If you experience any of the symptoms below, your SI Joint may be the cause?
- Low back pain
- Sensation of low extremity: pain, numbness, tingling, weakness
- Buttock and Pelvis Pain
- Pain in the Hip
- Groin pain
- Feeling of leg instability (buckling, giving way)
- Affected sleeping
- Pain when sitting for an extended period
- Standing up causes pain
What is the SI Joint?
The Sacroiliac Joint (SI Joint) is 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 shock absorption to prevent impact forces from reaching the spine.
What causes SI Joint pain?
Overtime, the SI Joint can degenerate or may even be exposed to injury. If either of these occur, one may experience buttock, low back and leg pain. The pain can become more pronounced when doing activities that involve the lower back and legs (running, lifting, etc.) or sleeping on the affected side. The SI joint is estimated by clinical publications to be responsible for chronic low back pain in 30% of patients. For those who have had lumbar fusion and experience post-operative chronic low back pain, the SI Joint is responsible in 43% of the cases.
How are SI Joint problems diagnosed?
We us a variety of techniques to determine if the SI Joint is the cause of lower back pain. X-rays, and MRI, or CT-scans are helpful tests. We also sometimes utilize an anesthetic injection at the SI-Joint. If the injection reduces the pain by 50% or more, we can conclude that the SI Joint is the cause of a patient’s low back pain symptoms.
What are the treatment options for low back pain caused by the SI Joint?
Physical therapy, medications and injections can sometimes help reduce symptoms permanently. In other cases where the patient has to have these treatments repetitively and only achieve temporary results, a minimally invasive procedure called SI Joint Fusion may be an option for long-term relief. Dr. Mobley is one of the few physicians in Colorado that provides this procedure.
What is SI Joint Fusion with the iFuse Implant System® ?
The purpose of an SI Joint fusion is to stabilize the joint and improve the joint’s ability to bear more weight from the body. The process requires a small incision and only takes about an hour.
The iFuse Implant System is designed to provide stabilization and fusion for certain SI Joint disorders. This is accomplished by inserting triangular-shaped titanium implants across the sacroiliac joint to maximize post-surgical stability and weight bearing capacity. The procedure is done through a small incision and takes about an hour. Multiple published studies on iFuse have documented procedure safety and effectiveness. The animation below shows the basic principle of the SI Joint fusion using the iFuse Implant System®: