Dr Himanshu Tyagi, Senior consultant Spine & orthopedic surgeon.

Ph : 9654095717

MCh Orthopaedics (U.K), FNB Spine surgery, DNB Orthopaedics

Sacroiliitis an inflammation of one or both of sacroiliac joints (situated where your lower spine and pelvis connect). Sacroiliitis can cause pain in your buttocks or lower back, and can extend down one or both legs. Prolonged standing or stair climbing can worsen the pain.

Symptoms

The pain associated with sacroiliitis most commonly occurs in the buttocks and lower back. It can also affect the legs, groin and even the feet. Sacroiliitis pain can be aggravated by:

Prolonged standing

Bearing more weight on one leg than the other

Stair climbing

Running

Taking large strides


Causes

Causes for sacroiliac joint dysfunction include:

Traumatic injury. A sudden impact, such as a motor vehicle accident or a fall, can damage your sacroiliac joints.

Arthritis. Wear-and-tear arthritis (osteoarthritis) can occur in sacroiliac joints, as can ankylosing spondylitis — a type of inflammatory arthritis that affects the spine.

Pregnancy. The sacroiliac joints must loosen and stretch to accommodate childbirth. The added weight and altered gait during pregnancy can cause additional stress on these joints and can lead to abnormal wear.

Infection. In rare cases, the sacroiliac joint can become infected.

Treatment

Treatment depends on your signs and symptoms, as well as the cause of your sacroiliitis.

Medications

Depending on the cause of your pain, your doctor might recommend:

Pain relievers. If over-the-counter pain medications don't provide enough relief, your doctor may prescribe stronger versions of these drugs.

Muscle relaxants. Medications such as cyclobenzaprine (Amrix, Fexmid) might help reduce the muscle spasms often associated with sacroiliitis.

TNF inhibitors. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors — such as etanercept (Enbrel), adalimumab (Humira) and infliximab (Remicade) — often help relieve sacroiliitis that's associated with ankylosing spondylitis.

Therapy

Your doctor or physical therapist can help you learn range-of-motion and stretching exercises to maintain joint flexibility, and strengthening exercises to make your muscles more stable.

Surgical and other procedures

If other methods haven't relieved your pain, you doctor might suggest:

Joint injections. Corticosteroids can be injected into the joint to reduce inflammation and pain. You can get only a few joint injections a year because the steroids can weaken your joint's bones and tendons.

Radiofrequency denervation. Radiofrequency energy can damage or destroy the nerve tissue causing your pain.

Electrical stimulation. Implanting an electrical stimulator into the sacrum might help reduce pain caused by sacroiliitis.

Joint fusion. Although surgery is rarely used to treat sacroiliitis, fusing the two bones together with metal hardware can sometimes relieve sacroiliitis pain.

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