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The piriformis muscle is located in the buttocks on the right and the left. The piriformis muscle attaches on the hard bone in between the buttocks called the sacrum and inserts into the trochanter of the upper leg bone. Piriformis syndrome occurs when the piriformis muscle becomes chronically tight causing a pinpoint localized pain in the buttock and if severe enough causes sciatica. The sciatic nerve runs underneath the piriformis muscle and when the piriformis muscle becomes tight it can entrap the sciatic nerve causing the classical pain searing down the middle of the affected leg. In this article we will discuss some common ways this condition is treated and then we will talk about a little known procedure called upper cervical care that can get to the underlying root cause of sciatica.
The piriformis muscle and the nervous system
The Postural muscles throughout the spine are controlled in the brainstem. The brainstem is the Pentium chip of the human body and is located inside of the bottom part of the skull and extends down into the top two bones of neck, the atlas and axis. It might seem strange that muscle located in your buttocks is controlled in our neck but that is indeed how the human body is wired. An upper cervical spine misalignment interferes with normal postural muscles tone control and in a high percentage of cases of piriformis syndrome is the UNDERLYING cause.
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The typical mainstream approach to help sciatica caused by piriformis are piriformis muscle stretches. These stretches can be successful in loosening the piriformis muscle and reducing the entrapment on the sciatic nerve but do not get to the underlying cause. Other pharmaceutical approaches are pain killers and anti inflammatory medication. This approach can also help treat the symptoms but again does not address the underlying cause.
Why the upper cervical spine is so important?
We discussed earlier that the brainstem is the seat of autonomic nervous system control in the human body and that it controls and regulates postural muscle tone. With this said, the brainstem does far more than regulate postural muscle tone. It houses many nuclei (mini brains) that regulate heart function, respiratory function, blood pressure control, thermoregulation and more. Often patients come to an upper cervical chiropractic office like ours because they are suffering from piriformis syndrome and are happily surprised to find other health issues resolve following upper cervical correction. The goal of the upper cervical work is to eliminate any structural interference to the central nervous system so the body can function optimally!
What exactly does an upper cervical doctor do?
Blair Upper Cervical doctors are specially trained to locate spinal misalignments in the upper cervical spine and correct them. Spinal misalignments are located by running a battery of neurological tests that locate the spinal segments that have been injured and misaligned by a prior neck injury.
Once located, precision imaging in the form of digital x-ray or cone-beam computed tomography (Cbct) is used to precisely determine which joint has misaligned and the angulation of the misaligned joint. Each person’s anatomy is different and therefore imaging is used to uncover the blueprint to be used to correct each patient’s individual misalignment pattern. Once this information is gleaned, a gentle, light correction is made without twisting, popping, or pulling. The patient is then monitored over time to ensure that the correction is holding. If the testing indicates the need for another correction, then it is performed. However, the goal of Blair Upper Cervical Care is for the patient to stay in “adjustment”. It isn’t the correction that produces healing. It is the removal of nerve irritation and the adjustment “holding” in its normal position that allows the body to function better and proceed through a healing process.
This is how Blair Chiropractic care can often help remove the underlying cause of many who suffer from piriformis syndrome, occipital neuralgia, tinnitus, Vertigo, Meniere’s disease, neck pain, migraine headaches and other chronic health problems by supporting the body in healing itself.
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