Signs And Symptoms Of Piriformis Syndrome
The signs and symptoms of piriformis syndrome are:
- Pain in the buttock
- Pain when walking up stairs or inclines
While the signs and symptoms of the syndrome may be similar to other lumbo-pelvic pathology, the cause of piriformis syndrome remains relatively undefined as to reasons for development of spasm or hypertrophy of the muscle.
See “Is The Piriformis Tight? Really?” for an additional perspective on symptoms, causes, and solutions of Piriformis Syndrome.
It is interesting to note that a description of the syndrome is found in most medical texts, yet the criteria for diagnosing piriformis syndrome and pathophysiology still remains a controversial issue .
However, the reason why the piriformis is hypertrophied or in spasm is often described as “undefined and confusing.” If the practitioner considers the principles of the kinetic chain and dysfunction of its linked components, it is not difficult to hypothesize why the piriformis may become involved in an impingement of the sciatic nerve. If the client has chronic tightness of the hip flexor, the gluteus maximus will become reciprocally inhibited .
This is significant because of the functional responsibility of the glute to decelerate medial femoral rotation during heel strike or functional movements. Since the piriformis is a primary external rotator of the femur, it becomes synergistically dominant in controlling the femur.
When To Call A Doctor
If youre having back pain, early intervention reduces the risk of complications and restores function.
Talk to Dr. Jones if you experience:
- Pain that lasts longer than a few weeks
- Sudden, severe pain
- Pain that starts after an injury
- Weakness or numbness in your leg
Theres no need to suffer with the pain of piriformis syndrome when treatment can bring you significant relief.
To ensure that orthopedic patients have access to the care they need, The Spine Institute of Southeast Texas offers telemedicine services for new and existing patients to continue accessing our top-quality spine and joint care. You can schedule your televisit by clicking here, or just call one of our offices in Pearland, Houston, or Lake Jackson, Texas.
You Might Also Enjoy
Back Pain Due To Pregnancy
Pregnancy is a strain on the body and can cause many temporary ailments. Back pain is one of the common problems during pregnancy. As the baby grows and more weight is added in the mid-section, pressure is put on the back causing lower back pain
Rarity: Common
Top Symptoms: back pain, lower back pain
Symptoms that always occur with back pain due to pregnancy: back pain
Symptoms that never occur with back pain due to pregnancy: fever
Urgency: Self-treatment
Read Also: Mochi Ice Cream Gluten Free
Piriformis Muscle Physiology And Recovery
Any muscle repetitively used needs an opportunity to recover. Muscle recovery can either be on Natures clock or can be facilitated and sped up with proper knowledge and treatment. Since the muscle is tightening due to overuse, continued use will only make it worse. The injured muscle needs to relax with increased blood flow for more rapid healing. Piriformis muscle tightness reduces normal blood circulation to the muscle and reduces the speed of muscle recovery. Circulation of fresh, oxygen-rich blood into the muscle is the most powerful way to encourage muscles to restore normal function. Multiple massages daily to treat the piriformis muscle is recommended.
Placing a tennis ball under the buttock and hip area is a good next recovery step. While sitting down on the floor, roll away from the side of involvement and place a tennis ball just inside the outer hip bone under the buttock area. As you begin to allow your weight onto the tennis ball, note areas of increased pain and soreness. Trigger points will tend to accumulate in a repetitively used muscle, and until these toxins are manually broken up and eliminated, the muscle will have an artificial ceiling with regard to flexibility potential and recovery potential. So, if its sore and hurts while you are sitting on it, you are doing a good job.
What Are The Causes Of Gluteal Pain
- If do the gluteal contusion which is produced to bruise to the muscle area.
- Another cause is A gluteal muscle strain which is a do the stretch/partial tear of the muscle& tendon.
- If the occurs Trauma in this region by to fall/a direct blow to the buttock area, causes most of the gluteal pain.
- Overuse injuries of the hip joint are the cause of inflammation & damage to the gluteal muscles.
