Treating And Preventing Piriformis Syndrome

Botox Injection

When an individual's piriformis muscle has trapped or compressed their sciatic nerve, a Botox injection may be recommended to help ease their pain. Botox is a medical treatment agent produced from the botulinum toxin in a laboratory. Botulinum toxin, which is neurotoxic in nature to humans, is a protein the Clostridium botulinum bacterium produces. Botox works by stopping the nerve terminals from releasing a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, which is responsible for the transmission of a signal from the nerve to the muscle that tells it to contract. When Botox is injected into the piriformis muscle in the buttocks, the muscle becomes paralyzed so it is no longer able to contract. This mechanism causes the muscle to release its pressure on the entrapped sciatic nerve causing the affected individual to feel pain. Without the contracted muscle pressing on the sciatic nerve, the patient's symptoms will be considerably reduced until the new nerve terminals form at the site. Botox injections usually last from between two and three months.