Patrick underwent surgery to repair a hernia that was bothering him, but after the procedure, he continued having problems. He experienced pain and a sensation of the presence of a “ball” on the right side of his pelvis, which together was giving him an uncomfortable feeling. Doctors were unable to determine the cause of Patrick’s symptoms, which led him to visit us at Dynamic Sports Physical Therapy in New York City seeking out some better answers.
At his first visit, Patrick explained that he often felt the pain and “ball sensation” in his pelvis upon waking up, and that the symptoms would usually continue throughout the day. Walking and sitting were the most uncomfortable actions, and some days were worse than others for Patrick. One of the most frustrating aspects of his condition was that Patrick was unable to figure out what would set his symptoms off, which made it even more difficult to reduce them.
What we did at Dynamic Sports Physical Therapy in New York City to address Patrick’s problems
Upon further examination, it was found that Patrick had tightness in his oblique, iliacus and abdominal muscles. There was also a bit of puffiness and swelling in the groin area, as well as scar tissue that felt thick and immobile. Based on this information, Patrick was diagnosed with piriformis syndrome, a neuromuscular disorder in which the piriformis muscle in the buttocks spasms and causes a number of symptoms. The exact cause of the condition has not yet been identified, but most agree that it’s either due to a spasm in the piriformis muscle itself or because of some irritation of a nearby structure like the hip.
Once he was given the diagnosis, Patrick stated that his goals of treatment were to simply be symptom-free, so that we could and sit once again without any issues. To address his condition, Patrick received weekly acupuncture and cupping treatments, and after only six visits, he reported being able to go days without experiencing much discomfort. He also realized how stress contributed to his symptoms and was advised to adopt practices that helped him manage stress.
Patrick’s story points out that in some situations, seeing a physical therapist is the smartest possible choice for figuring out what’s wrong and then deciding the best way to treat it. He had a condition that was difficult to diagnose, but our team was able to get to the bottom of it and send him to our very own acupuncturist, which we correctly believed would be helpful. So if you’re dealing with any sort of pain—especially if it’s been bothering you for a while and you can’t seem to get an answer why—your next move should be to contact us. Call Dynamic Sports Physical Therapy at 212-317-8303 to schedule an appointment with one of our skilled physical therapists today, or click here to read our last blog on piriformis syndrome.
