Piriformis Syndrome is very hard to diagnose and VERY often MIS-diagnosed. What your husband has sounds to me like sciatica, as his symptoms mimic mine exactly and that's what I have and have had for 22 years. Mine is caused by surgery gone bad. (groan)

The sciatic nerve starts in the spine (of course) and runs thru the hip ~ then down the outer side of the leg. BUT the pain in the leg radiates all THRU the leg so it doesn't FEEL like the nerve is necessarily on the outer side. The pain in the leg for ME is felt behind the knee and in the calf alot! Of course the rest of the leg feels it too, but those are the REAL painful spots, besides the hip.

Just giving you my thoughts on the issue. If it is piriformis, he'd be sent probably to pain management where they have MANY other options for pain. There are things such as Spinal Cord Stimulators, Morphine Pump implants, plus other procedures they can do. So all is not lost.

Best of luck and I pray something is done for his pain. Good luck and God bless you both! Hugs, Lee

Your husband might benefit from trigger point injections, or a certified myofascial trigger point therapist. Anti-seizure meds such as Neurontin or Lyrica can give a LOT of relief.

piriformis syndrome
sounds like what i have but not totaly sure
im going to have to see an expert
but like you say all the things to stop piriformis syndrome are not working

so..... is it really something else ?
the thing that worries me with all these things
is i dont see anyone one with an answer to
stop the pains.

Dose he have weak legs ?
does it move to both legs sometimes ?
does head movement cause problems or reaching up for things?
does it get worse with walking ?

x

I thought I had pisiformis syndrome but turned out to be a hyrniated disc. What did the physical therapist say it was? Sciatica can be caused by a few different things, those just being two of them. It can also be caused by a narrowing spine, and a few other conditions. He many not have ps but have another form of sciatica. Maybe try a different physical therapist to get a second opinion.

I am a physician and have piriformis syndrome. It is more common a condition than some physicians realize. Piriformis syndrome can feel different to different people - just like disk problems, nerve problems, Sciatica, etc. can. These terms are often thrown around by the layperson without understanding their true definition). Your husband should see a few different physicians in a few different fields in order to get a definitive diagnosis as well as treatment relief. First, a Physiatrist (a physician specializing in the field of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation), then a Pain Management specialist. For more detailed information, you can go to the website eMedicine.com and type in Piriformis Syndrome. He has many treatment options if he has piriformis syndrome, even beyond what he has tried. I know how frustrating this is as I too am suffering from it. Some of which include osteopathic manipulations, trigger point injections with steroid and/or lidocaine and Botox injections. Please let me know if you need more help. Sounds like we may be able to support one another through this journey.

I think is about Spinal Cord Injury. My father has Spinal Cord Injury, from 3 months ago, actually about the same symptom. Someone with a spinal cord injury will have a long road of rehabilitation ahead of them, usually at a Spinal Cord Injury Treatment Unit and Rehabilitation Centre or Spinal Injury Unit, and it is important that they keep their sense of humor on their bad days to help them maintain a positive attitude.
Generally, Paraplegics will be in hospital for around 5 months, where as Quadriplegics can be in hospital for around 6 - 8 months, whilst they undergo rehabilitation. Both Paraplegics and Quadriplegics should have some kind of rehabilitation and physiotherapy before they are discharged from hospital, to help maximise their potential, or help them get used to life in a wheelchair, and to help teach techniques which make everyday life easier.
Disabled sports, and wheelchair based sports can be an excellent way to build stamina, and help in rehabilitation by giving confidence and better social skills. The ultimate reward for many disabled sportsmen and women, is to win at the Paralympic Games, which will be coming to London in 2012.
PS: An amazing invention I have seen is the so called berkelbike, a revolutionary, award winning tricycle which can be propelled by both your arms and legs. The BerkelBike makes cycling possible despite MS, Polio, Spinal Cord Injury or Stroke.

Hello Chase,
I am a 35 year old male and my symptoms are similar to your husbands. I have had constant Sciatic pain since Feb 2007. I have tried the following treatments in chronological order. Medication, Physical Therapy, Chiropractic, Massage, 3 Epidural Injections, and Acupuncture. The only relief came from the epidural injections but that only lasted 2-3 weeks. I am now reading books from DR. John Sarno (Healing Back Pain & The Divided Mind) and have seen some improvements. His thesis on back pain is not conventional and has taken me some time to understand and accept. However, when I practice what he preaches I seem to get some relief. Hopefully, your husband is doing better and please let me know if he has improved.

i get a injection every month in the primforis muscle and im pain free that is just me but its an option

I am a licensed massage therapist. in school I was taught that 70% of sciatica is from the piriformis and I was taught a procedure knows as the "piriformis release". I've seen really dramatic results from it, from a single treatment. Literally people get off the table almost pain free, after years of pain, with the rest of the pain subsiding within 24 hours. I wish I could help your husband, but it's a long house-call for me. I'm in the Tampa Bay area.

I am a 4 year veteran of Periformis Syndrome as well. I have has 2 laser surgeries, steroid injections, pain meds, and chiroprator visits. I tool myself off all pain meds 2 years ago. What works the best for me is Periformis stretching coupled with Lidocaine Patches and Ice.

I have sufferred chronic, unrelenting piriformis syndrome for 8 years. PT led me down the right track introducing me to Pressure Point therapy. I now see a masseuse who does pressure point therapy for 20 minutes twice per weak at $20.00 per visit. I have a daily stretching and core strengthening program which takes about 25 minutes. I have been fortunate to have the care and treatment of a good family doctor who validates and treats my chronic pain. I have undergone steroid injections which did not help at all. Botox injections gave only a 2 week relief in pain, not worth the painful injections or side effects. I had surgery 2 years ago releasing tendons and some scar tissue. The surgery gave me about a 20% reduction in pain after 12 weeks post op recovery, continued stretching and pressure point therapy. I am seeking to return to work somewhere close to home. I find driving and riding in the car amplify the deep sciatic pain in the butt and avoid this as much as possible. A nightly hot bath in combination with pain meds and sleeping meds allow me the most pain relief and ability to sleep well. A good night's sleep helps tremendously in preparing me to meet the next day's challenge of coping with this deep and chronic pain. Although the pain is always there these methods help me to maintain a good quality of life.

Hello,
My name is Christina, 28 yrs old. I had no idea people were going through the same thing as me! Some days I think I'm going crazy and others I fear that the pain will never go away. I was diagnosed with performs syndrome about 3 years ago. I used to be very active with things like acrobatics, dance, yoga, and weight lifting. Since my injury I have gone through 3 rounds of physical therapy with only minimal results. I've also tried chiropractic and massage therapy. I have been in pain every day for almost 3 years and it has taken a toll on my body. I've had problems with over compensation and it's hard to get through basic activities like sitting, driving, and walking. I just wanted to give some support to others who are going through this and seek out some support of my own. I would truly not wish this on anyone.

How is your husband doing now? I have been dealing with PS for at least 18 mo. Stretching or not stretching doesnt seem to mitigate the pain. I was taking 300 mg of Gabapentin daily but I had almost no short-term memory and couldnt do simple math in my head. I have cut back to 1 pill per day. I has been a long time since your last post. What have you done to decrease his pain?