Sacroiliac joints are located near the junction of the lower spine and pelvis. When these sacroiliac joints are inflamed, the condition is referred to as sacroiliitis. Sacroiliitis causes pain in your lower back and buttocks and can pass down to one or both legs. Activities such as prolonged standing or stair climbing can worsen the pain. Sometimes, the condition is difficult to diagnose, as it can be misinterpreted for other causes of low back pain.
The major causes for sacroiliitis involve:
The common symptoms associated with sacroiliitis are pain near the buttocks and lower back. The pain can also extend towards the legs, groin, and even feet. The pain severity increases by prolonged standing, climbing stairs, running, bearing more weight on one leg compared to another leg.
The common complications due to painful sacroiliitis are insomnia and depression.
Initially, your doctor will perform a physical examination to find out the exact spot where your pain arises from, and then presses the areas on the hips and buttocks where commonly the pain initiates. He/ she might move your legs in different angles to stress the sacroiliac joints.
Imaging testsTo determine the extent of damage to your sacroiliac joints, your doctor would order X-ray imaging. If your doctor finds evidence of ankylosing spondylitis, then he/she would order further tests such as MRI.
Anesthetic injectionsAs the lower back pain may have many causes, your doctor might suggest the use of anesthesia for the diagnosis. If it stops your pain, it's obvious that the problem is in your sacroiliac joint.
The treatment mainly depends on the underlying cause of your pain. Your doctor might recommend:
To help you increase joint flexibility, your physical therapist would recommend stretching exercises and range-of-motion improving tips.
Your doctor might suggest other methods to alleviate your pain if the above medications do not work out.
The treatment mainly depends on the underlying cause of your pain Pain killers to relieve pain, Muscle relaxants to reduce the muscle spasms, Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors to relieve sacroiliitis associated with ankylosing spondylitis.
