Your sacroiliac joints (we call them the ‘SI’ joints) are the places where your hips meet your spine. These joints don’t have a lot of flexibility, but they do move slightly as you move your body. When there is improper movement of these joint, an individual may experience pain the low back and legs. Pain can also result if SI joints become damaged or diseased.
Causes
SI joints hurt when tiny nerves in the joints become irritated. That happens if your joint is damaged in a traumatic injury. It can happen if you have arthritis, which causes the joints to break down over time as you age. You can also feel pain in the SI joints if the supporting ligaments become irritated. That happens if you walk with a limp or have some other issue that places more stress on one hip than the other.
Symptoms
SI joint pain starts in your lower back and buttocks. It can radiate to your hip, groin, and thigh. Your leg may feel weak. It may feel numb or tingly. You may notice SI joint pain when you are sitting or lying down. You may also notice it when you are walking or climbing stairs, or when you try to stand up after sitting. Usually, SI joint pain is felt only on one side. But if both joints are affected, you may feel pain on both sides.
Treatment
Treatment depends on the cause of your pain. You may benefit from physical therapy, or from injections of medicine into your joint. A sacroiliac joint injection can determine weather or not the sacroiliac joint is the cause of your pain and is also useful in providing immediate pain relief. You may benefit from a procedure called radiofrequency ablation (RFA). This treatment option uses electricity to destroy the painful nerve endings in your joint. If these aren’t helpful, you may need surgery to stabilize your joint.
