Piriformis syndrome

Piriformis syndrome is a neuromuscular disorder that occurs when the sciatic nerve is compressed or otherwise irritated by the piriformis muscle causing pain, tingling and numbness in the buttocks and along the path of the sciatic nerve descending the lower thigh and into the leg. Diagnosis is often difficult due to few validated and standardized diagnostic tests, but two tests have been well-described and clinically validated: one is electrophysiological, called the FAIR-test, which measures delay in sciatic nerve conductions when the piriformis muscle is stretched against it. The other is magnetic resonance neurography, a type of MRI that highlights inflammation and the nerves themselves. Some say that the most important criterion is the exclusion of sciatica resulting from compression/irritation of spinal nerve roots, as by a herniated disc. However, compression may be present, but not causal, in the setting of sciatica due to piriformis syndrome.