What disease is piriformis syndrome a symptom of? Spasm of the piriformis muscle: symptoms and treatment. From IVs to pills

Piriformis syndrome is a common pathology that anyone can encounter. Tunnel neuropathy occurs with various manipulations and diseases that cause muscle tension. Spasm provokes pinching sciatic nerve, causes pain and discomfort.

Tension of the piriformis muscle limits rotational movements in the hip area; bending forward with motionless lower limbs is accompanied by pain. The patient suffers from pain, painful symptoms are felt in the thigh, groin, lower back, often reaching knee joint. It is important to know how to act if you suspect a pinched sciatic nerve, how to eliminate muscle spasm.

Reasons for the development of pathology

Piriformis syndrome occurs under the influence of various factors. Doctors distinguish two groups of reasons.

Primary – associated with effects on muscle tissue:

hypothermia;
muscle inflammation;
incorrect intramuscular injection;
injury to the lumbar or gluteal area;
Excessive tension or stretching of the piriformis muscle due to sudden movement or injury.

Secondary – disorders occur in neighboring organs and tissues, but affect the condition of the muscles:

damage to the connective structures of the sacral and iliac spine;
inflammatory processes occurring in the pelvic organs.

Often, tunnel neuropathy occurs against the background of destructive and degenerative changes in the spine. Pinched sciatic nerve, pain syndrome muscle tissue caused by vertebrogenic and non-vertebrogenic factors.

The main causes of pathology in relation to the spinal column:

manifestations;
spinal injuries and spinal cord of various nature;
improper functioning of the muscles of the buttocks and lower back;
tumors in the spinal column;
inflammation of internal organs;
defeat various departments spine;
narrowing of the intervertebral foramina.

Important! With lumbosacral radiculitis, pain in the affected muscle tissue, compression of blood vessels, and pinching of the sciatic nerve are recorded in 40–50% of patients. The more accurately the patient follows the doctor’s recommendations when treating the underlying disease, the lower the risk of complications in the form of piriformis syndrome.

Signs and symptoms

Disruption of the innervation of various parts of the piriformis muscle occurs due to compression of the sciatic nerve or due to lack of nutrition due to compression of blood vessels. Pain syndrome is felt both locally (in the thigh, buttocks) and spreads along the entire length lower limbs.

The main signs of muscle spasm, damage to the sciatic nerve:

pain in the pelvis, groin area, buttocks. Discomfort increases with movement;
numbness, tingling in the legs;
tapping in the area of the piriformis muscle provokes pain;
the gluteal muscle is relaxed; during palpation, the doctor feels the tense piriformis muscle;
when the fibers of the tibial nerve are compressed, discomfort is felt even in the biceps muscle of the leg.

When there is compression of blood vessels and arteries, characteristic signs are noted:

toes go numb;
lameness occurs periodically. For recovery normal movement rest required;
the skin turns pale.

Diagnostics

Discomfort due to inflammation of the piriformis muscle or pinching of the sciatic nerve is often so severe that patients seek help in time. To clarify the diagnosis, the doctor clarifies the clinical picture of the disease, conducts a series of tests, and prescribes instrumental studies.

Basic diagnostic methods:

tapping on the leg, lower lumbar, upper sacral processes to check the reaction;
transrectal palpation of the affected muscle area;
detection or absence of Bonnet-Bobrovnikova syndrome;
palpation of the attachment area of the piriformis muscle for pain;
assessment of the condition of the sacrospinous and iliosacral ligaments;
injection of an anesthetic into the problem muscle. When the pain syndrome is eliminated, the diagnosis is confirmed;
X-ray of the lumbar region;
Magnetic resonance imaging (mandatory if a tumor in the spine is suspected).

General rules and methods of treatment

The doctor’s task is to eliminate the cause of the pain syndrome. With the right approach to therapy, the disease has a favorable prognosis. You cannot neglect the pathology, constantly take painkillers, or frequently lubricate the problem area with ointments and gels. Compression of blood vessels, pinching of the sciatic nerve – dangerous conditions, causing complications, worsening general condition patient.

An integrated approach is important. Treatment is carried out by a vertebrologist, orthopedist-traumatologist and neurologist.

Preparations:

analgesics;
compositions for normalizing blood circulation in the affected area.

