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If
you're reading this article, it's a good bet that
you have a radiating pain running down the back
of your leg that just won't go away. If what I'm
about to tell you sounds familiar, don't worry,
help is on the way.
Sciatica
and Piriformis Syndrome are the same condition...it
is just that the medical community is starting
to call the condition by the muscle (Piriformis)
that is involved and getting away from calling
it by the name of the nerve that is involved (sciatic)...nothing
more than semantics.
Did
you go see your primary care physician and get
a diagnosis of Sciatica only to have them refer
you to an orthopedic specialist and then get a
diagnosis of Piriformis Syndrome...and than be
told to see a Physical Therapist and the PT tells
you a little heat, ultra sound, electrical stimulation
and some therapeutic exercises and we will have
you good as new???
If
this is the path you have been down and you're
tired of all the worthless treatments that just
don't work, you must read this article! I guarantee
you, it will likely be far different than what
you have read or heard anywhere else!
First,
let me tell you why today's traditional treatment
methods just flat out miss the boat. The medical
community is so conditioned and focused on treating
only the symptoms and trying to get in as many
patients a day as possible, that many people are
misdiagnosed and/or mistreated.
Sciatic
pain is simply caused by pressure being placed
on the sciatic nerve and there are primarily four
things that can create this...you may have one
or more of the following:
- 1. Pressure caused
by shortening and tightening of the piriformis
muscle. This is almost always due to months
or years of muscle imbalances in the hip rotator
muscles.
- 2. Pressure caused
by spinal stenosis, which is a decrease in the
space between the vertebrae. This is primarily
caused by uneven pressure and compression due
to muscle imbalances.
- 3. Pressure caused
by Isthmic spondylolisthesis which is simply
when a vertebrae slips or moves...this can sometimes
pinch the sciatic nerve but often times people
who have this condition don't have any pain,
symptoms, or even know they have it!
- 4. Pressure caused
by a herniated or bulging disc. A herniation
is when a disc protrudes out from between the
vertebrae and this can either be caused by an
event like a car accident, or, by months or
years of uneven pressure due to muscle imbalances.
It is also important to note that many people
with herniated discs don't even experience pain
or symptoms, and many don't know they have the
condition.
As
you can see, there is a trend here... in nearly
every case, muscle imbalances are the primary
cause of the pressure being placed on the sciatic
nerve.
If
you are not sure which one of the four is causing
your sciatic pain, I recommend you start with
the basics. Most cases of sciatic pain are caused
by muscle imbalances so if you begin to work on
correcting any muscle imbalances you have, you
should start to see improvement right away.
There
are several self assessments you can perform to
help identify which specific muscle imbalances
you have and these are covered in our "Lose
the Back Pain" video along with step-by-step
instructions on what to do to eliminate your imbalances
and pain.
Click
this link here order "Lose
the Back Pain":
Sciatic pain comes about either due to a traumatic
event, muscle imbalances, or a combination of
both.
"The
event" scenario is most likely the catalyst
for sudden onset of sciatic pain. So what happens
is this...when there is undue stress on the Piriformis
muscle, that stress causes it to go into spasm
and then you have pain due to the Piriformis muscle
putting pressure on the sciatic nerve.
In
most cases, people go to physical therapy or minimize
their physical activity to break the pain - spasm
cycle and in most cases the symptoms subside.
However, the event will also set you up for a
lifetime of sciatic pain if the Piriformis muscle
does not recover 100% in both strength and flexibility.
When
you have an injury to a muscle, both strength
and flexibility are compromised, and if your recovery
ends before strength and flexibility return, you
will never be 100% and will likely struggle with
the problem forever.
The
other way sciatic pain creeps into your life is
due to your lifestyle and habits, and that is
what we like to call "the process."
The process can be described as a prolonged onset
of symptoms based on your everyday activities.
However,
from a technical standpoint, the process really
describes the development of the muscle imbalance
in your hip. The Piriformis muscle is responsible
for external rotation (moving your leg so your
feet point outward). So over time that muscle
gets tight from the positions you put yourself
in and weakens from lack of use.
Let
me give you some examples of what I mean:
- 1. If you sit
on the edge of your chair with you legs separated
and your feet pointing outward you are keeping
your Piriformis muscle in a shortened position
and that's how it gets tight. With extended
sitting in that position, it gets weak from
lack of use. Hence the imbalance.
- 2. Runners and
bikers who work very hard tend to get sciatica
because they fail to keep a strength vs. stretch
balance in their workouts. Hence the imbalance
creates a greater pull toward external rotation
and the result is a tight Piriformis and an
irritated sciatic nerve creating pain.
These
are just two examples of how muscle imbalances
can affect the Piriformis muscle and cause Sciatic
pain. You may not be a runner or cyclist but I'll
bet you have muscle imbalances that are causing
your sciatic pain!
To
learn more about muscle imbalances and how they
affect your body, please read our article "Aches,
Pains, and Injuries" which you can find on
our website by clicking
here.
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Recovery
Tip:
In
severe cases, the sciatic pain can run from the
top of the hip to the bottom of the foot. It is
very important to recognize that changes and shifting
of pain is often times a sign of improvement.
Furthermore as a way of gauging recovery, take
note of how far down the leg the pain goes. If
the pain goes to the foot one day and then only
makes it to the calf and then to the knee and
then it can only make it to the hamstring that
is a sign of improvement. You should feel good
about those noticeable improvements and this should
give you encouragement to keep working toward
a full remission of pain.
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So
how do you get rid of your pain? Will learning
one new stretch be enough? It very well may be.
However depending on the severity of your condition
you may need to change your activities of daily
living to include new stretches, new exercises
that include the use of the hip rotators like
roller-blading, basketball, tennis, etc, and even
better, corrective exercise specific to your situation...like
those covered in our video. As always, learn as
much as you can about your condition so that you
can ask the tough questions of your healthcare
providers and get the best care possible.
One
last point, sciatic pain is not caused by a lack
of prescription medications. So, don't think that
taking anti-inflammatories or muscle relaxants
will fix it...it won't! Also, many people are
able to eliminate sciatic pain within days just
by performing a few exercises and stretches (the
exact corrective exercises and stretches they
need to do).
Find
out what's causing your sciatic pain and learn
exactly which exercises and stretches you should
be doing by watching our "Lose the Back
Pain" video.
Click
this link to get your video now!
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