Distinction Between Piriformis Syndrome And Sciatica

A lot of people get confused between piriformis syndrome and sciatica. The two are related conditions that are essentially different.

Sciatica
Basically, sciatica is a condition and piriformis is a syndrome. So, the conditions are actually different. Sciatica is the irritation of the sciatic nerve arising from spinal nerve roots in the lumbar spine. The irritation in the sciatic nerve results into pain and inflammation. Sciatic pain has a unique pattern which flows down the legs and the buttocks and sometimes reaches the foot. The common cause of sciatic pain is piriformis syndrome and the disc problem can be secondary.

The condition arises when the sciatic nerve gets compressed due to different reasons spinal degeneration or disc herniation in the lower lumbar region being one of them.

Piriformis syndrome
Medically, piriformis syndrome is also known as "pseudo sciatica" which means false sciatica. Piriformis syndrome is present in piriformis muscle which is located in L4-S3 region of the spinal cord. The contraction of the piriformis muscle may be the main cause of sciatic pain. The piriformis muscle goes through the upper bone which is a triangle shaped bone below the lumbar spine. The signs of piriformis syndrome have much resemblance with sciatica and making out the difference may be considerably difficult.

The sciatic nerve runs through the middle of the piriformis muscle so the contraction may result into the compression of the sciatic nerve. The muscle can cause adequate compression to the nerve producing actual nerve symptoms. This shows a line of difference between the piriformis syndrome and the sciatica. The symptoms of sciatica and piriformis syndrome are very similar and both produce pain, inflammation, numbness and tingling which can run from the buttocks to the foot. It is really very important to find out the perfect diagnosis for the two different conditions. There are two chair test procedures that help distinguish between the two:

1.    While sitting on a chair, straighten your leg parallel to the floor on the side you are experiencing pain. If the pain increases, it is the symptom of true sciatica in which the nerve experiences irritation.
2.    Sit straight on a chair and pull your knee to the same shoulder and then to another one. If the pain gets worse, you have Piriformis Syndrome.

If you are suffering from either of the problems, consult your doctor. In either of the cases, there are several treatment options available and hence to treat them is not a problem at all.