Piriformis syndrome is a condition where spasms occur in the pirifomis muscle, located in the buttocks.
These muscle spasms cause pain and numbness in your buttock and along the back of your leg.
This article discusses what piriformis syndrome is, what causes it, and what it feels like.
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It also covers how it’s diagnosed and treated.
What Is Piriformis Syndrome?
Piriformis syndrome is an irritation of the sciatic nerve from the piriformis muscle.
The piriformis is a muscle that is behind the hip joint in the buttocks.
The piriformis tendon and sciatic nerve cross each other behind the hip joint, in the deep buttock.
Both structures are about one centimeter in diameter.
When the piriformis muscle spasms, it can irritate the sciatic nerve, causing symptoms similar to sciatica.
What Triggers Pirifomis Syndrome?
This may decrease blood flow to the nerve and irritate the nerve as a result of pressure.
Most doctors believe that piriformis syndrome occurs as a result of anatomic variation of the muscle and tendon.
What Does Piriformis Syndrome Feel Like?
Testing for Piriformis Syndrome
There are no specific tests that can accurately diagnose piriformis syndrome.
Because piriformis syndrome is difficult to diagnose, there are likely many cases of misdiagnosis.
This means that some people with the condition don’t have a piriformis diagnosis.
Differential Diagnosis
Some other conditions with deep buttock pain may have similar symptoms to piriformis syndrome.
How Do You Fix Piriformis Syndrome?
Common treatment suggestions include the following.
While the surgery is straightforward, it is invasive, and recovery takes several months.
Summary
Piriformis syndrome is a controversial diagnosis.
Some doctors treat this condition regularly, while others do not believe it exists as a specific diagnostic entity.
There are no agreed-upon criteria to establish the diagnosis of piriformis syndrome.
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