There are several symptoms associated with "Piriformis Syndrome" such as pain in the hip, pain in the center of the butt, or pain down the back of the leg: The first symptom suggesting Piriformis syndrome would be pain in and around the outer hip bone. The tightness of the muscle produces increased tension between the tendon and the bone which produces either direct discomfort and pain or an increased tension in the joint producing a bursitis. The second symptom suggesting Piriformis syndrome would be pain directly in the center of the buttocks. This pain can be elicited with direct compression over the belly of the buttocks area. The third symptom suggesting Piriformis syndrome would be a sciatic neuralgia, or pain from the buttocks down the back of the leg and sometimes into different portions of the lower leg.

Injection Procedure: The trigger point locations are normally found by physical examination and manual palpation. Piriformis is so deep that palpation is impossible. Diagnosis from physical examination and patient history determines the course of action. The injection site is determined by anatomy and familiarization with anatomical landmarks. The entry point for any injection is pre-determined before the needle EMG guided injection procedure is ready. This patient is lying on his side. The injection entry point is through his buttocks. It is quite difficult to find the optimal injection locations without Myoguide, as there is a subtlety related to the depths where hyperactive muscle fibers reside. Myoguide allows the clinician to see and hear the EMG signal, providing confirmation that the needle is indeed in the best location. It is of benefit to be able to see the EMG signal, as it provides information about activity that EMG audio alone cannot. It is quite possible that ultrasound cannot be used for this particular injection due to tissue depth. This is especially true in the obese patient in this video demonstration. Abundant fatty tissue makes ultrasound imaging impossible. The video demonstrates the value of Myoguide in finding the injection site, as indicated by a significantly increased level of EMG activity. Once more, you will also notice that EMG is briefly heard when the muscle is initially penetrated by the needle, and again when the patient is asked to go through a movement known to activate Piriformis ("knee lift toward the ceiling"). In this demo video, he is asked to do this twice. Once by the treating clinician, and once by the clinician instructor. In this case, a 4" needle was used. This length of needle is almost inadequate in this obese patient.