Sciatica and Sports Massage
Piriformis Syndrome
In her previous blog post, Emily discussed the causes of true sciatica and she explained that the word is a description of the pain felt when the sciatic nerve is irritated by certain spinal conditions. In other words, the name "Sciatica" is not a diagnosis, simply a symptom of what is wrong. If you missed that post, you can find it here.
This post follows on from where Emily left off - the spinal conditions Emily discussed are areas that are within the scope of a chiropractor however there is another cause of sciatica that occurs outside of the spine, namely, "Piriformis Syndrome". This is a condition that a Sports massage therapist will be entirely capable of treating. In order to determine which is the cause we would conduct some simple tests and would either treat you within the scope of our own practice or refer you to the other if we felt you needed it.
The Piriformis muscle attaches to the sacrum at the base of the spine, runs across your bottom to the top of your leg bone (femur) and it is responsible mainly for rotating the leg outwards. Try it... put your fingertips toughly on the centre of your bottom cheek, press lightly then twist your foot and leg outwards. You should feel the Piriformis muscle tense under your fingers. Be aware that it is a deep muscle and it may take a few tries.
In something like 10 to 20% of the population the sciatic nerve can run through the middle of the muscle and in many more it runs directly beneath it getting squeezed between the Piriformis and other leg rotators. Normally, this doesn't cause a problem but the Piriformis can get tight and dysfunctional just like any other muscle, and that is when it can cause a problem because it interferes with the sciatic nerve, causing pain identical to the other conditions. Hence, it is often confused with "true Sciatica".
The good news is that a good Sports Massage therapist can help to ease the muscle and give you stretches to keep it eased. Often, simply sitting on a tennis ball placed under the bottom can assist.
In any event, as Emily said, while sciatica is common, there is a rare but serious condition that can be mistaken for sciatica. If you have the following symptoms please seek urgent care:
Numbness around your genitals and buttocks
Loss of bladder and/or bowel control
Sciatica in both of your legs
Written by: Steve O'keefe
Sports Massage therapist @ thebodyandsole