Tag Archive for: Sciatica

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Piriformis Syndrome: A Real Pain in the Butt

Piriformis Syndrome: A Real Pain in the Butt

Are you noticing a dull ache or shooting pain in your glutes after standing, sitting, cycling, training or running? If so, piriformis syndrome may be to blame. Continue reading to learn more about piriformis syndrome, including what makes it a potential cause of sciatica and what you can do to treat it and relieve the pain. 

What is Piriformis Syndrome and What Causes It?

The piriformis muscle anatomy as it relates to piriformis syndrome.

Piriformis syndrome is a condition that, as the title of this article implies, causes pain in the buttocks. Piriformis syndrome is a term used to describe a condition affecting the piriformis muscle located deep within the middle posterior gluteal region (behind the gluteus maximus). The piriformis muscle is one (and arguably the most important) of the six lateral hip rotators. It is responsible for externally rotating your hip and upper thigh, abducting your hip when flexed, and stabilizing your sacroiliac joint. 

What causes it?

Piriformis syndrome is caused when the piriformis muscle spasms, compressing and irritating surrounding nerves and soft tissues (often including the sciatic nerve), resulting in pain, tingling and/or numbness in the buttock area, which can sometimes also be felt down the back of the upper and lower leg and foot. While the root cause of piriformis syndrome is not yet well understood, the sciatic nerve’s involvement may be due to anatomical anomalies and variations between each individual or, more commonly, due to soft tissue inflammation or muscle spasms/contractions that compress the sciatic nerve as a result of piriformis muscle tightness from muscle or postural imbalances.

A common cause of sciatica pain

The sciatic nerve’s proximity to the piriformis muscle makes it susceptible to compression and irritation caused by the muscle spasms related to piriformis syndrome. Therefore, when lumbar issues such as disk herniation are ruled out as a cause for sciatica pain, and buttock pain isn’t accompanied by lower back pain, piriformis syndrome is most likely the cause. 

Piriformis Syndrome Symptoms

The most common symptom of piriformis syndrome is a deep, dull ache, burning, shooting pain, and tingling and numbness that can be felt in the buttock (typically on one side of the body). The pain may also be felt down the back of the thigh, calf and foot and may be accompanied by a reduced range of motion in the hip flexors. 

Piriformis syndrome pain is typically most noticeable:

  • When walking uphill or taking the stairs
  • After sitting, driving, standing or cycling for extended periods
  • Following activities such as walking, long-distance running or strength training
  • After a traumatic injury, including collisions and falls
  • When flexing or rotating the hip and thigh inwards and outwards

The Good News

Surgical correction or steroid injections may be required in rare cases of piriformis syndrome (caused by anatomical anomalies or trauma). However, the good news is that most cases of piriformis syndrome can be successfully treated with the following interventions and rest:

Proper assessment and diagnoses 

After ruling out sciatic pain caused by spinal issues, your physiotherapist or health practitioner will use a series of movements to indicate whether or not the piriformis muscle is causing sciatic nerve compression and pain.

Tailored treatment

Treating piriformis syndrome typically requires physiotherapy to help stretch the piriformis muscle and improve hip mobility, posture and muscular conditioning. 

At-home maintenance and prevention

Following the stretches and exercises your physiotherapist gives you can help prevent the recurrence of pain caused by piriformis muscle tightness, spasms and nerve compression.

Treating Piriformis Syndrome and Sciatica Pain in Victoria, BC

Don’t ignore pain. Start the healing process today by booking your appointment with one of our expert physiotherapists. Call Diversified Health Clinic today at (250) 382-0018 or book an appointment online.

