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- 8525 Rolling Road, Suite 200 Manassas, VA 20110
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In the early 1900s, sacroiliac (SI) joint syndrome was the most common diagnosis for lumbago, or low back pain. Any pain in the low back, buttock, or leg was usually referred to as SI joint syndrome. Before 1932, SI joint syndrome was a very popular diagnosis. In fact, there was actually a period referred to as the “Era of the SI Joint.”
In the late 1980s, many doctors “rediscovered” the SI joints as a possible source of back pain, yet even today, SI joint pain is often overlooked. Many doctors have not been trained to consider it when diagnosing patients, and many are still reluctant to believe a joint that moves so little can cause a great deal of pain.
Below you can learn about the causes and symptoms of sacroiliac joint syndrome. Please get in touch with our office to learn more!
Many problems can cause degenerative arthritis of the SI joints. It is often hard to tell exactly what caused the wear and tear to the joints, but an injury is one of the most common causes. The injury can come from a direct fall on the buttocks, a motor vehicle accident, or even a blow to the side of the pelvis. The force from these injuries can strain the ligaments around the joint, the tough bands of connective tissue that holds the joint together. Ligament tears can cause the joint to move too much, leading to pain and discomfort. The excess motion can lead to wear and tear of the joint and eventually cause pain from degenerative arthritis. Injuries can also damage the cartilage that lines the surfaces of the joint where motion occurs. Over time, this can also lead to degenerative arthritis.
SI joint pain can also be caused by an abnormality of the sacrum bone, which is a very specialized set of vertebrae. When your body is undergoing development in the womb, several vertebrae fuse together to form the sacrum. In some people, the bones that make up the sacrum never fuse together. In these cases, two or more of the vertebra that should fuse together remain separated. This creates an odd situation in which the SI joint is not formed properly and a false joint occurs (this sometimes called a “transitional syndrome”). This abnormality can be easily diagnosed with X-rays. People who have this syndrome seem to have more problems with their SI joints, as well as back pain that appears to come from that area.
Women are at more at risk of developing SI joint problems later in life due to childbirth. Female hormones are released during pregnancy that allow the connective tissues in the body to relax and stretch so that the pelvis is flexible enough to allow the baby to be born. This stretching causes changes to the SI joints, making them extra or overly mobile. Over a period of years, these changes can lead to wear-and-tear arthritis. During pregnancy, the SI joints can cause discomfort both from the effects of the hormones that loosen them, and from the stress of the growing baby. The more pregnancies a woman has, the more likely it is that she will develop SI joint problems.
The symptoms of SI joint syndrome are often hard to distinguish from other types of low back pain. In most cases, there is a confusing pattern of back and pelvic pain that mimic each other, making it difficult to diagnose SI joint syndrome. The most common symptoms of SI joint syndrome include, but are not limited to:
For more information, also see:
Sacroiliac dysfunction
Degenerative disks
For more information about SI joint syndrome treatment in Manassas, please contact The Spine Care Center for an appointment.