= Piriformis muscle
The <piriformis muscle> is a deep <skeletal muscle> connecting the anterior <sacrum> to the upper <femur>. It passes through the greater sciatic foramen and helps rotate the extended thigh outward and abduct the flexed thigh. Its position makes it a useful landmark: the <sciatic nerve> usually emerges below it, although the relationship varies between people.<Anatomy and Physiology 2e by J. Gordon Betts and others>[Section 11.6, Muscles of the Hip]{ref}
An anatomical variant alone does not establish a cause of <pain>. <Adam L. Bartret> and colleagues classified <sciatic nerve> routes on 783 hip <magnetic resonance imaging> examinations; variants occurred in about 19%, without a statistically significant association with a recorded diagnosis of <piriformis syndrome>. This observation separates a visible anatomical difference from evidence that the difference explains symptoms.<Is it painful to be different? Sciatic nerve anatomical variants on MRI and their relationship to piriformis syndrome by Adam L. Bartret and others>[Abstract, Methods and Results]{ref}
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