Treatment of Sacroiliac Joint Disease in New Jersey
Back pain is the top reason for visits to a doctor’s office. Medical experts estimate that 80% of the U.S. population experience back pain at some time in their lives.
Early diagnosis at NU-Spine: The Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Institute in New Jersey makes the difference for a painful spinal condition like sacroiliac joint disease, a common cause of lower back pain. NU-Spine neurosurgeons use the latest minimally invasive spinal procedures for the most effective treatment. Learn more about sacroiliac joint disease and treatments at NU-Spine.
What Is Sacroiliac Joint Disease?
One major reason for lower back pain is the dysfunction of the sacroiliac joint, also called the SI joint. When a patient experiences chronic pain that inhibits their movement, it’s often due to sacroiliac joint disease. Another name for the condition is sacroiliitis.
The sacroiliac joints connect the spine to the hip bones. A critical part of the spine, the SI joints absorb shocks between the upper body and the pelvis. These joints also enable forward and backward bending.
Sacroiliac joint problems that can lead to SI joint disease include:
- Hypermobility or instability: Too much flexibility in the pelvis can result in lower back pain.
- Hypomobility or fixation: Too little flexibility due to degenerative joint disease can cause tension and back pain, and it inhibits mobility in the SI joint.
Sacroiliitis can be difficult to diagnose because it can be mistaken for other causes of lower back pain. It can also be linked to other spinal conditions that are caused by inflammatory arthritis. Like most back and neck injuries, early diagnosis is crucial for successful sacroiliac joint disease treatment.
What Do the Sacroiliac Joints Do?
The sacrum is a large, wedge-shaped vertebra between the lumbar spine and the tailbone, or coccyx. The sacrum forms a solid base for the spinal column, located at the point where the spine connects with the hip bones. The sacrum supports the weight of the upper body. On either side of the sacrum, the SI joints join the sacrum to the hip bones.
Due to the critical location and functions of the sacroiliac joints, any dysfunction can affect a patient’s daily life. These issues can show up in different ways, depending on the severity and other factors. If a patient has SI disease, they can expect problems that include:
- Not being able to work productively
- Difficulties walking or standing for long periods
- Insomnia or poor sleep patterns
- Psychological distress, leading to irritability and anxiety
- Not being able to concentrate due to the chronic pain
- Not being able to take large steps when walking
Symptoms of Sacroiliac Joint Disease
Lower back pain can drastically alter the way a person’s entire body functions. SI joint dysfunction manifests as pain in the buttocks, thighs, groin, and upper back. It can radiate down one or both legs and into the surrounding muscles. Symptoms that point to sacroiliac joint disease include:
- Mild to severe aching pain in the lower back
- Hot, sharp, and stabbing pain in the buttocks or backs of the thighs
- An instability in the pelvis and lower back
- Reduced range of motion in the lower back
- Lower back stiffness and unexplained inflexibility
- Increased pain when climbing stairs, running, jogging, or just lying down
Chronic pain affects many aspects of someone’s daily life, leading to stress and a lower quality of overall well-being. Don’t let it get that far; remember that early diagnosis produces the best treatment outcomes.
Causes of Sacroiliac Joint Disease
Ligaments bind the SI joints to solidify the pelvis and reduce the range of allowable motion. The joints have a cartilage layer over the bones, which allows frictionless movement. When this cartilage layer is damaged or wears out with age, the bones rub against each other, which can lead to SI joint disease. Causes of SI joint disease damage include:
- Degenerative diseases, such as arthritis or spondylosis
- Hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy, which allow the ligaments of the SI joint to relax
- Discrepancy in leg length
- Traumatic injury to the lumbar spine, such as a fracture or dislocation
- Sacroiliac joint infection
- Prolonged sitting or standing
- Repetitive movements, like lifting heavy objects
When a patient visits NU-Spine in Edison, NJ, our neurosurgeons use the latest medical equipment to determine the underlying cause of the SI joint disease. Once Dr. Branko Skovrlj knows the underlying cause of a patient’s SI joint pain, he can recommend the most effective, evidence-based treatment options.
What Is the Best Treatment for Sacroiliac Joint Disease?
Advances in spine treatments have produced more effective sacroiliac joint disease treatment options.
Non-Surgical Treatments for Sacroiliac Joint Disease
The neurologists at NU-Spine recommend conservative non-surgical treatment options first, like:
- Physical therapy: This treatment of an injury uses exercise, stretching, and massage.
- Steroid injections: Also called a corticosteroid injection, it’s an anti-inflammatory medication that can be injected into the area of pain.
- Over-the-counter pain medications: Over-the-counter medication can be used to reduce pain and swelling.
Surgical Treatments for Sacroiliac Joint Disease
If non-surgical solutions don’t work in the long term, Dr. Skovrlj may recommend a minimally invasive surgical procedure. This involves making an incision of two centimeters or less, where a small tube is inserted. This tube holds a microscope, camera, light, and precision tools that will perform the surgery.
The team at NU-Spine prefers to use minimally invasive techniques because they eliminate the need to cut through muscle and tissue. Benefits of a minimally invasive spine surgery include:
- Quicker results
- Less blood loss
- Less muscle and nerve damage
- Less bruising
- Faster recovery time
- Lower risks
In most cases, a patient will be able to go home on the same day as surgery to begin recovery at home.
Dr. Skovrlj at NU-Spine offers more advanced solutions with minimally invasive surgical procedures. After acknowledging that the traditional treatments have not yielded satisfactory results, a spine specialist may recommend sacroiliac joint fusion, also known as spinal fusion.
During this procedure, a neurosurgeon will join two or more vertebrae together permanently to create one solid bone with no space between them. The goal of the surgery is to relieve pain and restore a full range of motion to the lower back.
Choose NU-Spine to Treat Sacroiliac Joint Disease
The world-renowned staff at NU-Spine: The Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Institute are advocates of minimally invasive spinal surgery. The neurologists believe the technique is on par with traditional spinal surgery but leads to a quicker healing time for the patient.
Whether a patient has sacroiliac joint disease or is seeking a more accurate diagnosis of neck and back pain, visit NU-Spine as soon as possible. We are conveniently located in Paramus, Woodbridge, Toms River, Jersey City, and Holmdel, New Jersey. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.