In case of severe pain, the tense muscle tissue is blocked using an anesthetic or a complex of painkillers. Effective medicines: Novocaine, Lidocaine, Mercaine. Relief of acute pain syndrome is carried out using injections of glucocorticosteroids. Drugs: Hydrocortisone, Kenalog, Dexamethasone.

Reflex methods and physiotherapy:

acupuncture;
electrophoresis with drugs;
laser treatment;
vacuum therapy;
therapeutic massage;
magnetic laser therapy.

What is the lumbar spine and how to get rid of it pain? We have the answer!

Read the page about the probable causes and methods of treating crunching in the knees.

Therapeutic gymnastics has a complex effect:

helps relax tense muscles;
increases the elasticity of ligaments;
improves mobility of the hip area;
reduces pain.

Special exercises are recommended by the attending physician. The best option is to conduct classes in a physical therapy room. A specialist involved in the rehabilitation of patients with inflammation of the piriformis muscle monitors the correct execution of movements, regulates the load, and promptly responds to patient complaints during gymnastics.

The order of the exercises is important:

first stage. Movement of the knees in different directions and towards each other from the “lying on the floor” position. During the exercise, the knees are bent;
second stage. The starting position is the same, knees closed, smooth swaying to one side, then to the other;
third stage. Training the muscles of the buttocks, legs, thighs. You will need the help of a physiotherapist. The patient sits on the floor next to a chair, knees tightly pressed, feet apart. Task: rise by pulling yourself up, leaning your hand on a chair, complete the rise with the help of a doctor.

Important! In the absence of treatment, the patient’s lack of discipline, refusal to attend physical procedures, unwillingness to perform the complex Exercise therapy disease progresses, complications develop. In many patients, the functionality of the lower extremities decreases, disturbances in the functioning of the pelvic organs appear, gradually weakens, and then the muscular-ligamentous apparatus in the joints atrophies. At an advanced stage, the prognosis is less favorable; pain syndrome significantly complicates life.

Treatment for inflammation of the piriformis muscle, pinched sciatic nerve, compression blood vessels long, expensive. Rehabilitation takes time and takes a lot of effort.

How to reduce the likelihood of negative manifestations? Follow simple rules:

do not overcool;
treat infectious diseases in a timely manner;
monitor the condition of the pelvic organs;
take care spinal column and spinal cord;
promptly consult an orthopedist-traumatologist at the first signs of osteochondrosis, radiculitis, and other spinal diseases;
change body position more often even in the absence of discomfort;
dose physical activity;
lift weights correctly, minimize pressure on the spine and limbs.

After 40–45 years, be sure to find time to visit a rheumatologist, orthopedic traumatologist and arthrologist. For back pain, visiting a neurologist is helpful. Once a year is enough for the purpose of prevention and early initiation of therapy in identifying pathological processes in the spine, musculo-ligamentous apparatus, and problems with neurohumoral regulation.

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Myofascial syndrome of the piriformis muscle is pathological condition with a characteristic painful spasm in the gluteal region. Unpleasant sensations are associated with pinched nerve fibers and the development of inflammation. To quickly get rid of pain, you need to know how to relieve spasm at the first manifestations of piriformis syndrome.

Causes of spasm and main signs of the disease

There are many risk factors for myofasciitis in this area - from unsuccessful sports training to uncomfortable posture. The piriformis muscle is overstrained, which leads to pinching of the sciatic nerve fiber and dysfunction of blood flow in the large vessels of the pelvic-gluteal area.

Painful symptoms are often recorded in those who suffer from radiculitis and radicular osteochondrosis of the sacrolumbar region.

Inflammation and congestion in the pelvis, nervous and vascular disorders can also negatively affect the ligamentous-muscular system. Sometimes spasms occur due to an incorrectly administered injection, traumatic injury, or hypothermia.

Symptoms of inflammation and spasm of the piriformis muscle:

It can hurt constantly, or discomfort occurs in the form of attacks, for example, in an uncomfortable position, after overload.

Treatment methods

Simple pain relief cannot cure this ailment. An integrated approach is important. To alleviate the patient’s condition, you need to combine several techniques.

Pharmaceuticals

Non-steroidal medications help cope with pain and inflammation: Movalis, Diclofenac, Dicloberl, Ketarol, Diklo-F, Voltaren, Meloxicam and others. The analgesic effect can be accelerated by using intramuscular injections of NSAIDs.

