Piriformis vs Sciatica: Commonalities and Differences

In terms of piriformis vs sciatica, while these two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, the conditions are usually not the identical and differ when it comes to causes, symptoms, and coverings. Understanding the differences between piriformis vs sciatica can offer you a greater awareness of how your back pain and leg pain can intersect, how specific postures and movements may end up in more significant discomfort or relief, and the way spinal conditions can affect not only your back but your feet, your fingers, and your ability to balance.

Piriformis vs Sciatica Key Differences

Since the sciatic nerve also runs underneath the piriformis muscle, each conditions lead to similar symptoms. Here’s how they differ:

Piriformis

Piriformis is called after the piriformis muscle, one among the deeper muscles within the hips liable for hip rotation. For those who were to picture your pelvis and leg bones, piriformis would run from the sacrum (bottom of the spine) over the pelvic bone, attaching at the highest of the femur (thigh bone). When contracted alongside other muscles, the piriformis plays a job in externally rotating the thigh (i.e., turning your knee outward).

Sciatica

Sciatica, however, is a type of lumbar radiculopathy, or the impingement of nerve roots along the lower portions of the spine (the lumbar region). It is named sciatica since the nerve roots most frequently affected by problems within the lumbar region conjoin to form the sciatic nerve, the longest nerve within the human body. This nerve runs along the lower back and hips into the calves, splitting into smaller nerves through the feet.

What Is Piriformis Syndrome?

Piriformis syndrome is a style of nerve impingement. While it does have its name, it will not be formally recognized as a separate condition – medically. Piriformis syndrome is solely a type of sciatic nerve impingement. For this reason it’s a syndrome (i.e., a group of symptoms) moderately than a proper diagnosis. The major difference between a case of piriformis syndrome and a case of sciatica is that one involves an impinged nerve, while the opposite involves a compressed or affected nerve root.

While symptoms are similar across each conditions, there are a couple of significant differences and wildly different causes. Piriformis syndrome occurs when an inflammation, injury, or prolonged/unwanted contraction of the piriformis muscle ends in damage or compression to the sciatic nerve. Symptoms will normally include pain within the hips and buttocks, especially across the inner portion of the muscle where the piriformis is found – in addition to secondary pain symptoms running down a single thigh and leg.

While piriformis syndrome can sometimes be identified through damage or inflammation within the soft tissue of the buttock, it may possibly still be difficult to identify in most imaging technology. It might be best determined through physical tests. For instance, cases of piriformis syndrome may differentiate themselves from instances of sciatica through how pain responds to specific postures and physical activities, including:

Effects of sitting;
Certain hip movements;
Walking up or down stairs;
Moving up or down an incline;
Raising and lowering legs while lying down.

Suppose your doctor suspects that your hip or leg pain results from a piriformis-related impingement. In that case, they might ask you to perform specific movements to find out whether your piriformis is injured, inflamed, or otherwise hurt and whether that could possibly be causing your leg pain. Most cases of piriformis syndrome are resolved through rest and recovery, which can include rehabilitative exercises and anti inflammatory medication.

What Is Sciatica?

Sciatica is a pain symptom with many various causes, all of which relate to the lower portion of the spine. Unlike piriformis syndrome, where the nerve itself impinges, sciatica occurs when the nerve roots of the sciatic nerve are damaged or compressed along their origin points within the lumbar spine. The spine itself is a bony column of individual spinal joints or vertebrae. Each vertebra has its foramina, or gaps, where the spinal cord branches off into the remaining of the peripheral nervous system. The nerve roots that run through these foramina could be compressed by multiple various things, including:

A few of these conditions go away independently and are essentially the most common causes of sciatica. But a few of these causes are way more severe and may worsen progressively. For this reason most unprompted back and leg pain go away on their very own after a couple of days. This will result in rapidly recurring cases of sciatic pain or sciatica that worsen and eventually lead to lack of feeling or paralysis because the nerve roots are damaged. Diagnosing sciatic pain will not be very difficult, but diagnosing the precise cause can take time and multiple tests. A health care provider might have to utilize special imaging techniques to find out whether your:

Foramen is closing;
Spine has been fractured;
Discs have turn out to be enlarged.

Amongst other potential causes. Because many cases of sciatica go away on their very own, a physician might only resort to imaging tests if the pain becomes chronic, recurring, or severe.

Is Sciatic Pain Everlasting?

Sciatic pain doesn’t at all times go away by itself. Conditions like degenerative disc disease could make herniated or inflamed discs – the spongy tissue between your spinal joints – more common. Age and wear and tear on the cartilage between your bones (osteoarthritis) can speed up episodes of sciatic pain.

Over time, more care is required to administer growing pain symptoms and lack of mobility. But some cases of sciatica are more severe than others and require immediate medical intervention. In these cases, sciatic pain could possibly be a precursor to worse symptoms, including lack of feeling. Symptoms to look at out for include:

Lack of feeling in a single limb;
Sudden spike in pain severity;
Lack of bladder or bowel control;
Back and leg pain coupled with a fever;
Spreading numbness and lack of strength.

Suppose your sciatic pain is chronically recurring, yet your spine is stable. In that case, your doctor may recommend a comprehensive pain management plan to scale back pain symptoms while going through a treatment plan to handle underlying causes.

Can Exercise Help Ease Sciatic Nerve Pain?

Physical rehabilitation and therapy are core treatment modalities for nerve impingement. A supervised and specialized exercise plan can reduce pain symptoms and help improve mobility and reduce the likelihood of recurring symptoms and future spinal problems. Not all cases of sciatica are appropriately addressed through exercise, though.

Some require other medical interventions before an exercise plan could be considered secure, including – in some instances – surgery. For instance, an unstable spine, benign tumor, or progressively narrowing gap within the spine may require different surgical interventions to handle instability, remove the compressing tissue, or make extra space.

Final Takeaway

When comparing piriformis vs sciatica, each involve the sciatic nerve and should affect pain symptoms within the hips and legs. Nonetheless, sciatica is commonly associated more with back pain than hip pain and vice versa for piriformis. Moreover, each condition has multiple distinct causes, with very different treatment approaches despite similar symptoms. Don’t attempt to self-diagnose your back pain or leg pain – at all times seek the advice of a spine specialist first.