You remember a time when moving around didn’t cause shooting pain down one of your legs, and you want to get back there. If the problem stems from a dysfunction in your lower back’s sacroiliac (SI) joints, a minimally invasive SI joint stabilization procedure may be just the ticket.
As specialists in back pain, the team here at Bux Pain Management, led by board-certified anesthesiologist Dr. Anjum Bux, offers several treatments that can restore pain-free movement, including SI joint stabilization.
Here’s a look at when this approach to pain relief may be warranted.
SI dysfunction at a glance
If you’re reading this, the odds are good that you understand SI joint dysfunction all too well, but we’re quickly reviewing the problem for those who may not.
Your SI joints connect your lower spine to your pelvis — more specifically, the two joints connect your sacrum to your iliac bones.
These joints aren’t responsible for a great deal of movement, but they help with shock absorption and bending forward or backward.
When you have a dysfunction in your SI joints, it typically presents in one of several ways, including:
- Hypermobility — the joints allow too much movement leading to instability
- Hypomobility — the joints are fixed, which can lead to muscle tension and pain
- Inflammation in the joints due to arthritis or infection
- Direct injury or trauma to the joints
The result of SI joint dysfunction is often debilitating pain in your lower back that radiates down one of your legs. These symptoms are very close to sciatica, but the two conditions are different.
Si dysfunction was often overlooked as a source of pain, but now researchers believe that 15% to 30% of lower back pain stems from problems in the SI joint.
Treating SI joint dysfunction
Our frontline treatment options for SI joint dysfunction include:
- Support belts
- Physical therapy
- Rest
- Chiropractic care
- SI joint injections
If your pain doesn’t respond to these treatments after several months, it might be time to consider SI joint stabilization.
During this procedure, we make very small incisions in your back and, using a specialized camera and tools, we place a bone graft in the damaged area of the joint to stabilize the structure.
We perform SI stabilization procedures right here in our offices, and you’re free to return home afterward with complete aftercare instructions. In most cases, you should be back to your normal routine within a few weeks.
With SI joint stabilization, our goal is to provide the support your damaged SI joint needs so that it doesn’t cause you pain and discomfort.
If you’d like to learn more about this innovative and effective approach to SI joint dysfunction, please contact one of our four offices in Lexington, Cynthiana, Maysville, or Danville, Kentucky, to schedule a consultation.
