Almost 2.5 million Americans experience piriformis syndrome, a source of buttock and hip pain that can also involve your leg. At Pain Consultants of Atlanta, the dedicated team of interventional pain management specialists is made up of piriformis syndrome experts. They offer effective paths to fast pain relief, such as piriformis injections, in four offices located in Atlanta, Fayetteville, Stockbridge and Newnan, Georgia. Call the one in your area or book an appointment online today.
Sitting behind your hip and inside the buttocks, the flat piriformis muscle helps stabilize your hip joint. A healthy and properly-functioning piriformis muscle smoothly lifts and rotates your leg outward without pain.
But, when the muscle is compressed (piriformis syndrome), it can lead to buttock, hip, and leg pain, alongside other symptoms like tingling and numbness.
Piriformis syndrome starts when the piriformis muscle grows too weak, tight, or irritated. Common causes include:
These conditions can all trigger muscle spasms, which in turn cause the piriformis muscle to tighten or swell.
These muscle changes can exert pressure on the sciatic nerve that runs behind the piriformis and down each leg. Sciatic nerve pressure from the piriformis muscle causes the symptoms of piriformis syndrome.
Piriformis injections contain an anesthetic (numbing) drug and a steroid (anti-inflammatory) medication. The Pain Consultants of Atlanta team may use this type of injection for either diagnostic or treatment purposes.
With diagnostic piriformis injections, the main goal is verifying the source of your pain, so it may include only an anesthetic.
With treatment injections, the goal is ongoing pain relief. The steroids can take a few days or a week to fully take effect. Steroids are a good choice for piriformis muscle injections because they dramatically lessen the swelling causing sciatic nerve compression, thereby easing your pain.
Piriformis injections are an effective way to ease pain, but you can also take steps to prevent the problem from returning when the steroids wear off in a few months.
The team often recommends physical therapy alongside your injections. A physical therapy program strengthens your piriformis muscle and improves its flexibility, which reduces your risk of an injury in the future.
Is buttock, hip, and leg pain dragging you down? It’s a treatable problem, and Pain Consultants of Atlanta is ready to help. Call the office nearest you or use the online booking feature to schedule an appointment today.