You may experience sacroiliac joint pain as a sharp, throbbing pain that radiates from the hips and pelvis to the lower back and up to the thighs. Sometimes you may feel numbness or tingling, or as if your legs are about to bend. The SI joints are responsible for 15 to 30 percent of people with chronic low back pain. Radiofrequency ablation for back pain is a safe procedure that can reduce or completely eliminate a person's chronic pain.
The signs and symptoms of sacrum pain begin in the lower back and buttocks and may radiate to the lower hip, groin, or upper thigh. Although the pain is usually one-sided, it can occur on both sides. Patients may also experience numbness or tingling in the leg or a feeling of weakness in the leg. Chronic low back pain can have a dramatic impact on daily activities, as well as on the ability to work and exercise.
The sacroiliac joint (SIJ) is a very common source of lower back pain and is often misdiagnosed as a problem with the discs or spine. The first key to understanding SIJ pain is to understand anatomy. There are two SIJ in the body, located on either side of the bone in the shape of a triangle in the lower part of the spine, where it connects to the pelvis. SIJs are a shock absorber for the spine and provide stability to the body while running, walking or jumping.
The maximum the joint moves when sliding is probably only 2 to 4 millimeters, and it can tilt and turn two or three degrees. This type of joint has free nerve endings that can cause chronic pain if the joint degenerates or doesn't move properly. If a person has arthritis, their doctor may recommend water therapy, which does not harm the joints and at the same time provides exercise and movement. Although it is not clear how pain occurs, it is believed that an alteration in the normal movement of the joint may be the cause of sacroiliac pain.
Each joint contains many nerve endings that can cause significant pain if the joint is damaged or loses its ability to move properly. A physical therapist can design an exercise and stretching program to strengthen the muscles surrounding the sacroiliac joint and help stabilize it. Leg pain can be particularly difficult and may resemble sciatica or pain caused by a herniated lumbar disc. Inflammatory forms of arthritis, such as ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis, can swell the sacroiliac joints and the lower vertebrae of the spine, causing pain and stiffness in the hips and lower back.
Physical therapy, stretching exercises, pain relievers, and joint injections are first used to control symptoms. Your doctor may recommend a combination of lifestyle changes, medications, and physical therapy to treat sacroiliac joint pain. Osteoarthritis, which occurs when the cartilage that cushions and protects the ends of bones gradually deteriorates, can affect the cartilage of the sacroiliac joint and cause pain. In surgery, one or both sacroiliac joints may be fused together to eliminate any abnormal movement.
Treatment for sacroiliac joint pain may include rest, ice, and over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers. During the physical exam, the doctor can manipulate the joints by flexing and turning the knee and hip to see if this causes pain. Accurately diagnosing sacroiliac joint dysfunction can be difficult because the symptoms resemble those of other common conditions, such as other mechanical back pain conditions, such as facet syndrome and lumbar spine conditions, such as herniated disc and radiculopathy (pain along the sciatic nerve that extends down the leg). .
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