What is SI joint pain?
SI joint pain is a common but often overlooked condition affecting the sacroiliac (SI) joint that connects your spine to your pelvis. The SI joint forms where two bones meet — the triangular sacrum bone at the bottom of your spine and the iliac bone at the top of your pelvis.
The bones in your SI joints have rough, sharp edges that help them stay in the correct place. In the spaces between the bones, there's some lubricating fluid and a collection of nerve endings.
If something disturbs your SI joint's alignment, it can put pressure on the nerves and result in SI joint pain.
Why might I have SI joint pain?
Sacroiliitis (inflammation in one or both of your SI joints) is a likely reason for your SI joint pain. Sacroiliitis is often a result of SI joint dysfunction, where the SI joints move too much or too little.
Hypermobility or instability
Hypermobility means there's too much movement in your sacroiliac joint, making your pelvis feel unstable. This type of SI joint pain tends to radiate into your lower back, hip, and groin.
Hypomobility or fixation
Hypomobility means there's too little movement in your sacroiliac joint, which causes muscle tension and pain and could affect your mobility. Hypomobile SI joint pain often affects one side of your lower back and is similar to sciatica, as it may spread to your buttocks down one leg.
SI joint pain sometimes develops during pregnancy, or it could result from an injury or osteoarthritis. The Pacific Sports and Spine team can determine what's causing your SI joint pain and create an appropriate treatment plan for you.
What treatments are available for SI joint pain?
For some patients, rest and physical therapy are the only treatments needed to ease SI joint pain. If these measures aren't sufficient to give you relief, the team at Pacific Sports and Spine also offers a range of injectable treatments, including:
- Transforaminal epidural steroid injections
- Selective nerve root blocks
- Medial branch blocks
- Intra-articular sacroiliac joint injections
These injections contain a steroid medication to reduce inflammation, a local anesthetic to dull the pain, or a combination of the two.
Another potential treatment for SI joint pain is medial branch radiofrequency neurotomy or ablation to heat the nerves in your SI joints and destroy them safely.
If you have SI joint pain symptoms, you can benefit from the cutting-edge treatments available at Pacific Sports and Spine. Call the office or book an appointment online today.
