550 Piriformis Syndrome Surgeries: The Patients Behind the Milestone
On November 29, 2011, Dr. Tim Tollestrup performed his first piriformis syndrome surgery. Nearly fifteen years later, he has performed 550, using a procedure he developed and has refined case by case to take pressure off the sciatic nerve.
Numbers tell part of the story. The patients tell the rest. To mark the milestone, several of them shared what life was like before surgery and what it looks like now.
What Is Piriformis Syndrome?
The piriformis is a muscle deep in the buttock, and the sciatic nerve runs right beside it, and sometimes through it. When the muscle compresses or irritates the nerve, it can cause deep buttock pain, pain down the back of the leg, numbness, tingling, and difficulty sitting, standing or sleeping.
Because the symptoms look so much like a back problem, many patients spend years being treated for their spine or hip before anyone looks at the piriformis. By the time they reach Dr. Tollestrup, many have already tried injections, physical therapy, medications and sometimes other surgeries.
“From Hell to Heaven in One Surgery”
That’s how one patient describes the change. “Every day I wake up, I feel like I’ve been given a second life.”
Another patient is back to the active life she had before her injury. “I can run seven miles pain-free. I’m back to hiking. I’m working full-time. I am where I was prior to my injury.” She credits her daughter with finding Dr. Tollestrup on social media.
One patient remembers his exact place in the count. “I was patient number 387,” he says, and he hopes to wear that number as a race bib one day.
Patients Travel From Across the Country
Dr. Tollestrup’s patients come from all over North America and around the world to Henderson, Nevada. For many of them, the trip was a big commitment.
“It’s been well worth the journey,” one patient says. “More than halfway across the country to find him.”
Another puts it simply: “I know that it’s not easy if you live in another state to get over to Las Vegas, but I think it’s 100% worth it.”
Dr. Tollestrup is one of only four peripheral nerve surgeons in the United States performing pain-focused nerve surgery. For patients who have run out of answers elsewhere, that experience is often why they make the trip.
Getting Movement and Life Back
Some patients demonstrate the difference on camera. One shows how, before surgery, she couldn’t lift her knee, extend her leg or move her foot in certain positions. Now she has full movement in every position.
For others, the change reaches beyond the body. One patient now volunteers with the American Red Cross during disasters, fires and hurricanes and teaches children fire safety. “Every day I live my life giving back,” she says.
Another sums up what many patients feel after years of chronic pain: “There’s definitely a light at the end of my very long tunnel. I can see a future again.”
Why the Milestone Matters
Even after 550 cases, Dr. Tollestrup says he still learns something new. “Even after 550 cases, I still fairly frequently run into variations in the nerve and muscle anatomy that I’ve never seen before.”
That experience is what patients count on, from teenage athletes to patients in their late 80s.
Living With Unexplained Chronic Pain?
If you’ve been told your pain is coming from your back or your hip, and treatment hasn’t helped, it may be worth looking at the piriformis. You may be suffering from nerve pain, and there are solutions.
Request a consultation: https://nevadanervesurgery.org/contact-us/
Call: (702) 666-0463
Individual results vary. These are individual patients’ experiences and are not medical advice.