Duration of pain
Like the duration of the disease, many factors influence the duration of pain in Piriformis syndrome. However, this should always be shorter than the actual disease itself. This is because it is possible to relieve or eliminate the pain through medication.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Aspirin®, Diclofenac®) as tablets or injections with local anesthetics into the affected area work very well. Thus, the duration of severe pain after diagnosis is only a few days. Slight pain will, however, occur again and again until the definitive healing.
Therefore, the duration of the pain depends on the type of therapy, the patient’s participation and the extent of the underlying disease. As a rule, Piriformis Syndrome should not cause any more pain at the latest 1-2 weeks after the start of treatment. However, if a nerve becomes inflamed, this prolongs the duration of the pain considerably. This is because inflamed nerves are more difficult to access for pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory measures. If the piriformis syndrome chronicles, patients may complain of pain in the affected area for months or years.
Duration of the treatment
Treatment for Piriformis syndrome can be conservative or surgical. For the duration of the treatment, it can be said that surgical treatment for piriformis syndrome is faster and immediately eliminates the cause. However, this is accompanied by surgery and a healing time of 2-4 weeks.
The duration of treatment with conservative measures is longer. Physiotherapy, which takes place 2-3 times a week, serves to relax the muscle and correct a bad posture. Physiotherapy usually lasts 2-3 months.
However, the duration of the treatment often exceeds the duration of the symptoms to be felt in order to stabilize the result. In general, an indication of the duration of treatment should always be considered individually.This is because the patient’s participation and the extent of the disease, as well as the occurrence of complications, influence the duration of treatment. It can be said that the patient with uncomplicated piriformis syndrome is pain-free after a few weeks, which in complicated cases can last for months.
