Dysfunction in the sacroiliac joint can lead to low back pain and leg pain, the latter of which may feel effects similar to sciatica or pain from a lumbar disc herniation. Your sacroiliac joint is located next to the bottom of the spine, above the tailbone and below the lumbar spine. Connecting the sacrum with the pelvis, this joint is small but very strong thanks to the ligaments surrounding it.
It doesn’t have a wide range of motion and acts as a shock-absorber. An injury to this joint can result in sensations within the lower extremity, such as pain, tingling, numbness, weakness, pelvis or buttock pain, hip or groin pain, leg instability (buckling), difficulty sleeping, inability to sit for long periods of time, and pain when transitioning from sitting to standing.
Injuries related to the sacroiliac (SI) joint are a big contributor of low back pain in many people. Thankfully, non-surgical treatment options exist to relieve pain in these joints, including regenerative therapies to relieve musculoskeletal conditions.
Causes of Sacroiliac (Si) Joint Dysfunction
The SI joint, formed by the connection of the pelvic bones and the lower spine, provide much-needed structural support, function and stability. However, those joints can become quite painful with changes in the normal joint motion, often caused by trips and falls, motor vehicle accidents and childbirth.
When a joint is hypermobile, it can cause spasms in the back and pelvic muscles when stretched too far. Some people develop arthritis of this joint, resulting in a stiff and chronically painful back.
SI joint dysfunction, while difficult to diagnose, is debilitating in many patients – to the point where they can’t sit or stand for long periods of time. Traditional treatment for chronic sacroiliac joint pain includes cortisone injections, physical therapy, chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation, radiofrequency ablation, sacroiliac joint belts, and surgical fusion of the joint.
Yet even with these treatments, people can still suffer from long-term pain. Studies have shown that prolotherapy, platelet rich plasma (PRP) and stem cell procedures can all help relieve pain and improve function. These minimally-invasive treatments can replace the damaged tissue and regenerate cells without the need for surgery and the long recovery times that come with it.
Stem cell therapy, for instance, uses the body’s own natural healing mechanism to repair any damage that may have been caused to the sacroiliac joint structure. Regenerative medicine is often used as an alternative to repeated cortisone injections and invasive surgeries thanks to its minimal downtime and virtually non-existent recovery demands.
Contact Michigan Center for Regenerative Medicine
If you have recently suffered damage to your SI joint and would like to see how regenerative medicine can help, schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with our pain specialists today.