Bilateral piriformis syndrome in two elite soccer players: Report of two cases

Piriformis syndrome, a relatively rare condition, is described as entrapment of a sciatic nerve at the level of the piriformis muscle. There have been a few reports of bilateral piriformis syndrome in literature. In this study, we present bilateral piriformis syndrome in two professional soccer players from different teams who are symptom free at last follow-up after surgery. In both patients, resting EMG records were read normal, however EMG recording during the activity revealed prolonged H-reflexes. Both patients had no relief from conservative treatment and rehabilitation, therefore surgical treatment was performed. Preoperative mean visual analogue scale (VAS) value was 7, and decreased to 3 at the sixth month follow-up visit and at the longer term follow-up, mean 85 months (74–96) it was valued at 1. Both soccer players returned to their active sports lives in the sixth postoperative month. According to Benson's functional evaluation scale, in long-term follow-up, there have been excellent results and both patients resumed their professional carrier for many years (mean 7 years).