Piriformis Injections for Sciatica Sufferers
Piriformis injections serve double duty as diagnostic tools and as a therapeutic treatment in relieving buttock and sciatica pain.
As a diagnostic tool, the piriformis injection employs anesthesia to determine if the medication’s numbing effect has eliminated the pain. The goal is to isolate the specific site of pain in order to make an accurate diagnosis and recommend treatment. If the injected anesthesia relieves pain, then a therapeutic piriformis injection is used and other medications are added to provide anti-inflammatory and other benefits.
In both cases, your physician inserts a needle into the piriformis muscle in the pelvis, using X-ray imaging (fluoroscopy) to align the needle in the exact position desired, and makes the injection.
The piriformis muscle attaches to the sacrum and the femur and serves critical functions in helping to rotate the hip and legs. Abnormal conditions in the muscle can cause:
Spasms
Irritation
Swelling
Sciatica
Treatment with a piriformis injection often is coordinated with physical therapy to further reduce symptoms to an acceptable level. Talk to a pain specialist at Columbia Pain & Spine Institute about your conditions and whether or not a piriformis injection may help.