The best way to treat piriformis syndrome

Muscles are one of the indispensable organs in the human body. The body's standing, supporting itself, and moving require the participation of muscles. The piriformis muscle is a muscle group located near the buttocks of the human body. If we do not do warm-up exercises before exercise, or if we do strenuous exercise, the piriformis muscle may be damaged, causing piriformis syndrome, which has a great impact on the human body. Here are the best ways to treat it.

Treatment :

1. The fundamental purpose of treating piriformis syndrome is to eliminate the inflammatory lesions of the piriformis muscle and relieve the compression of the piriformis muscle on the sciatic nerve. Early treatment can stop the lesions of the piriformis muscle and stop the compression of the nerve. In the late stage, those who cannot be relieved by conservative treatment can choose surgical treatment to relieve the compression. Therefore, regardless of whether the disease is in the early or late stages, effective treatment can recover and the prognosis is good.

2. If the symptoms cannot be relieved after various treatments, you should rule out lumbar spine and nerve diseases. Patients with piriformis syndrome should rest in bed or minimize activity during the acute phase to facilitate the absorption of edema and inflammation in the lesion area. They should also pay attention to keeping the lower limbs and buttocks warm and avoid overwork and adverse stimulation from wind, cold and dampness. During the remission period, patients should be guided to perform appropriate functional exercises for the waist and buttocks muscles.

3. The main manifestation of piriformis syndrome is buttocks pain radiating to the affected side, which is a symptom of sciatic nerve compression. There are many diseases that can cause sciatic nerve compression symptoms in clinical practice, so when diagnosing piriformis syndrome, it is necessary to exclude sciatic nerve pain caused by other diseases. The main ones are sciatica and radicular sciatica. The onset of sciatica is relatively acute, with pain radiating along the sciatic nerve from the buttocks through the back of the thigh and the fossa to the outer side of the calf to the distal end. The pain is persistent, dull, and may intensify paroxysmically or become a burning and stabbing pain. The pain is relieved when standing. Radicular sciatica is mostly caused by intraspinal and spinal lesions such as intervertebral disc herniation, spinal osteoarthritis, spinal bone tumors and thickening of the yellow ligament. The onset is relatively slow, and there is a history of chronic low back pain. The pain is more obvious when sitting than when walking, and the pain is relieved or disappears when lying down. The symptoms may recur. The skin sensation on the lateral side of the calf and the dorsum of the foot is reduced or disappears, the flexor muscle strength is weakened when the foot and toes are dorsiflexed, and the ankle reflex is weakened or disappears. This type of lesion can be examined with X-rays to assist in diagnosis. In addition, piriformis syndrome should be differentiated from other diseases that cause dry sciatica, such as buttock abscess, sciatic nerve sheath tumor, etc.

4. Manipulation is the main method for treating piriformis syndrome, which can significantly improve symptoms and relieve patients' pain. When using manual therapy, you must first choose the correct area. The patient can lie prone with both lower limbs extended backward to relax the waist and buttocks muscles. Draw a line from the posterior superior iliac spine to the greater trochanter of the femur. The point 2 cm directly below the midpoint of the line is where the sciatic nerve exits the inferior foramen of the piriformis muscle, and the two sides of the line are the piriformis muscles.