To eliminate unpleasant sensations, pharmaceuticals with an analgesic effect are used: “Bral”, “Tempalgin” and “Baralgin”. Against spasms you can drink “No-Shpu”, “Drotaverine”. Muscle relaxants, which quickly relax spasmodic muscle fibers, are resorted to if the antispasmodics mentioned above do not work.

Conservative therapy includes drug blockades. They relieve spasmodic syndromes of the pelvic muscles.

In difficult cases it is carried out surgery– surgical release of the sciatic nerve.

Health-improving physical education

The doctor will refer the patient to exercise therapy classes. After consulting with him, you can do gymnastics at home. The complex, developed by Professor Bubnovsky, helps to get rid of cramping sensations.

In order for the muscular system to function normally, the following exercises should be performed:

You should not immediately “take records”; increase the number of exercises and approaches gradually.

Kinesiotherapy

An example of applying tape to the piriformis muscle.

The method involves taping with special elastic strips. The effect of kinesio taping is due to the fact that fixing adhesive tapes - tapes - gently immobilize and support the affected muscles.

To apply the strips, you first need to slightly stretch the tight muscle, stretching the toe of the foot as far as possible. The knee should be straight. When taping a tense piriformis muscle, the strips are glued:

along the outer surface from the knee to the hip joint;
above the knee perpendicular to the first tape;
two centimeters above the second tape;
from the waist through the buttock to the upper third of the thigh.

Kinesio taping normalizes microcirculation of blood and lymph, relieves tension, gives a relaxation effect and accelerates the regeneration of damaged tissue if muscle fibers have been stretched or torn.

Manual therapy

Muscular pathologies can also be treated in an unconventional way. Manipulations can only be performed by an experienced osteopathic doctor. It will help relieve pain and unblock the sciatic nerve, which will help restore motor functions.

It is important to find a high-quality chiropractor in a medical institution with a good reputation, where they can present all the certificates and demonstrate options for successful treatment.

Massage and self-massage

Kuznetsov's applicator improves blood circulation in problem areas

For a massage procedure, you can also find a specialist or do it at home yourself. In the latter case, you need to lie on your side and massage your buttock thumb, kneading the seals. Massage is more effective if the muscle is in a slightly stretched position. To do this you need to bend your leg at the knee. A simple tennis ball helps relieve the spastic sensation: you need to roll it along the gluteal area.

The use of the Kuznetsov applicator for piriformis syndrome quickly relieves discomfort, allows for the prevention of exacerbation.

To relax tense muscles in medical institutions They use soft tissue massage techniques to deeply work the affected area. Rectal massage also helps. This is an effective procedure that makes it possible to quickly calm the manifestations of ischemia of the muscle fibers and nerve of the sciatic area.

Reflexology

Includes several different methods:

acupuncture;
pressing fingers on special points;
heating and cauterization of active areas;
exposure to laser beams and electrical pulses;
point-linear massage.

The method is selected individually, based on the pronounced symptoms and stage of the disease. According to reviews, acupuncture is especially effective for this pain syndrome.

Physiotherapy

Myostimulation with low-frequency currents

The following procedures eliminate muscle spasms and pain:

ultrasound;
vacuum massage;
paraffin applications;
exposure to low-frequency currents;
diadynamic therapy;
amplipulse;
laser treatment;
phonophoresis.

Physiotherapy relieves pain in the affected area and helps cope with inflammatory process. Blood circulation improves, which speeds up the regeneration process. At home, you can use the Vitafon physiotherapeutic device.

Folk remedies

Among the recipes of Russian traditional medicine There are many remedies aimed at relieving pain in the muscles of the thighs and buttocks. Doctors recommend using comfrey tincture internally, an alcohol infusion of fly agaric and black pepper for rubbing, or applying a heating pad to the sore spot.

Such advice is not always safe: heating can increase inflammation, and medicinal herbs can cause allergies or cause harm during pregnancy. Before using folk remedies, you should consult your doctor.