- Falls are a common cause of a gluteal/buttock contusion.
- In patients who are anti-coagulated on the blood thinners which is a large amount of bleeding occur within & around the muscle, causing significant pain or swelling.
- Gluteal muscle & tendon strains occur because of overuse injuries which occur usually with the hip joint. another cause is if the patient do Repetitive motions like squatting & lifting at work which is produce Inflammation surrounding the hip joint.
- In athletes, most of the causes are hip bursitis.
- Injuries on the gluteal region occur due to over-training, mostly with weightlifting & squats.
Recommended Reading: Kim’s Gluten Free Bread Flour Blend
Diagnosis Of The Deep Gluteal Pain Syndrome:
Doctors take your short history related to your pain, also do Physical examination test to rule out what are the cause of deep gluteal pain.
Physical Examination
Lumbar spine related condition should be ruled out first. Physical examination like pain and symptoms palpation, pelvic girdle and Sacroiliac Joint tests.
This tests are the March/Gillet test and the active straight leg raise test.
Patients with sciatic nerve compression are often seen with a history of previous injury, pain with long sitting, radiating pain alon the course of leg pain and paresthesia.
A positive March test or active straight leg raise test, indicate sciatica nerve compression and failed load transfer, However not differentiates the diagnosis of the condition.
To differentiate the hip Osteoarthritis, the total arc of motion and FADIR tests are helpful. A negative FADIR can rule out intra-articular joint pathology, eg. labral damage or osteoarthritis of the hip.
A positive FABER test increases Sciatic Nerve symptoms where the nerve passes throgh the posterior border of the greater trochanter in that position. If the pain felt on the greater trochanter area it could be due to Gluteal tendinopathy. If the patient felt the pain deep in the gluteal area it is more likely to be compression of the sciatic nerve due to the Piriformis muscle or the deep six muscles.
Imaging study:
- X-ray is helpful to rule-out the Hip and Lumbar spine related pathology.
- MRI- Magnetic Resonance imaging
- Ischial tunnel syndrome
Cause Of Lower Back And Gluteal Pain & Ways To Get Rid Of It
The lumbar spine which is also known as the lower back is a marvel in the human body. The interconnecting bones, joints, ligaments, nerves, and muscles in the lower back work in sync to provide support, flexibility and strength to the body. The lower back and gluteal region faces so much pressure every day that it is considered one of the easiest areas in the body to get injured. In most of the cases, if you are feeling pain in the lower back and gluteal region, it goes away with a couple of days of rest.
However, in some cases, lower back and gluteal pain keeps on increasing and spreads to the lower portion of the body till the foot.
Recommended Reading: Trader Joe’s Gluten Free Flour
What Is Stretching For Gluteal Muscle Pain
- The starting position for the exercise is supine position.
- The patient is Lying down onto the back after that lift to the knee joint & cross to the right ankle joint over to the left knee joint.
- Then Grip the left thigh gently.
- Pull the hip joint in towards the chest.
- Hold this stretching position for 30 seconds.
- Then repeat this stretching one the other leg.
- Do this stretching 3 times in 1 session.
- Then do the 3 sessions per day.
Bone Related Pain In The Upper Buttock
Although relatively more rare than soft tissue or joint problems, bony problems such as a fracture, stress fracture or very rarely, infection or tumour within the bone may cause hip and pelvic pain.
The most likely bone-related issues associated with pain in the upper buttock region, are fracture or stress fracture of the sacrum. The sacrum is the wedge-shaped bone that sits between the two bony wings of the pelvis .
A fracture:
- is the medical term for a broken bone
- usually occurs from a traumatic event like a fall, car accident or more severe sporting injury. A hard fall backwards onto the pelvis may cause a sacral fracture.
- is more likely to occur in a weakened bone e.g. osteoporosis or genetic diseases like osteogenesis imperfecta.
