has anyone had a Piriformis Muscle Injection?

Options
MN_HGirl
MN_HGirl Posts: 15 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Has anyone else had experience with a Piriformis Muscle Injection?

About two years ago I fell of my horse and landed right on my left butt check... and landed hard.
I initially had an x-ray done with my GP and found nothing broke/fractured and went on with life. In that time I had tried training and running but always had some mild discomfort in my left leg but could push/stretch through it.

Last summer my job duties changed where I was talking on phones and was not moving much (thankfully now Im back to moving around). My pain really flared up in my lower left back/butt so I went back to my GP who prescribed me with PT to treat sciatica. The PT did help and I was allowed to get back to running but I still has some discomfort. I did finish a half marathon around new years (I say finished because I had to walk towards the end) and at that time I could no longer get the discomfort to go away with stretching.

So I went to see a sports medicine Dr in January where she instructed that I continue with PT and refrain from running. She also said I had a tight IT band and a touch of bursitis along with sciatica. After 6 weeks of continued PT I was not seeing results so I had a MRI and found a slight herniated disk on my right side but nothing else pointing to my issues on my left side. The DR suggested that I get a spinal epidural injection to help with the sciatica.

The spinal injection did not change anything so I went back to my SM DR and she prescribed a Piriformis Muscle Injection (due to the symptoms and tightness that I have) which I just got yesterday. The Dr that did the injection said that I should know in 3-5 days if the injection will help. Today I am experiencing the same level of discomfort so I am hoping it does start getting better.

Has anyone else had this type of injection done? Did it work for you? Did you get back to comfortably exercising?

I have issues with the paint radiating from my lower back, down to my knee and then I feel tightness in my calf and the top of my foot tingles.

Thanks!

Replies

  • tryasimighty
    tryasimighty Posts: 131 Member
    Options
    I was diagnosed with this around 6 months ago and was in agony for months. The piri-formis is linked to the sacroiliac joint which can give sciatica too. It took a while to separate these two issues for me but anyway I have not had the injections. The solution I found was rest for a good couple of weeks to allow the inflammation to subside and then serious stretching 3-4 times a day for at least 3-4 weeks. I have been pain free with this method, I am always stretching. Some people also have the sciatic nerve going directly through the piriformis muscle which causes more problems as far as fixing it go!. My point is in my opinion injections do not tackle the root cause, a bit of effort and patience and you will back to full fitness soon! Walking was a real aggravator for me so I still do not do running etc as this causes it to flair up. I must also add that I had accupuncture to relieve the spasms and this was fantastic. Good luck!
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    Options
    I have all the issues you described! Sciatica, tight IT band, bursitis. Like tryasmightly, I've avoided the injections and have been doing PT, rest, TONS of stretching, yoga. I also foam roll to help release those areas. Some days it's worse than others, but regular and rigorous stretching paired with foam rolling seems to allow me to stay mostly comfortable.

  • debbiesteinman
    debbiesteinman Posts: 55 Member
    Options
    I suffered a horrible back injury years ago and ended up having 3 prolapsed discs and a herniated disc. Short story - sciatica nerve inflammation and perifirmis muscle inflammation that became chronic. I had injections of cortisone in my tailbone but the relief was only temporary. I found an osteopath and a great yoga instructor and learned specific stretches and exercises to do when these act up again.
    One exercise that really helps is sitting on the floor -bending your legs and crossing one leg over the other and make sure you are sitting perfectly straight and that both bones in the butt are touching the floor equally. Then you can twist to one side and stretch but make sure those bones stay on the floor then repeat on the other side. The big thing is to hold these positions for as long as possible.
    I use that exercise often to alleviate that pain. Also using the foam roller and those massage balls help to release tight fascia and ligaments. Lots of Pilates type motions help to loosen all the tight spots.
    I wish you good luck in managing your pain.
  • MN_HGirl
    MN_HGirl Posts: 15 Member
    Options
    Thanks everyone for the replies!
    I have been doing foam rolling and some deep stretches but it only tends to provide temporary relief.
    Thankfully my work has a physical therapist come into work twice a week to work with employees that need it (I guess it is cheaper for them to contract out a PT vs paying the individual insurance claims) and she has been able to give me some stretches that I can do during work time.
    I am going to look into yoga and possible some massage work about the massage my PT gives me.

Categories