Gentle recipes that can be used by everyone:

Burdock juice. Lubricate the affected area or make night compresses from the scalded leaf of the plant.
Tar and honey compress. Honey and a large spoonful of sweet cream butter are melted in a water bath and mixed with birch tar. Apply to the sore spot and cover with a cotton rag and polyethylene. Leave it overnight. Repeat until pain disappears completely.
Healing tea. Chamomile flowers, calendula and calamus root are poured with boiling water and left for an hour. Filter and drink like tea for a month.

Honey-based products should not be used by those who are allergic to bee products.

In addition to regular preventive examinations, preventive measures include:

do not overstrain the lumbosacral region;
avoid hypothermia;
exclude workouts that provoke irritation of the piriformis muscle: descents and ascents, rapid acceleration and braking, sharp turns.

When working sedentarily, it is important to periodically change your position, stand up, walk and do light exercises.

Even with a single cramping sensation in the buttock area, you should see a doctor. The pinching will not go away on its own; the pain will recur or worsen.

Piriformis syndrome is a rare diagnosis in medical history. Few people know where this deeply hidden muscle is located, what function it performs and what role it plays in inflammation of the sciatic nerve. But in practice, more than half of patients with lumbosacral radiculitis with persistent pain radiating to the leg along the sciatic nerve, which is not relieved by conventional anti-inflammatory therapy, suffer from this particular pathology. But for some reason, both doctors and patients prefer all kinds of “osteochondrosis”, “lumboischialgia” and “radiculitis” - diagnoses that reflect not the causes or mechanisms of the disease, but only the general picture. Indeed, “lower back pain” is much clearer than some kind of fruit-apple syndrome.

Piriformis muscle (shocked by the humor or imaginative thinking of ancient anatomists! Where did they see the pear?) is located deep in the gluteal muscle mass, and can only be palpated in the presence of severe pain. It originates from the sacrum and attaches to the greater trochanter of the femur. At first glance, nothing special, but the piriformis muscle almost completely fills the large sciatic opening of the pelvis - the Thermopylae passage for vessels and nerves (including the sciatic) to the lower extremities. Normally, even during the period of tension of the piriformis muscle in the greater sciatic foramen, the upper and lower fissures remain free, where the neurovascular bundles pass. But the picture changes dramatically if prolonged pathological contraction of the piriformis muscle begins to compress the sciatic nerve and gluteal arteries.

Piriformis syndrome. Clinical picture.

Clinical manifestations of piriformis syndrome are manifested primarily by symptoms of inflammation or entrapment of the sciatic nerve:

Drawing cerebral pain in the buttock and along the back of the thigh, aggravated by running, walking, squats.
Feeling of chilliness, decreased sensitivity of the lower leg and foot, feeling of stiffness in the leg. Or a manifestation of hypersensitivity - crawling, a burning sensation below the level of the knee joint.
Weakness and atrophy of the muscles of the leg and foot
Trophic skin disorders of the lower legs

Local symptoms include pain in the hip joint, sacroiliac joint, and pain on palpation of the piriformis muscle itself.

When the arteries passing through the greater sciatic foramen are compressed, vascular disorders develop. The skin on the back of the leg becomes pale and dry, microcirculation disturbances and signs of ischemia of the leg tissue appear.

Diagnosis and treatment of piriformis syndrome

Diagnosis of the disease is based on the characteristic clinical picture, collecting anamnesis, identifying manual tests and specific symptoms. An important diagnostic technique is blockade of the piriformis muscle with novocaine or lidocaine. And in some cases, even its single use is enough for a complete cure. In general, with piriformis syndrome, pain relief is the first and main treatment measure. And after the pain is relieved, you can safely continue further therapy. In the presence of severe inflammation of the sciatic nerve - non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, in case of microcirculation disorders - drugs that improve blood circulation and tissue trophism, in case of polyneuropathy - B vitamins, magnesium preparations.

Prevention and rehabilitation

Therapeutic exercise is the most important means of preventing piriformis syndrome and rehabilitation after pinching of the sciatic nerve. The main exercise is:

And if you combine different options for hip abduction along with twisting (rotational) movements in lumbar region spine, then the sciatic nerves together with the piriformis muscles will thank you very much and will never bother you.

Muscle spasms are a common occurrence in our lives. Every second person experiences a muscle spasm at least once a week. There are many reasons for this. For example, the cause could be: stress, poor nutrition, irrational physical activity, incorrect body position, hypothermia, overheating, as well as deficiency of microelements (magnesium, potassium).

