Piriformis Syndrome: Hip pain radiating down the leg. Know it and get treatment.
What can cause hip pain that radiates down the leg?
Sciatica pain that radiates down the leg is medically called Sciatica Pain (pronounced sciatica-ti-ka-pen). It is pain caused by the sciatic nerve. Which runs from inside the hip (buttock cheek area) down the back of the thigh before branching out to the leg and foot. Sciatica pain is a common pain condition in people in their 30s and 40s.
From the anatomy, the sciatic nerve is placed through the muscles in the hip, which consists of many muscles. If there is an abnormality of the คาสิโนออนไลน์ UFABET ฝากถอนรวดเร็ว เริ่มต้นเล่นง่าย structure or muscles that irritate the nerve. It will cause Sciatica Pain. The most common muscle that causes it is the Piriformis Muscle, or in Thai traditional medicine. It is similar to the diamond slit.
What are the symptoms of hip pain radiating down the leg caused by the piriformis muscle or diamond sac?
The characteristics of hip pain radiating down the leg caused by the piriformis muscle. Called Piriformis Syndrome, will have a tender point in the middle of the buttock cheek. If pressed or sat on. It will feel painful and radiate down the back of the thigh along the sciatic nerve. It can also radiate down to the tip of the foot, especially when sitting for a long time. Many times when this symptom occurs, it is called in Thai traditional medicine that there is a sunken diamond-shaped slit.
Common Causes of Piriformis Syndrome
Piriformis Syndrome is caused by tightness in the piriformis muscle and irritation of the sciatic nerve. This is because the nerve lies above, under, or through this muscle before running into the back of the thigh. Therefore, when the piriformis muscle contracts or is constantly stretched, it presses, squeezes, or irritates the nerve. This is one of the most common causes of hip pain radiating down the leg.
In addition, the piriformis muscle itself. If contracted into a muscle knot or Taut Band. Can cause pain that radiates down the leg by itself, or what is called Refer Pain. Therefore, if we can prevent or correct the excessive contraction or tightness of this muscle. The hip pain that radiates down the leg will clearly improve.
Another common cause that doctors sometimes misdiagnose due to similar symptoms is the symptoms of herniated discs in the fifth lumbar region and the first sciatic nerve. Which will cause pain radiating from the hip area down the back of the leg. However, symptoms of herniated discs usually include back pain and often have symptoms in the calves and feet. If the symptoms are severe, there will also be muscle weakness.
Both muscle and disc causes can also be found in people aged 30-40 years. However, it was found that the proportion of patients with hip pain radiating down the leg was caused by piriformis syndrome more than by herniated discs. However, both of these causes can occur at the same time.
Risk of developing piriformis syndrome
- Sitting for long periods of time. Especially cross-legged. Can cause the piriformis and other muscles to tense up and remain in the same position for too long. Which can irritate the nerves.
- Sitting on a hard chair or surface causes frequent compression of muscles and nerves, which can damage the nerves.
- Regularly putting your wallet. Car keys, or other hard items in your back pocket and sitting with them on can irritate the muscles and nerves in that area. Leading to nerve damage.
- When the piriformis muscle is weak or overused. Such as from a lot of walking, running, and not getting enough stretching.
- Abnormal use, such as rapid and forceful rotation using the legs as a pivot point.
- Accidents such as falling and hitting your buttocks
What should I do if I have hip pain radiating down my leg?
When you start to have hip pain radiating down your leg, avoid the causes that are risk factors for the above symptoms first. And if the symptoms are not severe, you can try stretching your hip muscles yourself. The stretching method can be done as follows:
- Sit on a sturdy chair with your body straight and lift the leg on the side with hip pain and place it across the other thigh, similar to a man crossing his legs.
- Place your hand and arm around the knee of the bent leg and slowly pull the supporting arm up close to your body while leaning forward slightly.
- When you reach a tight point below your hips, hold for 15-20 seconds and release.
- If you experience a clear, electric sensation running from your hip down your leg or if it is very painful, release your hand immediately to relieve the pain.
- Do 5-10 rounds a day and it is recommended to do it on the side that does not have symptoms at the same time.
This stretch can be done by people of all ages who have to sit for long periods of time. Even if you don’t have symptoms yet, you can prevent hip pain from radiating down the leg. However, if you already have symptoms and do this stretch within 1-2 weeks, your symptoms do not improve or the pain worsens to the point of interfering with your daily life, it is recommended that you see a specialist to diagnose the condition differently from a herniated disc and plan an appropriate treatment.
Treatment of Piriformis Syndrome
This can be done by doing physical therapy and stretching. If the muscles are very tight, other muscle relaxation methods such as acupuncture, dry needling, or using other physical therapy tools may be used. In addition, Thai massage by an expert, if massaged correctly and does not crush the nerves, can also improve the pain in the hip radiating down the leg caused by the diamond-shaped slit.
summarize
Hip pain radiating down the leg, which is common in working-age people, is mostly caused by a hip muscle disorder called Piriformis Syndrome, or known as the diamond-shaped slit syndrome, which can be treated with muscle stretching and physical therapy. However, if the symptoms do not improve, further evaluation should be done to differentiate between the disease and a herniated disc in order to receive the correct treatment and to avoid suffering in life any longer.