Fluoroscopic Guided Piriformis Injection

What is a Fluoroscopic Guided Piriformis Injection?

Piriformis muscle syndrome can mimic pain like sciatica, or the large nerve pain that produces sharp shooting pain down the leg. Piriformis muscle syndrome pain starts in the lower back and/or buttocks, sometimes feeling as if it’s deep inside the buttock muscles. It may be too painful to sit on the affected buttock. The pain and/or tingling can radiate down the backs of the legs as well.

Injection

When the needle is correctly positioned, an anesthetic and steroid medication is injected into the muscle. The medication will reduce inflammation, relieving pain.

Procedure

Once the injection is complete, the patient is taken to a recovery area. If the injection is used for diagnostic purposes, the physician will wait to see if muscle pain temporarily subsides after the injection, which would confirm that the piriformis muscle is the source of the pain.