I am hearing the term Piriformis Syndrome a lot lately. So what even is this? The Piriformis is a little muscle deep in the hip that works as a rotator of the hip. This muscle is interesting in that the sciatic muscle typically exits underneath this muscle, but anatomical variations exist where the sciatic nerve pierces the Piriformis muscle.
Having a shortened, injured or hypertonic Piriformis muscle can lead to compression of the sciatic nerve. This can cause pain, numbness, and tingling all the way along the sciatic nerve down to the foot.
It’s important that Piriformis Syndrome is differentiated from Lumbar Pathology including Disc Herniation, Facet Irritation and SacroIliac Joint .
Symptoms of Piriformis Syndrome include low back pain, buttock pain, numbness , difficulty walking, sitting, squatting, and standing.
As a highly trained Physiotherapist I have the skills to accurately diagnose and apply the proper treatment to get you better fast!
Treatment for this condition includes manual therapy to release the deep muscles of the hip and low back. Progressive muscle strengthening and stretching addressing the core muscles and the gluteals. I also utilized a unique technique called IMS, IntraMuscular Stimulation. I use a fine and flexible needle placed deep into the muscle to release tight bands of tissue. This can be a very helpful addition to Physiotherapy.