Sacroiliac Joint Pain Symptoms

Sacroiliac joint pain is related to problems related to sacroiliac joint that brings together the base of our spine with the pelvis. It’s a medical condition in which the patient experiences pain in the lower back and in/around the sacroiliac joint.

The sacroiliac joint is an assembly of the sacrum (a triangular shaped bone situated below the lumbar spine) and the right and left iliac bones (also known as ileum which forms pelvis) surrounded/bound together by bundles of tissues which are known as ligaments. The sacrum is relatively immobile and the sacroiliac joint assembly can rotate only about 3 to 4 degrees and can displace/move not more than 2 mm. This entire assembly of bones and tissues bears the pressure of upper body and absorbs shock.

What are the symptoms?
Pain in the area surrounding sacroiliac joint is the most common symptom of this disorder. In most of the cases, the pain is also extended to the lower back, hips, groin and thighs. Sometimes, the pain erupts in the form of packets and the intensity increases when you are standing/walking or sitting in a particular/uncomfortable posture. Inflammation of the sacroiliac joint and muscles around it is also experienced by people suffering from sacroiliac joint pain.

What are the causes?
Sacroiliac joint pain is a symptom for several diseases. Sometimes, due to excessive strain on the ligaments or the facet joints or sacroiliac joints the patient may experience pain in lower back. Abnormal difference in length of the legs in a person (one leg longer than the other leg), abnormal/wrong walking style, incorrect postures etc. are few reasons of excessive stress caused to the sacroiliac joint and sacroiliac joint pain.

Similar to any other part of our body, the sacroiliac joint is also connected to our brain through nerves which informs the brain about the stress/pain in this area. As mentioned above, the sacroiliac joint assembly and bones surrounding it support the upper portion of our body, the pressure caused due to the weight of upper body leads to wearing of the sacroiliac joint.

Sacroiliac joint pain in women is caused due to the relaxed ligaments (a special hormone released by the body during pregnancy relaxes the ligaments) which results in extra flexibility and increased movement of the muscles and bones surrounding the sacroiliac joint. This may lead to extra wearing of the sacroiliac joint pain.

Along with the above mentioned conditions, sacroiliac joint pain is also caused due to other problems such as an injury to the bones or muscles that constitute the sacroiliac joint, disorders such as various types of arthritis, psoriasis, gout, rheumatoid, spondylitis etc. and also bacterial and viral infection which causes destruction of tissues/muscles and backache.

How Sacroiliac joint pain is diagnosed?
As mentioned already, it’s very hard to find exact source if a person is experiencing pain in lower part of the body. Your doctor may need to carefully examine the symptoms you are experiencing and perform few more tests to successfully diagnose and confirm the problem related to sacroiliac joint. Along with your medical history, habits, you also may need to undergo tests such as X-ray of back, pelvis area etc., CT scan, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI scan) to help understand if there is any problem related to tissues and muscles surrounding the sacroiliac joint, bone scan to help find out if any type of wearing exists, you also may need to undergo tests to confirm any type of viral or bacterial infection.

Treatment:
Sacroiliac joint pain treatment involves use of medications, physical treatment and surgery. Medication includes injecting steroids and relaxing agents to the bones/muscles and tissues of the affected area, intake of medicines that can help fill the wearing of tissues and muscles and help build the bones back to normal. Your doctor may also treat the sacroiliac joint dysfunction you are facing with the help of physical treatment such as exercise, massage, extractions etc.

Unfortunately, any problem related to our back is very hard to treat successfully completely. Most of the times, the treatments involving medications, injection of relaxing agents, extractions, massages and exercises etc. do not treat the dysfunction completely, they only provide comfort which does not last for longer. As a result, surgery remains the only option to solve the problem which most of the times is not hundred percent. The surgery involves replacing the cartilage surrounding the sacroiliac joint and placing a mechanism to hold the bones in such a position which will minimize the pain.

Prevention:
Any type of problem related to the back can be avoided using proper postures, exercises etc.

1. Avoid uncomfortable sitting conditions.
2. Avoid postures and walking style in which weight of the upper body is not getting balanced properly on the legs and sacroiliac joint.
3. Avoid exercises that cause extra stress on the back.
4. Avoid lifting heavy weights.
5. Eat healthy food enriched with protein, fibers etc.