Understanding Sacroiliitis: Causes, Symptoms, and Management

What is it?

Sacroiliitis is an inflammation of one or both of the sacroiliac joints – the connection between the lower spine and the pelvic bones. Inflammation of that area can cause pain in your lower back, your buttocks, your pelvis, or it can extend to your hips and to get to your knees. The pain is worsened due to prolonged standing or climbing the stairs.

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Additional names

This group contains additional names:
- Sacroiliitis

Signs & symptoms

Sacroiliitis pain most commonly occurs in the buttocks and lower back, but it can also extend to other parts like the groin, legs, and feet. Some activities like running, stair climbing, and even prolonged standing can aggravate the pain.

Diagnosis

Sacroiliitis can be difficult to diagnose because it can be mistaken for other causes of low back pain. During the physical exam, in order to find the cause to your pain, you doctor may move your legs into different positions to find which movement is the one causing the pain. X-ray of your pelvis can reveal signs of damage to the sacroiliac joint and would probably be used as part of the investigation. Your doctor may suggest using local anesthetic injection locate the cause for the pain.

Treatment

There are some choices for treatment, which all depend on your signs, symptoms, and your general health. Physical therapy may improve your joint range of motion and maintain your flexibility. Medications can help to lessen your pain, reduce your inflammation and relax your muscles. Steroids can be injected into your joints to reduce the pain for an amount of time. Surgery is the last line of treatment, and may include fusing your pelvic bone and your spine together, to prevent the inflammation from occurring.

☝️ This is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult with your physician before making any medical decision.

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Source of Information - We analyze big data of more than 23 million patients de-identified medical records from the following sources:

National Institution of Health ∙ World Health Organization ∙ University of Illinois hospital