El Paso Chiropractor: Piriformis Syndrome Vs Herniated Discs

Pain that travels from the back down the leg and into the foot is known as sciatica, which is an overall expression for pain that is excruciating. The term does not clarify why, or what tissue is injured. In reality accidents can cause gastrointestinal pain, together with piriformis syndrome, lumbar spinal disc herniations, and sprains being the three most frequent types of injuries and conditions affecting health and wellness.

Piriformis syndrome is commonly misdiagnosed as a spinal disc herniation, because the pattern of radiating pain, in the back to the lower elevation, is similar in both cases. With both injuries, individuals experience pain with the same type of motions, particularly rising from a seated position, standing for prolonged period of time, or sleeping. At the same time, the pain related to both injuries feels better once you curl up in the fetal position on your side.

A spinal disc herniation occurs when the jelly-like substance from inside the lumbar disc compresses the spinal cord or nerve. Either the disc material compresses the nerves when squeezed out of this disc, or else the compression of the nervous tissue is caused by inflammation. A spinal disc herniation is generally considered a severe injury, causing a massive amount of restriction and back pain. Some folks lose sensation in their legs. They can experience numbness and tingling through the day. Several have tingling, burning, dull, or pain in leg, glutes, and their own back. These are all symptoms associated with sciatica. Compression of particular nerves causes muscle fatigue and loss of feeling.

Herniated Disc Treatments

Therapy entails helping the body break down the spinal disc material, and relieving the compression of the nerves. Spinal disc decompression treatments are treatments for disc herniations. Flexion distraction therapy is also a way of decreasing pressure in the low back. Patients benefit from at-home utilization of inversion tables. Improve movement in the back joints and stretches and light exercises are used to decrease muscle spasms.

Massage treatment is focused on the back, buttocks, and hamstring muscles to decrease spasms and to reach the lumbar spine and pelvis. Individuals with disc herniations have weakness within their muscles, which need to be strengthened with therapy in order to increase strength, endurance, and muscle coordination patterns. Patients with a history of previous disc herniations or back injuries benefit immensely from strengthening therapy to prevent injuries.

Piriformis Syndrome and Treatment

The piriformis muscle is a really strong and powerful muscle that runs from the sacrum into the femur. It runs beneath gluteal muscles the nerve travels beneath them. If this muscle goes into spasm, then the nerve creates radiating pain, numbness, tingling, or burning out of the buttocks to the leg and foot. People do experience pain together with the syndrome. Other people develop the syndrome while dealing with chronic low back pain.

Activities and motions that cause the piriformis muscle to contract further compress the sciatic nerve, causing pain. This muscle can be contracted once we squat, or stand, walk , go up steps. It tends to tighten when we sit at any position for more than 20 to 30 minutes.

Individuals who have a history of chronic low back pain frequently assume that their radiating sciatic pain is traceable to their lower spine. Their history of disc herniations, or sprains, strains has taught them to assume that it will go away like normal, and that the pain is out of their spine. It is just when the pain doesn’t respond as usual that individuals seek therapy, thus delaying their recovery.

Treatment for piriformis syndrome entails decreasing the intensity of the piriformis muscle spasm that’s controlling the sciatic nerve. Trigger point therapy, massage therapy, ice, heat, electrical, and stretching are involved with the early stages of care. Deep massage therapy is not advised in the first phases of piriformis syndrome. Some of the pain may be relieved during the therapy, but individuals experience worsening symptoms the following day. After the piriformis muscle is worked deeply it might relax for a short time period before it goes to a bigger spasm, further worsening the gastrointestinal pain.

Chiropractic Therapy for Sciatica Symptoms

Chiropractic therapies and treatment goals are to increase joint selection of motion and reduce muscle spasms. Muscle spasms increase tension and pressure on the lumbosacral and sacroiliac regions, which raises back pain. Treatment restores motion in these regions. Treatment and remedies to improve flexibility and reduce spasms accelerate healing and healing times for many types of back pain.

Often, people aggravate their piriformis muscle when they’re protecting or protecting their low back. They may have strength and capacity to compensate, bend, turn, and twist — thus, to squat, they overwork piriformis muscles and their glutes. Treatment should focus on increasing strength and endurance of their muscles, to reduce strain and injury.

Both piriformis syndrome and spinal disc herniations produce radiating pain in the very low back and to the leg. They are two different injuries, requiring treatments for recovery and regular healing. They are both commonly associated with flexibility and low back weakness. Treatment should address the acute traumas but also the core weaknesses that resulted in the condition.

The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal injuries and conditions. To discuss options on the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 . 

By Dr. Alex Jimenez

Additional Topics: Sciatica

Lower back pain is one of the most commonly reported symptoms among the general population. Sciatica, is well-known group of symptoms, including lower back pain, numbness and tingling sensations, which often describe the source of an individual’s lumbar spine issues. Sciatica can be due to a variety of injuries and/or conditions, such as spinal misalignment, or subluxation, disc herniation and even spinal degeneration.

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