What is the Difference Between SI Joint Pain and Piriformis Syndrome

The key difference between SI joint pain and piriformis syndrome is that SI joint pain results in pain in the lower back, buttock, and hip of the body due to arthritis or inflammation of the SI joints, while piriformis syndrome results in pain in the buttock and down the back of the leg of the body due to the piriformis muscle compressing the sciatic nerve.

SI joint pain and piriformis syndrome are two medical conditions that cause pain in different parts of the body. They are also related to medical conditions since individuals with SI joint pain often experience piriformis syndrome.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is SI Joint Pain  
3. What is Piriformis Syndrome
4. Similarities – SI Joint Pain and Piriformis Syndrome
5. SI Joint Pain vs. Piriformis Syndrome in Tabular Form
6. Summary – SI Joint Pain vs. Piriformis Syndrome

What is SI Joint Pain?

Sacroiliac joints (SI) are the joints located at the spine’s lower parts that connect to the pelvis. There are two sacroiliac joints on each side, with ligaments in each joint. Sacroiliac joint pain is caused by the inflammation of SI joints by conditions like osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, gout, pregnancy, and walking patterns. The symptoms of SI joint pain may include pain in the lower back, pain in the buttocks, hips, pelvis, or groin, pain restricted to just one of the SI joints, increased pain when standing from a sitting position, stiffness or a burning sensation in the pelvis region, numbness or weakness in the lower parts of the body, pain radiating down into the thighs and upper legs, and sensation of legs buckling and not supporting the body.

Moreover, SI joint pain can be diagnosed through physical examination, injecting a numbing drug into SI joints, and imaging tests such as X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans. Furthermore, treatment options for SI joint pain may include anti-inflammatory medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen, muscle relaxants, oral steroids, tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNF inhibitors), corticosteroid injections into the joint, radiofrequency ablation, physical therapy, and sacroiliac joint fusion surgery.

What is Piriformis Syndrome?

Piriformis syndrome is a condition that occurs when the piriformis muscle compresses the sciatic nerve, which ultimately leads to inflammation. This condition can cause pain in the buttock and down the back of the leg. Piriformis syndrome can happen due to inflammation in the piriformis or the tissues around it, muscle spasms, and scarring in the muscle. The symptoms of this condition may include aching, burning, numbness, pain, tingling, and shooting in the butt, hip, or upper leg, and pain that worsens after sitting for long periods of time, walking or running, and climbing stairs.

Moreover, piriformis syndrome is diagnosed through physical examination, ultrasound, CT scan, MRI, and electromyogram (EMG). Treatment options for piriformis syndrome may include resting, home exercises to stretch or strengthen the piriformis, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, naxopren, massage, muscle relaxants, steroid injections, botulinum toxin injections, and surgery for removing scar tissue or other sources of pressure on the nerve.

What are the Similarities Between SI Joint Pain and Piriformis Syndrome?

• SI joint pain and piriformis syndrome are two medical conditions that cause pain in different parts of the body.
• Both are associated with medical conditions, as individuals with SI joint pain also experience piriformis syndrome.
• Inflammation is common in both conditions.
• Both conditions can be diagnosed through physical examination and imaging tests.
• They are treated through specific medications and surgeries.

What is the Difference Between SI Joint Pain and Piriformis Syndrome?

SI joint pain results in pain in the lower back, buttock, and hip of the body due to arthritis or inflammation of the SI joints, while piriformis syndrome results in pain the in the buttock and down the back of the leg of the body due to piriformis muscle compresses the sciatic nerve. Thus, this is the key difference between SI joint pain and piriformis syndrome. Furthermore, SI joint pain is caused by the inflammation of SI joints by conditions like osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, gout, pregnancy, and walking pattern. On the other hand, piriformis syndrome is caused due to inflammation in the piriformis or the tissues around it, muscle spasms, and scarring in the muscle.

The infographic below presents the differences between SI joint pain and piriformis syndrome in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – SI Joint Pain vs. Piriformis Syndrome

Buttock and hip pains can be caused due to different conditions. Buttock and hip pains in adults require careful evaluation to determine precisely what causes them. SI joint pain and piriformis syndrome are two medical conditions that can cause buttock and hip pains. SI joint pain is usually due to arthritis or inflammation of the SI joints, while piriformis syndrome is usually due to piriformis muscle compressing the sciatic nerve. So, this is the key difference between SI joint pain and piriformis syndrome.

Reference:

1. “Sacroiliac Joint Pain.” Statpearls – NCBI Bookshelf.
2. “Piriformis Syndrome: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment.” Cleveland Clinic.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Sacroiliac Joint” By Blausen.com staff (2014). “Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014” WikiJournal of Medicine 1 (2). DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.010. ISSN 2002-4436. – Own work (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Piriformis syndrome” By Patrick J. Lynch  KDS4444 – File:Skeleton_whole_body_ant_lat_views.svg (CC BY-SA 2.5) via Commons Wikimedia