One of the many types of spasms is a spasm of the piriformis muscle of the thigh. Piriformis syndrome is a fairly rare disease.

Piriformis muscle

The piriformis muscle is one of the muscles of the pelvis. The piriformis muscle is an internal muscle, that is, one that cannot be seen. It is a small piece of triangular-shaped muscle tissue. The piriformis muscle is attached on one side to the sacrum (its base), the other to the trochanter femur, passing through the sciatic foramen. The piriformis muscle is surrounded by vessels and nerves on both sides above and below.

Between the piriformis and obturator muscles is one of the most important nerves our body is the sciatic nerve. It innervates almost the entire lower limb. The function of the pear-shaped part of the muscular frame is to rotate the hip and the entire lower limb outward, and also, with a stationary leg, the pelvis can be tilted in its direction.

Piriformis syndrome

Piriformis syndrome is a spasm. The pear-shaped part becomes dense, hard, and compresses the sciatic nerve. Piriformis syndrome does not occur by chance: as a result of a sudden movement, injury, hematoma, inflammation, sprain or foreign formation.

The cause could even be an incorrectly administered intramuscular injection. Also, piriformis syndrome occurs reflexively with diseases of the spine: tumors, pathology of the spinal cord roots, narrowing in spinal canal, injuries.

When the sciatic nerve is compressed, very strong and intense symptoms occur.

Symptoms

Nerve compression is a very serious process that cannot go unnoticed. The symptoms are always obvious, clear - you can’t confuse them with anything. The main symptoms of muscle spasm and compression of the sciatic nerve:

The pain is aching, burning in nature, located in the area hip joint, intensifies during walking, when the hip moves inward. When the patient lies down, the pain subsides a little.
Severe pain that accompanies the nerve along its length. The pain is localized both in the pelvis itself, along its inner surface, and spreads quite widely to the thigh, since the sciatic nerve is one of the largest in length. Pain along the back of the thigh and ankle, radiating to the foot. Most often, the process is localized only on one side.
Tingling sensations on the affected leg. Mostly, unpleasant sensations occur along the nerve, that is, also along the entire back surface of the leg.
Decreased sensitivity in the lower limb to both touch, temperature and pain.

Discomfort when moving. Feeling of pain when trying to cross one leg over the other leg.
Rarely, there may be urinary problems.
The doctor may also identify several symptoms. Bonnet's symptom involves asking the patient to relax the gluteal muscle. The doctor then palpates the gluteal area and finds the firm, firm piriformis muscle. Vilenkin's symptom: when tapping the projection of the muscle, a painful sensation appears, radiating along the entire back surface of the leg. Grossman's symptom: when tapping on the protruding parts of both iliac bones, a painful sensation appears in the depths of the buttocks. You can also detect a painful sensation when palpating the muscle.
When the blood vessels are compressed, sensitivity may be impaired and a feeling of lameness may appear. The patient is forced to stop while walking, and the color of the skin above the buttock and below becomes pale.

Treatment

Since compression of blood vessels and nerves occurs during spasm, treatment must be carried out as soon as possible in order to avoid serious complications. The principle of treatment should be to eliminate the cause of the spasm. Rest and limitation of physical activity are recommended. Treatment is mainly conservative and includes the use of medical supplies and exercises to relieve spasms. Massage, physiotherapy and a set of exercises are also prescribed.

Drug treatment

principle drug treatment is to relieve pain and spasms. Main drugs:

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used to relieve pain. Treatment involves blocking the sensation of pain and reducing inflammation. It is better to use them intramuscularly, since the availability of the drug with this method of administration is higher and the effect occurs much faster. They use drugs containing diclofenac (DicloF, Voltaren, Diclofenac), meloxicam (Movalis), ketorolac (Ketanov,). Injections are given deep intramuscularly after 4–6 hours. The same drugs can also be taken in tablet form.
Also, in addition to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, you can use them, which will only relieve the feeling of pain. These are drugs containing metamizole sodium (Tempalgin, Baralgin, Bral).
. Treatment is necessary to relieve spasm. They are used both separately from NSAIDs and together. A well-known antispasmodic is drotaverine. Trade name No-Shpa. Treatment with drotaverine is also carried out either in tablets or in the form of injections.

