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SI Joint Fusion
What is the Sacroiliac (SI) Joint?
The sacroiliac (SI) joint is one of the largest joints in the body and connects your hip bones to either side of your sacrum (the bone at the base of the spine). It helps absorb shock and transfer forces between the upper body and the legs. Problems in this joint can cause significant low back pain, and sometimes pain in the buttocks and legs. Degenerative joint issues, traumatic injury, or inflammatory joint disease are the most common reasons SI joint fusion may be recommended.
SI joint fusion is a minimally invasive surgery that stabilizes the joint right away and allows it to fuse over time.
Procedure
Non-Surgical
Some common treatment recommendations for SI joint pain include nonsurgical treatment options like low-impact aerobic exercise, physical therapy, yoga, massage, ice packs alternated with heat, back braces, muscle relaxers, and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications. If your pain does not respond, your doctor may order oral steroids to reduce SI joint inflammation, steroid injections, or radiofrequency ablation to calm the nerves that cause your pain.
Surgical
If your pain does not respond to these treatments, surgery may be recommended. The standard surgery Dr. Radcliff uses to address SI joint pain is minimally invasive SI joint fusion. The goal of this procedure is to provide stabilization and fusion of the SI joint by inserting implants across the joint to maximize post-surgical stability and weight-bearing capacity. The procedure is done through a small incision and takes about an hour.
Recovery
Patients generally stay in the hospital overnight and can usually resume light activities within six weeks following surgery. Walking is highly encouraged and generally allowed on the same day of surgery or the next morning. The two bones (sacrum and ilium) generally take about three months to fuse.