Piriformis syndrome is a painful orthopedic condition in which the sciatic nerve becomes irritated by the piriformis muscle. It is a rather rare, neuromuscular disorder. The piriformis is a narrow muscle that lies within the gluteal muscles, with the sciatic nerve passing underneath. It is thought that acute or chronic injury causes swelling of the muscle and irritates the sciatic nerve, resulting in sciatica. The pain can be a shooting pain in the buttocks or thigh, a tingling sensation, or even numbness.
Sufferers will find it very uncomfortable to stand on their feet for more than a couple of minutes, or conversely, it can ache to sit for too long. It will make it hard to get a full night’s sleep. As the sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body, pain in this area will severely limit the sufferer’s mobility. Piriformis syndrome will prevent sufferers from not only day-to-day activities, but will keep them from sports and other physical activities they enjoy.
For many people, the prognosis is good. They can achieve relief from piriformis pain with stretching and massage, and avoiding strenuous exercise and other physical activities. Relief can be found from ice and heat, using ice when the pain first starts and then alternating heat and ice. Ultrasound is another option, which provides a much deeper heat. Sometimes, steroid injections are made directly into the muscle. On rare occasions, surgery is used.
But for chronic suffers, these traditional methods often are not enough, but many people want to avoid surgical procedures. One place is vigorously pursuing non-surgical solutions to many orthopedic problems. The Institute of Regenerative and Molecular Orthopedics employs traditional orthopedic techniques with new technologies. These technologies, many of them actually developed by the Institute, utilize a variety of stem cell, platelet rich plasma, and supplements. While many medical centers are only now getting these techniques, the Institute of Regenerative and Molecular Orthopedics has already used them in thousands of cases. While these other centers may be using the stem cell or platelet therapies, they are not combined with other technologies or therapies. In this regard, the Institute is unique.