A stress fracture:
- is the medical term used for a tiny crack in a bone
- starts as localised swelling in the area of bone exposed to highest stress this may be called a stress reaction or bony stress response
Stress fractures can be divided into two main types:
Back Related
You May Like: Gluten Free Cream Of Chicken Soup
What Is Gluteal Muscle
- The gluteal muscles are also called the glutes which are a group of the three muscles which is made by to gluteal region & commonly known as the buttock.
- This gluteal region is an anatomical area that is located posteriorly to the pelvic girdle.
- These three muscles of gluteal region are the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius & gluteus minimus.
- These three muscles originate from the ilium& sacrum & insert on the femur bone.
- The functions of these muscles include abduction, extension, external rotation -ER, & internal rotation IR of the hip joint.
Symptoms Of Deep Gluteal Syndrome:
- Gluteal pain nearby retro greater trochanter pain
- Tingling numbness at the back of the thigh and leg along the sciatic nerve area
- Pain present mostly one side, however it can be seen both sides
- Pain increased with prolonged sitting position like office working or long driving
- Pain during stepping at the end
- Limping gait when Patients walking
- Neurological motor-sensory changes in severe cases
- Severe night pain with difficulty in sleep
Don’t Miss: Easy Gluten Free Chicken Recipes
The Difference Between Sciatica And Si Joint Dysfunction
One of the most important parts of overcoming an injury is understanding what is actually going on with your body. Thats why one of the biggest obstacles in overcoming SI joint dysfunction is simply in obtaining the correct diagnosis, as its symptoms can seem to mock several other diagnoses. While the pain and discomfort from sciatica mimic SI joint dysfunction pain fairly closely, there are some ways to detect the difference. For starters, sciatic pain generally shoots from the lower back and glutes, all the way down to the foot. This is because of the route and length of the sciatic nerve. However, in the case of SI joint dysfunction, that same hot, tingling sensation rarely dips below the knee, and instead usually stays closer to the glute and lower back areas.
In short, SI joint dysfunction also known as sacroiliitis is inflammation of the sacroiliac joints. If youre not familiar with this joint, it is located in your pelvis and links your iliac bone to your sacrum The sacroiliac joint transfers weight between your upper body and legs, so when its inflamed, it causes great pain.
You can experience pain on both your right and left sides, but this condition usually chooses one particular side. And when it does, it causes pain in the glute and lowers back while extending partially down the leg. The pain can feel hot, stabbing, and tingling and is generally aggravated by long periods of standing or sitting, running, and stair climbing.
Armor Pt Offers Effective Lower Back And Upper Buttock Pain Treatment
Suffering from pain in your lower back and upper buttocks? Our experienced team at Armor Physical Therapy is prepared to help you treat your pain. We offer free screenings intended to reveal the cause of your pain. In addition, our physical therapists excel at creating unique therapy plans to fit your specific needs. You can even get help for your pain without leaving home thanks to our virtual therapy and at-home care services.
Contact us today for more information about our pain-reducing physical therapy services or to schedule your initial appointment.
Quick Links
Don’t Miss: Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Flour
Injections For Spinal Stenosis
Certain injections have the same effect as many medications. Doctors use two basic types for spinal stenosis:
- Corticosteroids can be injected straight into the area around the spinal cord. This is called an epidural injection. Like NSAIDs, steroids work on inflammation and pain. An anesthesiologist or other specialist gives the injection.
- Nerve blocks are anesthetics injected near the damaged nerves. Everybody responds differently to these injections. You may get relief for a long time, for a short period, or not at all.
Swiss Ball Wall Squat
Squats are great at engaging your glutes. But there’s a variation on a squat that will put even more focus on developing glute strength.
For this exercise, stand with your back facing the wall, but with a swiss ball pinned between the wall and your lower back.
While leaning back into the swiss ball for balance, lower your torso until your knees reach 90 degrees, and return to standing. Repeat for ten reps and do three sets of this exercise.
