (flexion, adduction, and internal rotation)
  • Pace maneuver test
  • Beatty maneuver
  • Freiberg maneuver

Imaging techniques like ultrasound, EMG, CT, or MRI scans may also be necessary.

Piriformis syndrome causes

Your routine activities can cause piriformis syndrome. This includes prolonged sitting periods, running, walking, or climbing the stairs. Traumatic injuries are also a common cause, hence the prevalence in contact sports. You should seek immediate medical attention if you experience symptoms including:

  • Persistent pain for over a week
  • Sudden pain in the leg/lower back accompanied by muscle weakness/numbness
  • Bowel or bladder control problems
  • Pain after a traumatic injury

Piriformis syndrome treatment and self-care tips

Following your situation doctor can recommend seeing a physical therapist. They could also inject steroid mediation where the piriformis muscle meets the sciatic nerve. In other instances, you might need surgery to reduce the pressure on the sciatic nerve. Other cases can improve with self-care, including:

  • A temporary stop to physical activities causing the pain
  • Use cold/warm packs
  • Regular breaks and walks if your routine includes lengthy sitting periods
  • Piriformis stretches
  • Massage
  • Over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use

Piriformis syndrome prevention

Preventative measures are more productive than treatment and management. Among the straightforward prevention tips to include in your routine includes:

  • Avoid prolonged sitting/lying down periods to ease pressure on the buttocks
  • Maintain proper posture when walking, standing, sitting, and driving
  • Proper techniques, such as lifting heavy objects by squatting or bending the knees instead of bending over
  • Regular exercises

If piriformis syndrome comes and goes, take note of the activities that trigger the occurrence. This way, you can follow a more practical regimen, such as stretching the piriformis muscle before an activity that causes the symptoms. Working with your doctor or physical therapist can also help. They can help you uncover more ways to keep the syndrome in check. Visit Performance Pain and Sports Medicine to learn about piriformis syndrome, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention measures.