I have had sciatica. It’s painful and debilitating. I couldn’t walk, sit, or stand without being in pain. I was desperate for help, without taking muscle relaxers and pain meds. It flared every few months and it was starting to affect my job, my ability to take care of my son and my health. This was in 1998. Through massage and acupuncture, I no longer get sciatic pain.
In my practice, I hear a lot of clients complain of sciatic pain, hip pain and low back pain. Many clients assume its sciatica, however there is another condition that mimics sciatica— Piriformis Syndrome.
Here is how they are alike:
- Discomfort while sitting
- Radiating leg pain
- Lower back aches
- Burning pain through the back of the legs or buttocks
- Lower back and buttocks tightness
Piriformis syndrome refers only to when your piriformis muscle irritates or compresses your sciatic nerve. Your Piriformis muscle is located in the buttocks and attaches from your sacrum to the top of your greater trochanter and your sciatic nerve runs right through it.
What causes Piriformis syndrome?
- Sitting in a poor chair for long periods of time
- An imbalance in the hip muscles or tightness in a certain region of the hips
- Injury such as a fall or a car accident
- Injury such as a fall or a car accident
- Prior hip surgery or unusually intensive exercise
Some of these issues have usually been present for a long, long time – you just aren’t aware because the problems never caused you pain before.
Sciatica refers to a severe pain that radiates along the sciatic nerve from the lower back to the buttocks and leg. Sciatica is generated from the spine.
What commonly causes sciatica is a slipped disc that results in compression of the sciatic nerve causing pain. Other causes are: Lumbar spinal stenosis, Spondylolisthesis and others.
There is a difference between Sciatica and what causes sciatic nerve pain, and this is why there is confusion as to if you have sciatica or another issue causing sciatic nerve pain. These include Piriformis syndrome, pregnancy, aging and others.
So, how do you know what to do when you experience these issues? First, it’s important to get a doctor’s diagnosis for sciatica. If you come see me, I will ask if you’ve been diagnosed with sciatica. It will help a massage therapist know how to help you. Massage can help Piriformis Syndrome and Sciatica. Releasing the piriformis muscle and the muscles in the low back can help relieve pain. This can be a slow process, as it’s important to teach these muscles to release properly and it depends on what is causing these issues.
If you are interested in a therapeutic massage, please call MEND for an appointment at (520) 771-1514. We are located at MEND Therapeutic Massage and Restorative Skincare, at 15920 N Oracle Rd., Ste 170 Tucson, AZ 85739 (next to the Golden Goose.)
Visit our website at www.mymendingplace.com.
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