Sacrum Issues Can Lead To Severe Low Back Pain. Relief May Take Just 15 Minutes.
Posted on May 15, 2019
Do you experience severe low back pain? Do you have low back pain when sitting, standing, or when lying down?
The origin of your low back pain may be coming from your sacroiliac joints.
The sacrum is a large, wedge-shaped bone at the base of the spine. The sacroiliac (SI) joints connect the sacrum to the iliac bones (the “wings” on each side of the sacrum) in the pelvis.
Most people with sacroiliac pain have pain at their belt line and below. For some people, the pain extends into the groin and/or backs of thighs.
Sacroiliac joints can cause pain when getting out of bed in the morning as well as from prolonged sitting. An individual may also have morning stiffness in the lower back that improves after 30 to 60 minutes. Also, going from sitting to standing can be painful.
Pain that originates in the sacroiliac (SI) joints is primarily due to inflammation. SI joints can cause pain when the joint is “tweaked,” and thrown out of position, or when the cartilage wears down. Breakdown of SI joint cartilage can be occur from:
- Aging
- Traumatic injury
- Spine curvature (scoliosis)
- Ankle pronation (flat feet)
- Prior lumbar fusion surgery
Conservative measures begin with physical therapy for sacroiliac joint pain. For those not responding to PT, injections to the sacroiliac joints may be helpful and afford long lasting relief.
Rarely, for those with severe sacroiliac pain not responding long term to injections, they may be a candidate for sacroiliac joint (SI) fusion.
The SI fusion procedure, known as LINQ, is minimally-invasive (essentially non-surgical) and only takes about 15 minutes of procedure time. LINQ can restore enhanced movement by eliminating pain emanating from the sacroiliac joint.
For some SI fusion patients, results are immediate. For others, full benefit of the procedure may take up to 2 months. However, SI fusion patients should have about 75 to 80 percent overall improvement of their pain.
For many who have endured severe pain, SI fusion can make a significant change in their lives.
SI fusion is safely performed as an outpatient procedure in our fully-ambulatory surgical center – Park Center for Procedures. Patients are kept comfortable with a light sedation (“twilight sleep”) that offers a quick recovery.
The key to achieving relief sooner and without “guesswork treatment” begins with a proper diagnosis. Whether pain is originating from the SI joints or another pain generating structure requires accurate diagnosis by highly-trained and experienced pain management physicians.
Through specific imaging, examination, and conversation with our patients, we are able to determine where to focus and advise the proper treatment for each patient.
Regain your comfort by calling 239-437-8000 to learn more or visit: www.apmss.net. New patients are always welcome.