Piriformis Syndrome – What is it?
There is some confusion caused by Piriformis Syndrome. For years, people thought they had been suffering with sciatica but they have gone to their doctors recently and have now found out they actually have Piriformis Syndrome. It has created quite a stir.
So why were these ex-sciatica sufferers misdiagnosed in the first place?
Simple answer – They weren’t.
If you are confused, then you are not alone. Piriformis Syndrome has confused many people lately, especially the medical profession so it seems who can’t quite seem to make their mind up which term they are going to stick with.
Sciatica and Piriformis Syndrome are the same condition!
So why call it Piriformis Syndrome?
The piriformis muscle exerts pressure on the sciatic nerve when muscle imbalances cause the joints in the pelvic areas to be pulled out of place. This results in the piriformis muscle being forced out of position, which causes pressure on the sciatic nerve.
For some reason some medical professionals have started to call this condition by the muscle involved in the pressure on the sciatic nerve – the Piriformis muscle. Until recently, the condition has always been referred to by the nerve that was involved – the sciatic nerve.
So when sciatica is caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve from a repositioning of the Piriformis muscle, the condition is said to be caused by Piriformis Syndrome……but it is still sciatica!
Clear enough?
The problem is inconsistency; it has not become a term used by every doctor, specialist, physiotherapist etc. Some still use sciatica, others use Piriformis Syndrome. You say tomato, I say tomato.
Maybe they think the condition sounds less serious, severe or ominous if they say it is a muscular problem, rather than a nerve condition? The thing is, without realizing it or not, they have diagnosed the whole problem spot on. It is a muscle problem, a muscle imbalance problem.
Is muscle imbalance common?
Maybe the whole Piriformis Syndrome confusion has served a higher purpose. The medical profession has always been concerned with treating the symptoms of sciatica, such as the pain. They have never concerned themselves with trying to figure out, and cure, the actual root cause of the problem, namely a muscle imbalance.
Sciatic pain is caused by pressure being placed on the sciatic nerve – this pressure can be caused by:
- A shortening and tightening of the piriformis muscle, usually due to long periods of muscle imbalances in the hip rotator muscles.
- A decrease in the space between the vertebrae referred to as Spinal stenosis – mainly caused by uneven pressure and compression from muscle imbalances.
- Isthmic spondylolisthesis, which is simply when a vertebrae slips or moves – often called a slipped disc. This can sometimes pinch the sciatic nerve – quite often, someone suffering from this condition will not feel any pain and will be unaware there is any problem.
- A herniated disc. This occurs when a disc protrudes out from between the vertebrae and can be caused by an accident, or by lengthy periods of uneven pressure due to muscle imbalances. As with a slipped disc, people suffering with a herniated disc may not experience pain or symptoms, so may not know they have the condition.
Cure your muscle imbalance, cure your sciatica.
You may have noticed that muscle imbalances are almost certainly, the main cause of pressure being placed on the sciatic nerve. In fact, most cases of sciatic pain are caused by muscle imbalances. Therefore, it goes without saying that if you work on correcting any muscle imbalances you have, there should be a immediate reduction, if not a complete dissolution of sciatic pain.
If you are looking for a complete, simple, pain free muscle imbalance treatment The Good Healthy Life highly recommends using the:
