Do You Have FAKE Sciatica? Herniated Disc vs Piriformis. How to Tell 

I’m so thankful to have found these gentlemen. In 50 years of suffering from chronic back pain, degenerative disc disorder and now severe neuropathy in both my legs, No One, None of my doctors, neurologists, physiology specialists, No One has ever explained any of this to me in the manner these two do.

I cannot thank you enough Bob and Brad for taking the time to share your knowledge and help thousands and thousands of people. God bless you!

I took a break from crying when you introduced Napoleon "Bone"apart. My pain is so bad today, but that got a little chuckle in between the tears

Thank you guys so much for taking the time to make this video, it was extremely helpful for me and my hip mobility issues!

Wow I can't believe y'all actually respond to the comments you're probably The only one that responded thanks for the videos

I learned more from you guys than all of the health professionals combined.

This is my favorite intro in the history of intros! and thank you... I have been dying of pain for my sciatica and I found this video. very informative.

I had a serious fall in ‘87 broke pelvis/femur and on the other side foot and ankle, and both wrists so hard to support myself when doing some exercises. I’m 56 now and all are stable and well healed but things go painful sometimes and I must say your videos are always where I start my research. I wish I could have had as good access to such well explained useful knowledge over the years before. You’ve been very helpful, thanks

Thank you so much you have greatly helped relieve my pain. I am grateful to you both. I saw a chiropractor and did not get any relief. I did your stretches and it made all the difference in the world.

These guys know there stuff, very helpful considering I struggled w/sciatica for 20 years. For 25+yrs I was very athletic, yet, got my initial injury from a masseuse! Then herniated discs from running, it never got better after a Pilates injury. I was finished... Fast forward to October 2019, I got on a mailing list for/TB12. In 2014 I had had a MIR that showed, I no longer had any nerve pinch, but the pain, and lack of mobility was still there. TB12 program emphasizes mobility/flexibility and Brady’s site sells these specialized vibrators. By using a vibrating gun in the area of the piriformas, then gluts, hamstring I was able to get serious movement again (The piriformas muscle was so tight it was frozen/bound up). My boyfriend, who got me this device, has become my physical therapist, and I can now do yoga stretches, etc all in a matter of two months. I had pampered the area for so long, virtually all flexibility was lost, now I’ve regained flexibility and the pain has decreased by 80%. I’m wearing high heels again, hiking, can’t tell you how much “beating” the muscle loosened it along w/the pain - it has given me my life back! Look into vibration therapy along with stretching. It worked for me!

Thank you Doctor. In this covid I had severe lower back pain but followed you on RU-vid and got relieved that I don't have all those and relieved by doing some exercises that you have prescribed. God bless you both

This is a great video, very helpful, also love the banter

You guys are AWESOME!!! Thank you so much for the service you provide! Much love to you both! :D

Love this video, you both explained things really easily, thank you 👏

I'm so happy to meet someone who knows my pain.Thanks for your videos so much.

I’m a long distance runner. 20 miles a week. You are saving my life

Ahhh bless you for this channel. I tried to understand where this awful pain is coming from sometimes and I just checked all the boxes for piriformis hurting. THANKS SO MUCH THANKS SO MUCH, I'm now going to watch some videos how to tame it! 😊

I learned more from you than all of the doctors I went to combined. Thank you very much.

Thank you so much , you guys are amazing ! I love gaining more knowledge

Love that you shared this! The difference between these diagnosis can get really confusing.

Thank you^3! The info you guys share is such a big influence on my life and my well being. I've been told for 12 years I have sciatica, and I do have a slight disc bulge on L5 s1. But the pain, numbness, and other sensations/tingling has been improved by over 80% since discovering how to do the right stretches and trigger point release on the piriformis and other regional muscles. Totally changed my life. I can walk again!!!!!

Thank you so much for posting this video.

The end there was so cute! I wish these guys nothing but the best.

I just learned so much from one of your other videos about SI. I think that’s exactly what I might have! Thank you! And one of you is a Packers fan sooo you are instantly my favorite.

Thank you Bob and Brad. I have started getting lower back pain due to working from home during the pandemic. Great video, I now know how piriformis muscle and sciatic nerve are connected.

THANK YOU for this video! I have spent 2 1/2 years fighting physical therapists, orthopedic surgeons, and generally, the entire medical industry to have what I knew was piriformis, from the literature, actually recognized and treated. By the time I found a surgeon willing to do the RIGHT tests and be open to the idea, I was too far gone for PT or any other non-invasive treatment, although we tried them all just in case. I had minimally invasive piriformis release surgery in April 2017 and for the first time, I have hope again. A year before, I had an L5/S1 laminectomy and facet widening because it was assumed the sciatica was from back issues. While, by that point I desperately needed the surgery, since the piriformis issues had pulled everything out of place, including the back muscles, and greatly inflamed the sciatic nerve, it only solved the back problem, not the underlying problem, and most likely wouldn't have been necessary if the the piriformis syndrome had been diagnosed early. I SO wish I had had your video during this time. Over the past two years, I had read every medical journal available and still, almost no one listened, except for my wonderful back neurosurgeon and his help getting me to an endoscopic hip surgeon who was open minded. So thank you so very much as PTs for getting the word out there and providing medical support to us special snowflakes who do develop piriformis syndrome, even if we aren't athletes or men with "wallet syndrome". You can't imagine the relief (and yes anger because there was no validity from the medical profession before) when I saw your video and thought of all the people you could help, especially those without access to the medical journals. I'm fortunate enough to be in academia with basically full access to all the research I need. Most are not so fortunate. THANK YOU.

Thank you, Bob and Brad!

excellent and obviously very valuable work , great job !

I love how much these guys love their jobs!❤️

Comical, yet very informative. I learned and laughed!

Thank you guys!! Super awesome and informative video! 👌🏻

Bob and Brad thank you for the remote Physical Therapy exercises that have truly helped my Sciatica. Also really appreciate the educational info as it motivates me to understand why I'm doing what I'm doing.

I can't trust anything...even my Sciatica is FAKE!

Ok, I’m gonna have to keep watching you guys.

Brilliant ways to distinguish between the different issues. Thank you!

Thank you very much for outputting such great work. Very clear strategy to figure out the problem.

Thanks so much. Very helpful.

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR SHARING IT IS VERY HELPFUL WHEN YOU HAVE MAJOR NECK AND BACK CONDITIONS. MAY GOD BLESS YOU BOTH

That was so nice of you to share this information.

These are so helpful. Thanks for sharing!

very informative. Thank you Love practical demos understAnd it better. I guys rock. God bless

Thats it!!!! Thank you.. Now I know what this is...as soon as you showed the Piriformis I knew where my pain originates

Watching your videos is helping me be a better Massage Therapist. Thank you!

I always find my way back to you guys. Great videos.

Thank you! I just turned 30 about a week ago. Yesterday I had my first "Old age" back pain scare. This def helped me get my answer as to what is going on. 🙏

I’ve been suffering with sciatica for almost two months now. In the past year, I’ve had two CT scans (for another reason) and both pathologists noted spinal stenosis. So when my right hip, then later my left hip (now) developed severe pain, I didn’t wonder why. Your description of those symptoms was spot on what I’ve been dealing with this past two months. I need to know if there is a non-invasive method to treating spinal stenosis.

Thank you for so much helpful information! Very helpful!

I’ve been Three weeks now on a medical leave with this Pain, with medications that only make me feel drowsy. I cannot describe how grateful I am after watching this video, I did the stretches yesterday before sleep, it was so painful but today I wake up with relief, the first time in weeks that I was able to do common tasks at home, I was even able to play with my 4 years old today. Sorry for my English as is my second language. Just wanted to say thank you!

That intro is fire! 🔥

Iv been up all night trying to find what's wrong with me I'm tired of the sleepless nights. I'm glad im able to find some info out

Very helpful! took my stress away! thanks!

Great videos.,As a LMT these really help me to explain issues with my clients and offer general advice.

This is the first time in all my years of having these flare ups I’ve seen the heel test. Yup, foot falls. Thanks for info!

Been working a job which involves a lot of sitting, and since 2019 I haven’t been as physically active as would generally be recommended. After having some lower back pain and feelings of muscle weakness I started to look at stretches and other informative videos regarding what I can do. I haven’t been to a doctor about the issue yet. This video has some great information, and is helpful. Thank you!

❤️❤️Amazing video... So informative.. great people ..great work... God bless you 🙏

Thank you for explaining it so well ❤️

Hi Bob and Brad, I was wondering, have you ever seen a patient with both herniated disk and periformis? My periformis is extremely weak and tender, I also feel the pain in my lower spine and all the way down to the bottom of my foot. Love your channel, it's been super helpful. You are my favorite online physios!

Two doctors, extras, MRI only ruled out what it wasn't. Frustrating! My personal research finally revealed that periformis was what I was suffering with! That was four years ago. These guys are right and the stretches they demonstrated straightened me right up!

Fantastic! The more I watch your video the more I learn new techniques. Bravo!!!

So happy to see this video!

Thank you guys for helping keeping my time freed from going to the physical therapists office.

I am writing this because hopefully it helps someone with a similar situation. For the last 6 months my lower back felt "out of place". I felt a pop while playing basketball and never felt the same. The first 6 weeks were excruciating. Since then, it hurts to walk around, sit too long, and needs to be relieved every few hours with stretching. Every doc prescribed me drugs or PT. I hate drugs as I am 25 and the pT did nothing for me. They said it was most likely a herniated disk... well they were wrong. Turns out, my SI Joint was locked in a position. A Chiropractor saved my life. After 15 minutes of examining me, he was able to identify the problem and all it took was one easy pop to put it back in place. Literally never thought I was going to be able to surf or play hoops again. Couldn't believe it. If you feel this way, please, go check out a chiropractor, it could seriously change your life with one pop like it did for me.

Thank you so much gentleman! This really helped me and I can’t thank you guys enough

Subscribed because that's the greatest intro I've ever seen! Lol you guys are a hoot.

Sometimes doctors can be so useless. I wish all doctors were like you two. I'd been wondering how I could possibly have sciatica when I am nowhere near the age you're supposed to get it. Did your simple test and felt it during the piriformis test. Thank you for educating me on what is really going on.

Great explanations gentlemen. I’ve suffered from lower pain for twenty years and have had twenty different explanations as to what is causing the pain. This video helped me understand and isolate the origins of that pain. Mahalo!

I've seen a few of your videos and have learnt more about possible cause of my pain and remedy compared to the medical professionals I have seen. You are amazing people and we cannot thank you enough for sharing and helping people around the world...

Excellent! Thank you guys!

you guys remind me of Click and Clack..the car guys.. thanks for all of the information its very helpful and I enjoy the way you teach

I love these two...thank you for explaining it in a way I understand it. Finally I get what I got. Thank you.

You guys are AWESOME! I'm so thankful we have you.

You guys are a hoot! Thanks for all the good info.

Thankyou! I definitely have the piriformis pain, not sciatica

I unknowingly suffered from piriformis syndrome powerlifting for a couple years. Went to Chiro, did X rays, couldn't figure it out. Sometimes it would hurt after heavy lifting or no lifting. A bad flare up rendered me useless and a lot of pain.I saw another video of a powerlifter mentioning Piriformis and that's how i discovered that term. Started stretching the glutes, hips, ham strings constantly. Before work outs, during and on days off. It went away immediately. Sometimes i will feel it coming on and can stretch the glutes and it goes away. Such a simple solution to something that bothered me for so long.

Really, really helpful. Thank you!

You guys really helped me out last night...after hours 😉. When on my way to bed, I felt some sciatic pain in my gluteus. I watch all your videos and when I couldn’t sleep, I got up and found the one on Piriformis and followed your directions. Worked like a charm and I was able to go back to bed and fall asleep comfortably and quickly! Thank you so much for doing these informative videos. They’re grrrreat!

I’m so glad I have piriformis and not sciatica. It’s an annoying numbing pain but I’m glad it’s not structural damage. So glad I stumbled upon this video. You guys are hilarious. Thank you!!❤❤❤

I love this video. Very informative thank you so much

Thank You so much....Excellent Explanations & Brilliant Video ❤️❤️

I’ve been having back and hip pain for almost there years now. It’s really starting to take its toll on my mental health. Doctors here look at me like I’m only there for drugs. I have four kids and now another one due in February. Really like to know what is wrong it makes it very difficult to do anything on times and other days I would never know I had pain.

Great video, here in Arizona, I cycle 15 miles every morning as part of my morning workout, 2 days ago I felt a sharp pinch pain in my back pelvis that shot down my left leg into my outer left foot, it nearly knocked me out, the rest of the day I could barely lift my left leg without an excruciating pain, tying my shoes, getting in and out of bed were all nearly impossible, I have since been doing your recommended hip stretches on both sides thru-out the day and the pain is now virtually gone, thank you so much guys!

Awesome video! Keep up the good work

Great videos I go for an assessment on Monday to determine what exercises will help my problem.

Napoleon Bon-a-parte, lol, I needed that!

Other physical therapists watching these guys give all the secrets away like 👁👄👁

Thank you for this!

Amazing video... thanks for doing this

My screams are real.

This video has offered me more insight than my own GP has!! Thank you both!!!

Bob and Brad are awesome.. I always learn when I watch their videos.

Just wanna say this video gave me 8 months of pain relief with the piriformis advice, I had never heard of a piriformis problem for my sciatica until this video and it was my solution, thank you so much bob and Brad please like this video so other people may see it

I do not know if you are the most famous physiotherapist on the internet , but surely two of the most clever physiotherapists of course . Thank you for your videos . I just have a question : Can you make some videos that are more physiotherapist centered then patient centered . I mean going deeper into it , because I know you guys can explain more science . Thank you

Omgsh i love you guys! I've had this muscle pain for 5 years now and im only 25 which i thought was sciatica and now i can actually do something about it. Thank you guys, God bless you!

Very informative. Helped me narrow it down.

You guys are so great! Thank you!

The clamshell Piriformis test was a positive id for me. Thank you for this video

Hello! I love watching you two, thank you for all the pain relief tips & information! I have epilepsy & fibromyalgia & I was diagnosed at 28 y.o. W/lupus & osteoarthritis in 2012! Lately as I’m getting older my seizures are causing my joints to lock for days especially my jaw! It’s extremely painful especially when I try and work out or even walk for long periods of time! My rheumatologist told me my piriformes syndrome was caused from an old cheerleading knee injury alongside w my chronic illnesses & stiffness from seizures! I wanna stay active to prevent a decline in health but my pain is unbearable at times! Is there anything that would help relieve my pain besides stretching? Shoes I should be wearing or just any type of lifestyle modifications that will relieve my pain? It gets so bad at times I’ve contemplated suicide & watching you two has helped reliving my tension! I apologize for my long post but I feel like my doctor doesn’t really care to help my life bearable, I’m sort of a lost cause to him!🤷🏻‍♀️ thanks in advance 💜 xoxo~a top fan , Idacecilia P.

There is a fourth infrequent condition that mimics sciatica called Meralgia paresthetica, basically a compression of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve. I've had both sciatica and MP and the intensity of the pain and location of the pain: outside upper right thigh, is nearly identical. MP is pretty rare. My orthopedist said he had seen only 5 cases in 20 years. Diagnosis was confirmed by a "nerve conduction velocity test." My MP was eight years ago and took about six weeks to resolve. Three months ago, I had a two month bout with sciatica. The sciatica was worse than MP as it effected me sitting and lying down as well as walking whereas the MP was intensely painful only when walking. Your videos and suggestion to lie on the stomach and do head lifts, semi-push-ups and leg lifts was extremely helpful and provided significant relief during the worst days so thank you to both of you.

Hi there watching from the Philippines. All your videos help me a lot, been suffering for lower pain this quarantine day. And watching your video now to recognize if it's really sciatica, piriformis or spinal stenosis. At first I feel the pain only in my lower left, but now I can feel numbness on my right leg too. Been watching you guys since I've learned I have sciatica, watched and doing the stretching to relief the pain since going to the hospital this pandemic days is really dangerous that's why I really like all your videos Sir Brad and Bob. Keep up your good work. You help us a lot by posting and sharing your knowledge. God bless you both of you. 🙏

I've had 2 surgeries at L4, L5 from a car accident. Haven't slept in days!!! You are heaven sent man. Instantly from a 10 to a 3!!!!!!!