Recommended Reading: Gluten Free Chicken Gravy Packet
Symptom Of The Gluteal Muscle Injury:
- All the injuries produce Pain in the gluteal region.
- This pain is different in every cause of the intensity, duration, location & aggravating/relieving factors.
- Falls/direct blows to the buttock are produced by bleeding, inflammation & swelling.
- This condition also leads to pain & the patient feel difficult to sit on the buttocks/stand & walk normally because of the decreased ROM = range of motion of the hip joint.
- When the gluteal muscles are inflamed, the movement of the hip joint produces pain.
- Because of bleeding, it is seen the deep & not immediately apparent on the surface of the skin,
- In the inflammation occur causing of the buttock to feel the swollen, warm & become to slightly red.
- Tenderness is present in the area of the gluteal region.
- Sometimes spasms are also present in the gluteal region due to overuse activity.
Symptoms To Look Out For
Glute med pain or dead butt syndrome, in its early stage, can be tolerable. However, the advanced stages may tend to be too painful and may need certain pain management strategies. Due to its pain patterns, it is often misunderstood as sciatica, so its best to visit your doctor for the right diagnosis.
The growing pain and discomfort of dead butt syndrome can affect your mobility at work, the movement strategies of athletes, and overall quality of life. Here are the mild and advanced symptoms of dead butt syndrome that you should look out for:
- Discomfort and soreness when sitting
- Numbness after sitting for several hours
- Lower back and hip pain
- Pain shooting down from your buttocks to your legs
- Pain when lying down on one side
- Walking stride adjustments due to pain
- Unbalanced posture when one leg is raised
Don’t Miss: Gluten And Dairy Free Salad Dressing
What Causes Piriformis Syndrome
Piriformis syndrome is predominantly caused by a shortening or tightening of the piriformis muscle, and while many things can be attributed to this, they can all be categorized into two main groups: Overload and Biomechanical Inefficiencies.
Overload
Piriformis syndrome is commonly associated with sports that require a lot of running, change of direction or weight bearing activity. However, a large proportion of reported cases occur in people who lead a sedentary lifestyle. Other overload causes include:
- Exercising on hard surfaces, like concrete
- Exercising on uneven ground
- Beginning an exercise program after a long lay-off period
- Increasing exercise intensity or duration too quickly
- Exercising in worn out or ill fitting shoes and
- Sitting for long periods of time.
Biomechanical Inefficiencies
The major biomechanical inefficiencies contributing to piriformis syndrome are faulty foot and body mechanics, gait disturbances and poor posture or sitting habits. Other causes can include spinal problems like herniated discs and spinal stenosis. Other biomechanical causes include:
- Poor running or walking mechanics, including pronation and supination
- Tight, stiff muscles in the lower back, hips and buttocks and
- Running or walking with your toes pointed out.
What Is Glute Med Or Gluteus Medius
Gluteus medius or glute med is one of the three gluteal muscles in our buttocks. It starts at the surface of the ilium or the uppermost and largest part of our hip bone and runs in a slant or oblique position to support the strongest bone of our body which is the femur or thigh bones.
Gluteus medius is sandwiched between the two of the three gluteal lines or curved muscles that support the ilium and underneath the fascia lata. The inferior gluteal line is the less distinct muscle close to glute med but is more directed towards the spine.
Don’t Miss: How Do You Know If You Have Gluten Problems
When To See A Doctor
You should consult your physician in order to discuss the following options if your back pain worsens or persists. Together, you can decide what is best for you.
- Referral for physical therapy: This can include an exercise program, appropriate stretching, and therapeutic massage.
- Treatment of emotional conditions: Anxiety, depression, or insomnia can make any physical pain seem more intense. Sometimes antidepressant medication can reduce nerve pain.
- Treatment of night sweats and night pain: Most conditions are exacerbated by poor sleep and may also cause poor sleep.
- Procedures: You can discuss the benefit of steroid injections into the nerves of your back or possible surgery for ruptured discs.
