Also known as pseudo sciatica, piriformis syndrome is a painful condition when the piriformis muscle puts pressure on the sciatic nerve. The piriformis muscle is a major hip flexor muscle (located in the buttocks). It plays an important role in stabilizing the hip joint and allows you to rotate the thigh (away from the body). Thus, a healthy piriformis is necessary for dancing, playing pickleball, and even walking.
As you age, the hip joint and the muscles undergo degeneration and there is a generalized loss of mobility. Thus, even simple activities lead to overstretching of the piriformis muscle fibers. This manifests as sharp radiating pain, numbness, burning, and tingling.
Diagnosing piriformis can be a little tricky for healthcare providers and treating it is even more problematic. The location and anatomical importance of piriformis make access and healing difficult. Therefore, there is a need for a special approach.
Piriformis Syndrome Treatment At The Legacy Clinic
While most health professionals emphasize cold application to provide relief from piriformis syndrome, Legacy clinic experts have cracked the code for quick and long-lasting relief. As per experienced professionals at the Legacy clinic (who have been dealing with piriformis patients for years), these are the most effective ways of relief:
Rest And Medications
Studies show that piriformis syndrome accounts for 6% of all low back pain cases. There are multiple (surgical and non-surgical) ways of treating the syndrome but the most important step is to take ample rest. Bed rest allows natural healing and pain-killer medications provide momentary relief from pain.
Ultrasound Therapy
The introduction of ultrasound (sound waves) within the body causes micro-vibrations of the tissues leading to heat production. This heat improves blood flow and thereby enhances the healing potential of the affected muscles. Interferential therapy and ultrasound therapy effectively strengthen the piriformis muscle and help relieve symptoms. According to a study, continuous ultrasound therapy alleviates pain in different kinds of pain syndromes like piriformis and myofascial pain syndrome.
Heat Application
According to experts, heat application does a wonderful job of releasing muscle tension. Diathermy, also known as deep heating, is a procedure that induces heat by delivering electromagnetic currents (high frequency) into the body.
Shortwave diathermy is frequently employed to relieve piriformis syndrome patients. The procedure has shown promising results. Therefore, it is an important modality at the Legacy Clinic. At the clinic, most patients become pain-free with a couple of sessions, thanks to the deep penetration of the waves and enhanced internal healing. However, if a patient doesn’t get relief after four sessions, Dr. Perry advises trigger point injections.
Trigger Point Injections
A trigger point in a muscle is a tender, and painful-to-touch point that arises due to muscle knots. If conventional therapies (ultrasound, diathermy, physical therapy) are ineffective, doctors opt for trigger point injections to achieve quick results.
A trigger point injection (TPI) may be void of any substance i.e., dry needling which physically releases the muscle tension. However, sometimes, doctors inject corticosteroids or botulinum toxin for inflammation reduction and muscle relaxation, respectively.
TPI technique is proven to be effective in the management of piriformis syndrome. New studies reveal that dry needling (trigger point injections) can reduce pain within 15 minutes of administration. Case studies show that symptoms of multiple patients resolved after dry needling which significantly improved quality of life.
Piriformis Syndrome Care At Legacy Clinic
If your piriformis syndrome keeps you off the pickleball court and conventional therapies have failed, we suggest you visit the Legacy Clinic of Chiropractic. Here, seasoned clinicians like Dr. Perry will use diathermy and trigger point injections to wane off the discomfort and improve your quality of life.
