Pain at the back of the whole leg - Piriformis Syndrome...

Hello all!!

Today I will be discussing about a condition thats quite common amongst the population.. The piriformis syndrome. This is also know as Pseudo-Sciatica ( as its symptoms mimic Sciatica pain caused by disc bulge), Wallet Sciatica etc. Piriformis is the name of a muscle, located deep in the buttocks, and through this passes the Sciatic Nerve.

 This nerve gets compressed within this muscle if this muscle is tight and contracted, and produces a pulling kind of pain in the posterior aspect of the thigh or sometimes might go uptill the leg. And majority of the times this condition is missed out as a diagnosis for the "sciatica like" pain. And sometimes both the conditions Sciatica and Piriformis Syndrome may co-exist.

How to recognise which one the above is the cause for the pain in the back of the whole leg?

There are two ways to know it on your own. 

There are two chair test procedures that help distinguish between the two:

1.    While sitting on a chair, straighten your leg parallel to the floor on the side you are experiencing pain. If the pain increases, it is the symptom of true sciatica in which the nerve experiences irritation.
2.    Sit straight on a chair and pull your knee to the same shoulder and then to another one. If the pain gets worse, you have Piriformis Syndrome.

In either of the above cases, a proper assessment by a Physiotherapist is suggested. The physiotherapist would then guide you to the appropriate treatment and exercise regimen.

For piriformis syndrome, and to prevent this condition, the above video shows a simple stretching exercise that can be done. This exercise can be included in the daily exercises one does just to stay fit and improve posture.

Keep healthy!

Care for the Core

Hi friends!
I will be discussing about the exercises that would be helpful for just anyone. The core of our body can be compared with a cube and each of its six sides signifies the muscles supporting the core. I would go stepwise to tell how to strengthen each side of the core. These exercises not only helps in preventing back pain but are also helpful for people suffering from back pain. these are very mild, precise and simple exercises and there is no need of any vigorous body movements. Remember one thing always
'slower you do the exercise the more effective they are'.

1. The Upper side of the cube- The diaphragm or the 'breathing in' muscle. This muscle helps us inhale. Weakness of this muscle occurs in rare cases. Mostly in people who have respiratory problems like asthma, bronchitis etc. The strengthening of these muscles need nothing but breathing exercises there are instruments 'inspiratory muscle trainer' that can be used. This instrument helps in just increasing the resistance of the breathing. This can be easily simulated by pinching your nose with your hand and breathe through your mouth, with a very small opening by pouting your lips.

2. The front side of the cube- The abdominals. This includes the TA muscle and is not strengthened by abdominal crunches as believed by many. Have this excellent video that explains exactly which muscle one needs to activate for improving the stabilization of the core. Once the contraction is learnt, this exercise can be done in sitting, standing, while you are doing any of your daily activities, the only thing that needs to be taken care of is that the back is straight, that is, the posture should not be a bad slouching one while one does this exercise.

3. The bottom side- The pelvic floor muscles. The strengthening of pelvic floor muscles is also helpful in the management of incontinence, uterine prolapse, and for women after delivery. These exercises are also known as Kegel's exercises and can be perfomed by men n women of all ages. The video above explains really well where the muscles are located and how to contract these muscles. Once the contraction is learnt for these muscles through practice as explained in the video, one can do these exercises any time n anywhere n there wont be any need to palpate for the contraction as one would have learnt it how it feels when it is contracted.

4. The Back side- The back muscles. The muscle that we need to strengthen in the back specifically is the 'Multifidus'.. the bird-dog exercise is one of the good and easy exercise one can do to strengthen this muscle which is an important part of  'The Core'. There are various other exercises for this muscle which specifically is taught under the supervision of a physiotherapist. Remember to brace the abdominal muscles ( which has been taught in one of the previous videos) before doing this exercise.

5. The two sides of the cube- The obliques and the other side muscles of your body. These exercises also help reduce the fat around the sides of the body ( also known as 'love handles'). The video explains three  ways one can do exercises for the sides of  the body.

So that is it for now! These exercise along with bringing stability to the core also tone up the body and brings the body in good shape! Happy exercising!

Headache?

Ever wondered that the cause of your recurrent headache could be your posture? And despite of taking several medicines and applying balm it still comes back.. There are various categories and causes of headaches.. Migraines, Tension type headache.. and another type is Cervicogenic Headache.. These are really complex terms right..? Other causes include weak eye sight and straining the eyes that casues headache, dental cause of headache,sinus, trigger point in the muscles etc.

I would like people to be aware about one of the common causes of headache which is mostly left unexamined.. That is the neck/cervical spine. It is called as Cervicogenic Headache. It is caused due to wrong posture, and also due to stress n depression ( which in turn result in wrong posture).  The common characteristics are, that the pain is usually on one side of the head but in longstanding cases it may be felt on both the sides. The pain pattern may be as given in the following picture.

Thus its important for us to be aware of the different causes of the headache and accordingly take the treatment. The complete examination and treatment of cervicogenic headache can be done by Physical therapists. And the best way is to avoid such pains.. correct your posture and avoid stress and depression as much as possible.