Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction May Cause Back Pain

One of the most important causes of back pain is sacroiliac joint dysfunction. This is more commonly found in young and middle age women. The associated pain with sacroiliac joint dysfunction is similar to that caused by a lumbar disc herniation. This sacroiliac joint is located next to the spine and connects the sacrum with the pelvis. This joint is small and strong, which transmits all the forces of the upper body to the pelvis and legs. It does not have much motion and acts as a shock-absorbing structure.

The pain related to sacroiliac joint dysfunction is caused due to:
Too much movement: Hyper-mobility or instability can lead to pain.
Too little movement: The pain is due to hypo-mobility or fixation. The area of pain is usually low back or buttocks which can also radiate down the leg and sometimes can even extend to the ankle or foot.

Diagnosing the sacroiliac joint dysfunction is a difficult task which is normally done through physical examination and injections:

Physical examination: By visualizing the movement of the joint, your doctor would come to know about sacroiliac joint dysfunction. Several provocative tests can also be used to know the symptoms associated with sacroiliac joint dysfunction.

Injections: are the other way to diagnose sacroiliac joint dysfunction. A sacroiliac joint injection which is also called sacroiliac joint block or an arthrogram is used for the purpose. It requires inserting a needle into the correct portion of the sacroiliac joint. Your physician may use fluoroscopic guidance and insert a needle into the sacroiliac joint to inject licodaine. If the injection relieves yu of the pain, it is an indication towards sacroiliac joint being the source of the pain. Normally a steroid solution is injected simultaneously to decrease inflammation in the sacroiliac joint thus decreasing the pain.

These diagnosis would help your physician to go for the appropriate treatment option as a variety of treatments are available for sacroiliac joint dysfunction. The various treatments which are used to cure sacroiliac joint dysfunction are usually conservative whose main aim is to restore the normal motion in the joint. Some of the typical treatments includes:
Sacroiliac joint injections
Physical therapy and exercise
Chiropractic manipulations
Water therapy

All these treatments prove helpful in treating the sacroiliac joint dysfunction and your doctor may suggest the best for your particular case.