Piriformis Syndrome is a medical condition causing pain when the sciatic nerve is compressed and irritated by contraction of the piriformis muscle. It typically starts out by pain, numbness and tingling in the buttocks. Pain may be severe and can radiate down the leg to the knee or even the foot.
Pregnancy is the main cause of piriformis syndrome. During the last trimester of pregnancy the pelvis expands and becomes very stretched. The piriformis muscle stabilizes the pelvis and may become spastic. When this occurs, the sciatic nerve becomes compressed and irritated. Once the sciatic nerve is irritated, it will elicit pain and/or numbness into the buttocks. Sitting, running, stair climbing, and trauma are the other causes of piriformis syndrome.
Recommended treatments for piriformis syndrome are: Chiropractic care, massage therapy, ice, heat, stretching, physical therapy, medications and lastly, injections. Chiropractic treatments usually have great success at resolving piriformis syndrome. Spinal adjustments correct the pelvis alignment and therapies such as ultrasound therapy, e-stim therapy, massage therapy and heat are commonly used at our office before the adjustment to loosen the muscle spasms associated with piriformis syndrome. Once piriformis syndrome is corrected, specific stretches and periodic chiropractic adjustments are recommended to prevent a re-occurrence.
Piriformis syndrome can be very painful, and it is easily treated by chiropractic treatments. If you have back pain or numbness into your buttock don�t suffer another day. Call today to schedule a chiropractic exam at one of our two York, PA offices. West York, 767-4151, and now in North York, 885-0832.
Please submit any questions to Chiropractic Athletic Center 1785 Loucks Rd York, PA 17408 or to [email protected].