Case report of patient with Piriformis Syndrome succesfully treated with local injection therapy
Piriformis syndrome presentation
I reviewed a 47 year old lady in the Pain Clinic, complaining of right sided sciatica-like symptoms. She was referred by my orthopaedic colleagues and history and examination certainly suggested sciatica, but she was incredibly flexible in the lumbar region with minimal discomfort and had negative straight leg raises.
I concluded that she may well have piriformis syndrome; that is sciatica in the absence of lower back pain. She was taking Gabapentin and the dose of this was increased.
She was reviewed 2 months later but unfortunately had only had a slight improvement in benefit with the Gabapentin. The right piriformis muscle was injected using a Stimuplex nerve stimulator and the procedure was unremarkable.
Resolution of symptoms from Piriformis Syndrome following local injection therapy
She was seen exactly 2 months later and in her own words, “after 2 years of constant pain from the piriformis syndrome, the pain had completely gone”. She felt increasingly much more flexible.
Patient back to work after minimally invasive pain management for Piriformis Syndrome symptoms
She had stopped taking the Gabapentin and Codeine medication and had gone back to work. She had also started a gentle piriformis muscle stretching exercise regime. This lady was extremely happy with the result and was discharged from the clinic.
Piriformis Syndrome Information Resources and Case Reports Link
