Piriformis Syndrome Treatment
Piriformis Syndrome Treatment | Piriformis Surgery
What is Piriformis Syndrome?
Piriformis syndrome is a painful condition where the piriformis muscles, which are located in the buttocks, spasm and cause pain. Piriformis muscle spasms can also irritate the nearby sciatic nerve and cause numbness, tingling and pain along the back of the leg and into the foot.
What Causes Piriformis Syndrome?
Any type of injury involving blunt trauma to the buttocks, forceful flexing of the hip joint or significant traction to the leg can lead to piriformis syndrome. This can happen during slip and fall injuries, car accidents, surgeries to replace the hip or knee, or crush injuries to the pelvis. Often, the injury occurs to the piriformis muscle itself, leading to swelling, bleeding, and scarring of the tissue around the sciatic nerve. This can lead to the piriformis muscle applying pressure to the sciatic nerve, as well as scarring or tethering of the nerves which can prevent the nerves from being able to glide against surrounding tissue with the motion of the body.
Typical Causes of Piriformis Syndrome Include:
Where is the Piriformis Muscle and What Does it Do?
The piriformis muscle is buried deep in the buttocks behind the larger gluteus maximus. The piriformis muscle originates on the anterior surface of the sacrum and attaches to the femur. The job of piriformis muscle is to help externally rotate the hip when walking or running and help abduct the thigh in a seated position.
Symptoms of Piriformis Syndrome
In general, patients who are suffering from piriformis syndrome tend to feel acute tenderness in the buttocks and sciatic-like pain down the back of the leg and into the foot.
Piriformis Syndrome Symptoms May Include:
Two patients with the same underlying problem, piriformis syndrome, can present with very different clinical pictures. Diagnosing piriformis syndrome accurately requires taking a careful patient history as well as conducting a detailed lower extremity peripheral nerve examination. MRI imaging of the lumbar spine is critical in order to rule out spinal pathology as the primary or a contributing source of the symptoms. MR Neurography of the pelvis and diagnostic injections into the piriformis muscle can also be useful in confirming the diagnosis.
Surgery for Piriformis Syndrome
Surgery essentially involves removal of the entire piriformis muscle, as well as removing any scar tissue or other structures that might be pressing on the sciatic nerve in the deep posterior buttock area. There are several redundant muscles in the deep posterior pelvis that act synergistically with the piriformis muscle. Therefore, removal of the piriformis muscle does not result in any discernible difference of ability to move the affected leg. In other words, patients never realize the piriformis muscle is gone after surgery.
Recovery from Piriformis Syndrome Surgery
Piriformis Surgery in Action
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Piriformis Syndrome Frequently Asked Questions
What is piriformis syndrome?
Can piriformis syndrome cause hamstring pain?
Dr. Tim Tollestrup and his team can help. Call us at 702-666-0463 to set up a consultation to determine your options.