Introduction. Piriformis syndrome (PS) is a condition accompanied by tension of the piriformis muscle and followed then by compression of the sciatic nerve passing through the piriformis muscle. According to statistics, PS occurs in 6–35 % of patients with lower back pain. Practitioners still face difficulties in treating patients with PS, and it necessitates the searching of new therapy methods and assessment of their compatibility.The goal of research — to study the clinical efficacy of the combined use of manual therapy and visual colorimpulse therapy in patients with piriformis syndrome.Materials and methods. A prospective, controlled, randomized study was conducted in 2019 at the Department of Sports Medicine and Medical Rehabilitation of I. M. Sechenov First Moscow Medical State University. In accordance with the inclusion criteria, 40 patients participated in the study. All participants, depending on the used treatment methodology, were divided by the method of simple randomization using envelopes into two equal groups. In the main group (group I), an integrated approach to treatment was tested: manual therapy in combination with visual color-impulse therapy (CIT); and in the other group (group II) only manual therapy was used.Results. The combined use of manual therapy and CIT in patients with piriformis syndrome leads to a significantly more pronounced decrease in the pain degree and normalization of impaired muscle tone. Also, an integrated approach helps to eliminate existing angiospastic disorders of the lower extremities.Conclusion. The study shows a clear positive dynamics in the integrated use of manual therapy methods in combination with visual color-impulse therapy in the treatment of patients with piriformis syndrome. It is planned to continue the study and assess the possibilities of using the combined technique in different groups of patients (athletes, pregnant women) with this syndrome.
Piriformis syndrome