Muscle relaxants. They are used when antispasmodics are ineffective. Treatment (action) consists of relaxing spasmodic muscles. They are also administered intramuscularly or used internally. One of the most known drugs- This .
Also, one of the treatment methods is to carry out a blockade. To do this, use an anesthetic solution (novocaine, lidocaine) to relieve pain and relieve spasms.

Treatment with physiotherapeutic methods is carried out in parallel with medications. Use therapy magnetic currents, acupuncture, electrophoresis and magnetic laser treatment.

Exercises for the piriformis muscle

There are exercises that are performed to treat the syndrome and alleviate the condition. All exercises are aimed at stretching. For classes you need to choose a comfortable time and clothes. The exercises are performed lying on your stomach or sitting in a relaxed state. There should be no discomfort or pain during exercise. Some of the exercises:

Lying on your stomach, you need to connect and separate your knees. In this case, the legs should be half bent. Perform the exercises slowly, stretching.
It is necessary to sit for short periods of time with your legs crossed several times a day. While performing the exercises, change your leg periodically.
You need to sit on the bed and connect your knees to each other. Slowly get out of bed, trying not to separate your knees. Straighten up and only then separate your knees from each other.
Sit on a chair and cross your legs. Bend over to the leg lying on top, repeat five to ten times. Change leg.
In a position on all fours, alternately stretch your straightened leg back. You should feel a stretch in all the pelvic muscles.
Lie on your back. Raise your straightened leg up and behind the opposite side, trying to reach the floor.

Gluteus muscle

There are three pairs of gluteal muscles in our body. There are large, medium and small gluteals. The gluteal major is the largest and consists of three parts. She turns her leg outward, gives her body straight position. The gluteus medius is located deeper. Its function is to abduct the leg. Well, the small one is located even deeper, its functions repeat the previous ones.

Gluteal muscle strain

This is a rare occurrence, but it happens. Occurs with sudden movements, awkward position, blows to the gluteal region. It is characterized by the appearance of pain in the buttock area, aching in nature. Pain appears when pressed or palpated. A hematoma may develop. There is no compression of blood vessels and nerves.

But when stretched, the development of piriformis muscle syndrome is possible.

Treatment is also carried out with painkillers (usually in tablets or in the form), antispasmodics. Blockades, massage and physiotherapy are carried out.

Thus, piriformis syndrome is a rare but significant disease. If you notice symptoms, it is important to consult a doctor and carry out complex treatment disease to avoid relapse.

The piriformis muscle is a muscle of the internal group of pelvic muscles. It is located under gluteal muscle, and its main function is to rotate the hips and legs. Under external influence, a spasm of the piriformis muscle may occur, as a result of which the sciatic nerve is pinched. Tight muscle fibers limit movement of the lower back and hips. Pain appears when walking, bending forward and other movements. The pain syndrome is felt in the lower back, buttock area, thigh, and can radiate to the leg and be accompanied by numbness. How to relieve spasm of the piriformis muscle, and what treatment will help eliminate these very painful symptoms?

All causes of this disease are divided into the following main groups - primary and secondary, or vertebrogenic and non-vertebrogenic.
Primary imply irritants of the piriformis muscle itself:

in the buttocks or lower back area;
overstrain or sprain as a result of intense physical activity;
muscle inflammation - myositis;
improper injection (the syringe needle may touch a nerve root during injection);
problems with the spine (narrowing of the intervertebral space, tumors,);
hypothermia, due to which the muscle overstrains.

Secondary the reasons are not directly related to the piriformis muscle, but still lead to its disease. These include pelvic inflammation, abnormalities and connective tissue diseases.

Piriformis syndrome, symptoms and treatment

Symptoms of inflammation

The syndrome is accompanied by symptoms that can be divided into three different groups:

local (i.e. symptoms directly characterizing spasm of the piriformis muscle);
symptoms of sciatic nerve compression;
signs of compression of arteries and vessels.

TO local characteristics include:

pulling, aching pain in the buttocks;
pain radiating to the hip and sacroiliac joints;
increased pain when standing for a long time, in a half-squat or when walking;
When palpated in a relaxed state, tension in the piriformis muscle is clearly palpable; when pressed, sharp pain(Bonnet-Bobrovnikova symptom);
tapping the piriformis muscle causes pain on the back of the leg (Vilenkin’s symptom);
in a supine position the pain subsides;
The pelvic floor muscles are also tense.

