Sciatica from Piriformis Syndrome

If your sciatic nerve is being scissored by the piriformis muscle, the goal is to remove that pressure.

First, consider that something is causing that pirifomis muscle to tighten.  Think about your activities over the past week, and try to identify something you are doing that might be causing it.  Eliminate it, and see how your sciatica responds.

Here are some possible causes:

• Sitting on a hard chair for more than an hour straight; favoring/leaning on the side with the problem.
• Carrying a large wallet in your back pocket while sitting for more than an hour straight, which can place direct pressure on the sciatic nerve.
• Driving a manual transmission car and depressing the clutch with your car seat too far back (repeatedly twists pelvis)
• Doing squats, lunges, stairmaster or other exercise that loads the gluteal muscles, and doing them wrong or too many of them which may cause hypertrophy of the piriformis muscle (gets bigger).
• Sitting with legs crossed for long periods which can pull the piriformis against the sciatic nerve.
• Having an apparent “short leg” that causes excess strain on the muscle

NEXT:  Self-Treatment