Pain in the Butt Piriformis Syndrome

If you are suffering from a pain in the butt than it might be Piriformis Syndrome?

Piriformis syndrome is a condition that develops when the sciatic nerve is compressed or irritated by the piriformis muscle. The piriformis muscle is one of the many muscles that located deep to your buttock, and the sciatic nerve runs just underneath it. When the piriformis muscle tightens and spasms it will put pressure on the sciatic nerve below, causing irritation of the nerve and results in tenderness, pain, tingling or numbness through your buttock region or sometimes in the back and down to your leg, calf and foot. As the piriformis muscle runs deep and it is hard to be stretched or worked out, it could be difficult for you to manage the condition yourself. Therefore, consulting chiropractic care is recommended as it is a treatment option and our experienced chiropractors at Lakeside Chiropractic may relieve symptoms of piriformis syndrome and getting your pain and discomfort under control.

What Causes Piriformis Syndrome?

There are numerous ways that you can injure or irritate your piriformis muscle and causes muscle spasms. However, in most cases, piriformis muscle spasms occurs when it has been overused, which then lead to compression of the sciatic nerve.

Some possible causes of buttock muscle spasms are listed here:

• Lifting heavy objects
• Climbing stairs
• Playing sports
• Over-exercising
• Sitting for long periods
• Running, walking or doing other repetitive activities

What are the Symptoms?

The symptoms of piriformis syndrome usually worsen after running, walking or prolonged sitting but will subside after rest. The pain is usually experienced on one side of the lower body but it can affect both sides simultaneously too.

Some of the common symptoms include:

• Sciatica (tingling and numbness in the buttock and along the back of the thigh, calf, and foot)
• Difficulty standing
• Tenderness or dull pain in the buttock region
• Increased pain after prolonged sitting
• Pain worsen with activity
• Disability due to intense lower body pain
• Reduced range of motion of the hip joint

Treatments for buttock pain

Here are some self-care tips you can try to help relieving the pain.

• Utilise ice and heat packs alternately with 10 minutes each on painful area every few hours.
• Avoid activities that will worsen or cause any pain.
• Uses proper equipment while engaging in sports or other physical activities.
• Avoid sitting
• Gluteal stretches
• Use correct footwear with arch supports

​The self-care tips mentioned above might help with your pain but may only be temporary, therefore, it is recommended to consult a physical therapist like chiropractor to help with the piriformis syndrome.

At Lakeside Chiropractic, we can provide you with the following treatments that will help with your pain:

• Personalised exercise and stretching programmes that strengthen the key muscle groups and reduce strain on the piriformis muscle.
• Electrotherapy that uses electrical stimulation to reduce pain and stop muscle spasm.
• Low lever laser to reduce inflammation and pain.
• Dry needling to relieve the swelling of piriformis muscle and reduces its pressure on the sciatic nerve.
• Massage therapy to relax the piriformis muscle and reduce pain from piriformis syndrome.
• Chiropractic adjustments to realign the pelvis
• Prescribing corrective advice after finding the cause

If you have butt pain that has been bothering you for some time, or you’ve noticed the tingling or numbness in your legs, Lakeside Chiropractic may assist you. Lakeside Chiropractic is central to Perth’s northern suburbs including Kingsley, Heathridge, Jindalee, Leederville, Mullaloo, Padbury and Hilary’s and is located in the centre of Joondalup on 3/45 Central Walk.

We have a HICAPS terminal on site which means you can claim direct from your health fund on the day of your treatment. We are a Medibank and BUPA preferred provider but we are also able to process claims from HBF, HIF, CU Health, health.com.au, ahm, Defence and Australian Unity Health. If your fund is not listed, please feel free to ask one of our friendly staff members. Here at Lakeside Chiropractic our staff are fully trained and regularly see visitors who they are able to successfully treat and improve posture. Please call us on 9300 0095 or on the website www.lakesidechiro.com.au via the Book Online Now tab.