At sciatic nerve entrapment patients usually complain about dull pain, feeling of burning or stiffness. Pain often increases with stress or sudden changes in weather. The Achilles reflex decreases, the back of the lower leg hurts.

At compression of blood vessels and arteries the skin on the patient’s leg turns pale, spasms of the blood vessels in the legs periodically occur, causing lameness, and the fingers of the lower extremities often go numb.

Diagnostic methods

To diagnose piriformis syndrome, a number of tests are performed. If the first test method does not help to accurately determine the disease, move on to the second. Hardware studies are carried out as a last resort only if there is doubt about the diagnosis. The list of ongoing studies includes:

If the above diagnostic methods did not help to accurately determine the disease or there is a suspicion that this syndrome is itself a symptom of another disease (trauma, cancer, etc.), the patient is prescribed hardware tests - an X-ray of the lumbosacral region, a radioisotope scan of the spine.

Under the influence of heavy physical or intense sports activities, displacement of the vertebrae in the lower back can occur. How dangerous is this phenomenon, and how not to lose the ability to move? Reading.

Falls, the likelihood of which increases with the onset of winter and the appearance of ice, are possible, which can provoke inflammation of the piriformis muscle.

Treatment methods for piriformis syndrome

Treatment should be comprehensive: along with anesthesia of the piriformis muscle itself, the cause that caused this inflammation should also be treated. Usually this conservative therapy, but if necessary, they also resort to surgery (if the root cause cannot be eliminated without it).

Drug treatment

The patient is prescribed muscle relaxants and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve pain. For example, or ortofen. For particularly severe pain, analgesics are added to the therapeutic complex.

To reduce inflammation and prevent vascular compression, it is necessary to take drugs that improve blood circulation and dilate blood vessels.

In addition to drug treatment, the patient is prescribed:

relaxation massage;
physiotherapy (electrophoresis, magnetic laser procedures);
vacuum therapy;
acupuncture and ;
therapeutic exercises.

With prolonged tension of the piriformis muscle, it becomes necessary to block it by injecting an anesthetic.

To do this, the doctor marks three places on the patient lying on his stomach - the ischial tuberosity, the superior posterior spine ilium and the tip of the greater trochanter. In the resulting triangle, from the last point, mark the angle bisector - the line dividing it in half. A needle is inserted into the belly of the piriformis muscle at a point between the middle and lower thirds of this line. An anesthetic is injected through it for the blockade.

Physical therapy exercises

Physical exercises for this syndrome are necessary in order to relax the piriformis muscle. and try to restore it to normal motor function. The following set of exercises is very effective:

In a lying position with half-bent legs and feet resting against the wall, smoothly bring your knees towards each other and spread them apart.
In the same position, bring your knees together and swing to your sides.
In a sitting position, spread your feet wide but keep your knees closed. Using one hand, begin to rise. Have a helper take your other hand and pull you towards you to help you straighten up. Separate your knees.

There is also another useful physical training complex.

The most important thing is to maintain smoothness, continuity and gradualness in all exercises. Sudden physical activity will only worsen the situation.

Treatment of piriformis syndrome at home

Traditional medicine knows various recipes for healing ointments and oils.
Here is an example of one of them.

Combine bay leaf with juniper needles in a ratio of 6 parts to 1 and thoroughly grind to a powder, add 12 parts of melted butter. Rub the resulting mixture into the sore spot.

When a nerve is pinched it folk remedy It will perfectly help relieve pain and relax tense muscles.

Prevention of spasm

People prone to developing diseases in the lumbar region need to follow several simple rules that will help avoid the development of this syndrome:

do not expose yourself to strong physical exertion,
supercool,
being in the same position for a long time, even if it is comfortable.

Listen to your body, monitor your health, visit a doctor.

Untreated piriformis syndrome will lead to disruption of the functioning of all leg muscles, contribute to the degradation of ligaments and joints and the development of diseases of the pelvic organs.

At the first appearance of symptoms of this disease, there is no need to delay - contact a specialist immediately to get necessary treatment and live healthy.

A useful video in which a neurologist shows where the piriformis muscle is located and talks about possible reasons spasm causing piriformis muscle syndrome, symptoms and treatment of the disease: