SI Bone
Have SI Joint Pain?
Do You
The SI joint can be a significant cause of lower back pain. Clinical publications have identified the SI joint as a pain generator in 15-30% of chronic lower back pain patients. In addition, the SI joint is a pain generator in up to 43% of patients with continued or new onset lower back pain after a lumbar fusion.
Sacroiliac (SI)
Joint Anatomy
The sacroiliac (SI) joint is located in the pelvis; it links the iliac bones (pelvis) to the sacrum (lowest part of the spine above the tailbone). It is an essential component for energy transfer between the legs and the torso.
Like any other joint in the body, the SI joint can be injured and/or undergo degeneration. When this happens, people can feel pain in their buttock and sometimes in the lower back, hips, and legs.
Do You
Experience These Symptoms?
Lower Back Pain
Feeling of Leg Instability (Buckling, Giving Way)
Sensation of Lower Extremity:
Pain, Numbness, Tingling, Weakness
Disturbed Sitting Patterns
(Unable to Sit for Long Periods/Sitting on One Side)
Pelvis/Button Pain
Disturbed Sleep Patterns Due to Pain
Hip/Groin Pain
Pain Going from Sitting to Standing
Diagnosis
Making a
A variety of tests performed during physical examination may help reveal the SI joint as the cause of your symptoms. Sometimes, X-rays, CT-scan or MRI may be helpful in the diagnosis of SI joint-related problems because they can rule out other common sources of pain—such as your lumbar spine or hip joints. It is also important to remember that other conditions (like a disc problem) can co-exist with SI joint disorders.
The most relied upon method to accurately determine whether the SI joint is the cause of your lower back pain symptoms is to inject the SI joint with a local anesthetic. This diagnostic injection will be performed under either X-ray or CT guidance to verify accurate placement of the needle in the SI joint. If your symptoms decrease by at least 75%, it can be concluded that the SI joint is either the source of or a major contributor to your lower back, hip, or pelvic pain. If the level of pain does not change after SI joint injection, it is less likely that the SI joint is the cause of your pain.
Once the SI joint is confirmed as the cause of your symptoms, treatment can begin. Some patients respond well to physical therapy, use of oral medications, or injection therapy. These treatments are often performed repeatedly, and frequently symptom improvement using these therapies is temporary. If non-surgical treatment options have been tried and do not provide long-term relief, your physician may consider other options, including a minimally invasive iFuse procedure.
Options
Treatment
iFuse INTRA X Allograft Implant System
SI Joint Fusion with
®
iFuse INTRA X® Allograft is designed to provide stabilization and promote fusion of the SI joint. The ultra-minimally invasive iFuse INTRA X allograft procedure is performed entirely through a small incision in the lower back. Using a bone access needle, two small cylindrical implants made of bone allograft are implanted into the SI joint. The procedure takes less than an hour.
