Diagnosis and Treatment of Sacroiliac Pain
Injury to or degeneration of the two sacroiliac joints of the lower back can cause excruciating pain, and the sacroiliac joint injection procedure can help diagnose and treat the condition.
As a diagnostic tool, the injection uses anesthesia to determine if the medication’s numbing effect has eliminated the pain. If so, then a therapeutic sacroiliac joint injection is used and other medications are added to provide anti-inflammatory and other benefits. In some cases after studying the results of the joint injection, your physician may also recommend Radiofrequency Denervation of the Sacroiliac Joints as a long-term therapeutic solution.
The physician uses fluoroscopy (X-ray imaging) to guide a needle to the sacroiliac joint(s) and inject medication. This is typically an office procedure that takes only minutes, and recovery time is limited. Most patients can go home that same day.
A key goal of sacroiliac joint injection is for the patient to be able to participate in regular physical therapy to further reduce pain levels and help the patient establish a normal activity level. Multiple treatments are sometimes needed.
Prompt treatment of back pain conditions can dramatically improve therapeutic results. Talk to a pain specialist at Columbia Pain & Spine Institute about your symptoms and see what treatments may be available to help you.