What Is Piriformis Syndrome?
We think it’s important for you to understand what piriformis is to better get its reach within the body. The piriformis is a muscle, much like a band, that runs diagonally from the midline base of the spine to the outer hip bone.
The piriformis muscle is responsible for the rotation of the hip, as well as turning your feet and legs. This muscle helps you walk, stabilize your movement, and it helps keep balance and control of movement.
Basically, it’s a muscle you use pretty much for everything, so you definitely want to protect it.
The red flag about piriformis syndrome is that it can be related to the sciatic nerve. This nerve travels through and under the piriformis. It also goes all the way to the back of your legs and feet. It’s very complicated.
The Importance Of The Piriformis Muscle
The piriformis is the perfect victim for high-repetition injuries. When you overuse it without the right recovery time, you can start experiencing symptoms of piriformis syndrome. The most common one is muscle tightening, compressing the sciatic nerve. This will cause uncomfortable spasming.
Other symptoms of this syndrome include pain in the center of the glute, pain around the outer hip bone, and pain that goes all the way down to the back of the leg.
Since the piriformis is an area of high use, it’s really easy to fall victim to some form of piriformis syndrome. Intense exercises like running can lead to some level of this syndrome if you’re not careful.
It is very important to know how to take the best care of this muscle to keep pain-free movement in the long term.
How To Prevent Piriformis Syndrome?
Obviously, the best way to manage this syndrome is to prevent it before it starts. It can be quite difficult to eliminate any chance of developing piriformis syndrome, but it’s a worthwhile journey. Once the piriformis has had an injury, it can be much easier for piriformis syndrome to become recurrent.
Many cases of piriformis syndrome are caused by overuse with poor form. When you’re exercising and running you have to practice good form and avoid any uneven surface that may be in the way of holding a steady posture. Also, make sure you warm-up and cool down before and after a workout to help your muscles ease in and out of it.
How To Ease Piriformis Syndrome Pain
If you notice that your pain gets worse with sitting, or with certain activities, you can try to change your routine to counteract these habits. Many people also experience relief by icing or heating the area.
Also, there are physical therapy exercises and stretching that when done regularly, can really relieve the discomfort and pain that comes from this syndrome. Be strict with using these methods and you can start seeing results.
How Chiropractic Care Can Help
Having frequent and consistent chiropractic treatment can give significant relief to piriformis syndrome victims. By combining extremity and spinal adjustments, chiropractic care can help relieve the pressure in tight areas, keep your nervous system functioning well, and realign your body.
It can be harder for your spine to communicate properly with the rest of your body if it’s out of line. Spinal adjustments can help you start the healing process.
Scheduling regular chiropractic treatment can help you keep the body’s response system in great shape. A chiropractor can also prescribe at-home exercises that can quicken your recovery. During an initial evaluation, your chiropractor will go over your medical history and build a custom treatment plan for you. Don’t hold off healing, schedule an appointment with Mauricio Chiropractic today!
We provide advanced spinal correction utilizing “state of the art” chiropractic techniques. Never in the history of chiropractic have we been able to provide the level of help and expertise that now exists. These newer correction methods are even safer, more comfortable and more effective than ever before. As Doctors of Chiropractic,Our Team has years of training and experience in spinal adjustment.