Piriformis Syndrome Cured by Removing Piriformis Muscle
Susan F. was suffering from severe burning pain in the left leg which started in the buttock area and radiated all the way down the leg to the level of the ankle. This pain was compromising her active lifestyle, making her feel frustrated and depressed.
She sought treatment initially from a spine surgeon who told her that the pain in the left leg was coming from her back and that she needed back surgery.
Unfortunately, after recovering from the spine surgery, Susan quickly realized that although the pain wasn’t quite as severe as before the back surgery, most of the burning pain in the left leg was still present.
Susan then went to Dr. Tim Tollestrup who diagnosed the cause of the burning pain in the left leg as piriformis syndrome, which is entrapment or compression of the big sciatic nerve by a small muscle called the piriformis muscle deep in the buttock.
Piriformis syndrome is a severely under-diagnosed problem occurring when the nerve roots of L4, L5, S1, S2, and S3, which make up part of the lumbosacral plexus, become compressed between the bony inferior rim of the greater sciatic notch of the pelvis and the overlying piriformis muscle as they converge to form the proximal sciatic nerve. The greater sciatic notch is effectively a window from the inside of the pelvis to the outside of the pelvis. The structures traveling through this relatively tight space include both the piriformis muscle and the 5 nerve roots that make up the sciatic nerve.
Susan underwent surgery by Dr. Tollestrup who removed the piriformis muscle and decompressed the sciatic nerve.
It has now been two months since her surgery and Susan is back doing yoga, golf, and taking long walks – all the things she was unable to do before due to the burning pain in the left leg.
“I am so thankful that Dr. Tollestrup got rid of all of my pain. I would recommend him to anyone who is still suffering from chronic pain.”