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Piriformis Syndrome Versus Sciatica

Piriformis syndrome and sciatica are two names a reader may be offered for similar pain. Treat the name as a claim to test.

A name for pain in the buttock or leg rests on a definition, and a definition can be compared with an independent source before you ask for a second opinion. Readers around Montclair who have been given one explanation can start there. Comparing definitions is not the same as being examined. The OrthoInfo page on sciatica gives a second description to compare.

The muscle and the sciatic nerve

WebMD describes piriformis syndrome as a neuromuscular disorder that is caused when the piriformis muscle compresses the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is part of that definition, so the two names are not strangers. The useful question is not which name is right, but what is pressing on the nerve in your case.

A man steps down from a white van carrying a cardboard box on a residential street.

Which finding led to the name

Your exam, your imaging and your history are what decide between the two names, and a definition holds none of them. If one clinician says sciatica and another says piriformis syndrome, ask each what finding led to the name and what it ruled out.

Read another cause beside it

The OrthoInfo page on a herniated disk in the lower back covers a different lower-back condition. Read it beside your paperwork and note whether anyone considered it and set it aside.

Questions that expose a hidden assumption

  • What finding on the exam pointed to this name?
  • What other causes were considered and set aside?
  • Was any imaging done, and what did it show?
  • What would make the clinician change the diagnosis?

Check the vocabulary

The Spine-health explainer on sciatica is another published description to hold against what you were told. Underline any word that differs from your paperwork and bring it to the visit.

What a second opinion should confirm

Bring a dated note of where the pain sits and when it began. Ask the second clinician to confirm the diagnosis and the evidence behind it. Then ask what the first plan leaves out. The WebMD pain management center can help you look up unfamiliar terms beforehand.