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Nerve Pain With Sciatica: What It Is and How We Approach Sciatic Treatment in Victoria BC

Nerve Pain With Sciatica and Sciatic Treatment Victoria BC

Ouch! Have you ever experienced a sharp, shooting, burning or pinching pain down your lower back, glutes, hamstrings or calves? Or how about a sudden and severe “electric jolt” like feeling following activity? While nerve pain with sciatica can be severe, it can also manifest as a mild, aching pain that seems to come and go. Some people experience sciatica as a weakness and numbness in the affected area. When nerve pain with sciatica becomes severe, it’s nearly impossible to ignore. When patients arrive at our clinic, it’s often because their sciatica pain is interfering with their ability to enjoy their usual activities, including work, rest, and recovery.

 First, What is Nerve Pain With Sciatica?

Nerve Pain With SciaticaSciatica is the term used to describe sciatic nerve pain. Nerve pain can occur anywhere in the body while sciatic nerve pain affects the lower back and lower, posterior extremities. This is because of how the sciatic nerve branches off your lower spine (just above your buttocks) before threading down through your glutes, hamstrings and calves. Sciatic nerve pain often occurs on one side of the body, or is markedly worse on one side of the body, and can arise from various physical triggers as outlined below.

Nerve pain with sciatica occurs when a nerve is pinched, which can be caused by a myriad of contributing factors, including:

  • Obesity
  • Inflammation
  • Poor posture
  • Chronically tight or strained muscles
  • Short and tight hip flexor and hamstring muscles
  • Spinal bone spurs and overgrowths
  • Herniated disc
  • Incorrect form during exercise
  • Occupational strain 
  • Following an accident or injury
  • Tumor growth
  • Complications of underlying diseases such as diabetes. 

Things You Can Do to Help Prevent Nerve Pain with Sciatica

You can help reduce your chances of developing pinched nerves by establishing good physical habits, including:

Regular Exercise & Stretching

Making time in your week for adequate fitness and activity with a focus on consistency, proper form, stretching, and sufficient recovery. If you’re new to a workout or activity, consider getting help from one of our physiotherapists to ensure you are performing each move with proper form to avoid pinching nerves or overstraining your spine. This is especially important if you have any pre-existing injuries. Everybody is different: An exercise that works fine for your friend, may not work as well for you, and gym and sports equipment should be adjusted to fit your specific body dynamics–this includes proper footwear!

Maintaining Good Posture

Be mindful of your posture while sitting, standing, lifting and otherwise exerting your body. This includes assessing the ergonomics of your seating and workstation arrangement. Subtle adjustments can make the difference between a happy body versus one riddled with muscle tightness, inflammation, nerve pain, and injury.

Adequate Rest and Recovery

Athletes know that adequate recovery is just as critical as being active, but rest is often the first thing people take for granted. Good recovery starts with knowing when your body needs rest and giving it the support it requires to repair itself and grow stronger. This includes steps such as good nutrition, icing, rolling, and massage to help reduce inflammation. It also includes how you sleep. 

Support While You Sleep

There’s a science to choosing the right pillow. Make sure your pillow has the right density and height, according to your preferred sleeping position. You want to maintain the natural curvature in your neck. It also helps to take the pressure off your lower back and hips by placing a rolled-up towel or pillow behind the crook of your knees (when laying on your back) or between your bent knees (when laying on your side). The idea is to keep your knees slightly bent in order to maintain a very slight natural curve in your lower back. This also helps to relax tight hip flexors, glutes, and hamstrings.

Supporting your spinal health during work, rest and sleep can be a pretty significant game-changer. A physiotherapist can demonstrate specific stretches and techniques you can use at work and at home to relieve nerve pain with sciatic and support your recovery. 

Pain Indicates It’s Time to Seek Treatment

Ignoring nerve pain is never a good idea. Consider that pain is your body’s way of communicating that something isn’t as it should be. Neglecting to address the pain and the cause of it can result in compounding complications or even permanent nerve damage. Being proactive is key. The good news is that sciatica pain can often be resolved with non-invasive treatments that target the root causes of pinched nerves and prevent the pain from coming back.

