Your sacroiliac joints connect your pelvis with the lower spine. The joints are made up of the top part of the pelvis, known as the ilium, and part of the tailbone called the sacrum, hence the name sacroiliac joint. You have one joint on each side of your hip, and these two joints help to support the weight of your body when you’re standing.
Like any joint, your sacroiliac joints can be damaged or suffer natural degeneration, and that can lead to a host of symptoms in and around the area. One treatment for a variety of issues tied to sacroiliac joint discomfort involves an injection in the joint area, aptly named a sacroiliac joint injection. In today’s blog, we explain why these injections may be recommended and how they can be most effective in the diagnostic and treatment process.
SI Joint Injections
SI joint injections can be diagnostic or therapeutic in nature. If you are dealing with symptoms that suggest there may be an issue in or around the SI joint, your care provider may administer a numbing injection into the area. If this injection provides short term symptom relief, it is clear that your issue is housed in the sacroiliac joint. If they are being used for treatment, the injection will include a numbing medication and a local steroid to help calm inflammation in the area, providing additional pain and discomfort relief.
Given what we know about the SI joint, what can be learned during a physical exam and through imaging tests, it’s more likely that you will receive an SI joint for treatment instead of as part of the diagnostic process. That said, if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms and your doctor wants to learn more about the issue and whether or not targeting a specific area could help provide relief, they may order a diagnostic SI injection:
- Hip/Pelvis pain
- Lower back pain
- Buttocks pain
- Discomfort that travels down your thigh and leg
- Numbness
- Tingling sensation
- Muscle/Leg weakness
Let’s now turn our attention to the more common of the two injections, the therapeutic or treatment form of the SI joint injection. This injection is a combination of numbing medication and anti-inflammatory medication, working to help drown out pain signals and reduce localized inflammation. During the injection, you will lie face down on the operating table and a local anesthetic will be used to numb a small area on your side. With the help of special x-ray guidance, your provider will carefully navigate the needle into the sacroiliac joint before releasing the medication. You may feel a minor pinching or stinging sensation as the injection is being delivered, but this typically only lasts a second or two. The needle will then be removed and the puncture site will be covered with a bandage.
You will be observed for a short period after your injection, and someone else will have to drive you home once you’re discharged. Many patients notice an improvement in symptoms within hours, but it can take up to a week for the steroid to fully kick in.
While you may be pleased with the level of pain relief the injection provides, know that this is likely not the end of treatment for your SI joint issues. The effectiveness of these injections will slowly fade over time, so it’s not a perfect long-term solution. Odds are your spine care provider will want you to pursue some conservative techniques while the injection is effectively controlling symptoms so that you can target the root issue. Oftentimes patients will be asked to pursue a combination of techniques like physical therapy, low/no impact exercise, stretching techniques, posture improvements, dietary changes and weight loss to address some of the underlying concerns contributing to the SI joint issue. This way you can achieve long-term relief from your sacroiliac joint discomfort.
Dr. Jackman and his team have administered countless SI joint injections, and he’d be happy to provide you with a high level of care if you are plagued by discomfort in your hip and pelvis region. For more information, or to see if your symptoms are manifesting from a problem with your sacroiliac joint, pick up the phone and call Dr. Jackman and the team at The Midwest Spine & Brain Institute today at (651) 430-3800.
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