Relieving Nerve Pain with Sciatica: Sciatic Treatment  in Victoria, BC:

Because pain can be caused by a variety of factors that are unique to your situation, at Diversified Health Clinic, we take a comprehensive approach to treating nerve pain with sciatica. We start with a thorough initial consultation before tailoring a treatment plan for you that’s based on the specific causes of your pain. Your treatment plan may include one or more of the following treatments and will include tips on how you can maintain your results at home between appointments.

Depending on the cause and severity of sciatica and nerve pain, patients often start feeling relief after the first visit, which only gets better as the treatments progress. It brings us tremendous satisfaction to see our patients return to their favourite activities and lifestyles without the hindrance of pain and fatigue. Life is too precious to spend it in unnecessary pain, especially when effective treatments are within reach.

 If you suffer from the symptoms of nerve pain with sciatica, give our team of practitioners a call at Diversified Health Clinic today at (250) 382-0018 or book an appointment online. We’re happy to help answer your questions, address the cause of your pain and discomfort, and get you on the road to recovery.

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Sciatica…Oh My Aching Back

lower_back_painSciatica symptoms can increase in severity until the sciatic nerve becomes very inflamed.
Most commonly, sciatica results when a spinal disc ruptures in the lower lumbosacral region of the spine. Instead of acting as a gelatinous cushion between the bony vertebrae of the spine, the disc squeezes out from between the vertebrae and presses on one or more of the spinal nerves that form the sciatic nerve, causing inflammation. When back stiffness and lack of flexibility, such as when you get into or out of a chair or car, are left untreated for as little as two or three weeks, symptoms can increase in severity until the sciatic nerve becomes very, very inflamed.

Who’s at risk?

People who sit for a living are at slightly higher risk of back related problems than people who have physical jobs, such as workers in forestry, mining, farming or construction. Sitting at a desk or a computer for eight hours a day, five days a week, can aggravate compression of the spine, which, in turn, can lead to lower back stiffness, back pain and inflammation of the sciatic nerve.

Read the complete article: sciatica_oh-my-aching-back which originally appeared in Canadian Health magazine.

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What causes sciatica?

sciatic-nerveSciatica and associated nerve pain is caused by different types of pressure on or damage to the sciatic nerve in the lower back or buttocks – the sciatic nerve connects nearly the whole of the skin of the leg, the muscles of the back of the thigh, and those of the leg and foot to provide feeling and movement, so any pressure on this nerve can cause considerable, debilitating pain.

Pain from sciatica can change: it can be shooting/burning/sharp, non-stop, or intermittent. Pain is usually only felt on one side of the body. Some people complain of intense and acute pain. Others experience a numb and weak feeling in their leg. Sneezing, coughing, straining, bending, or lifting can make it worse.

What can causes sciatica?

Something as simple as bad posture, muscle strain or spasm, being overweight, or sleeping on a mattress that is too soft can put pressure on or damage the sciatic nerve.

A herniated disc, know by most of us as a “slipped disc”, is an even more serious, chronic condition where tremendous pressure on the sciatic nerve by one of the spinal discs that serves as cushioning between the vertebrae. The disc doesn’t slip – instead it ruptures, and the gel that makes up the disc intrudes on the spinal nerve or sciatic nerve. The result is severe pain and even loss of mobility.

Often hereditary, this condition can result in months of lost productivity while the disc heals and inflammation subsides. Unfortunately, ruptured discs are prone to do the same thing again, but with a careful rehabilitation plan including exercise, weight loss and other treatments and practices, it is possible to help prevent this condition from becoming chronic and debilitating.

How to treat sciatica and nerve pain

Often, lifestyle changes such as losing weight are the most common method for dealing with sciatica and nerve pain.

Sciatica and nerve pain can be treated with a combination of treatments, including:

  • Decompression Table
  • eToims
  • massage
  • physiotherapy
  • Class IV K-Laser Therapy

Topical ointments such as Traumeel and nutritional supplements can also help with inflammation.

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