A sacroiliac injury is an injury to the sacroiliac joint in the lower back. The sacroiliac joint works in conjunction with the sacrum, spine, and pelvis. There are different types of sacroiliac injuries, all of which can be very painful. Doctors can easily diagnose and treat this condition after discovering what caused the initial injury.
The most common type of sacroiliac injury is from trauma to the buttocks and lower back, such as from a fall or direct blow. Athletes often sustain sacroiliac injuries from impact or repetitive motion while playing contact sports such as soccer and wrestling. Trauma and stress fractures caused by a brutal jolt in a car accident would also cause an injury to the lower sacroiliac area.
Pregnant women can also develop sacroiliac injuries during childbirth. This happens because during pregnancy, the body's hormones go overtime and relax the soft tissues and joints. When the tissue weakens, the joints in the lower back move more than normal, leading to back pain. Over time, friction from the loose back and pelvic joints can cause sacroiliac joint injury.
Sacroiliac injury can also occur if a person has an abnormality in the sacroiliac joint and sacrum. Sometimes the bones and joints that support the sacrum don't come together properly, creating extra pressure on the sacroiliac joint. Other defects like having degenerative spinal arthritis or having one leg longer or shorter than the other can also cause sacroiliac joint dysfunction. The person may also have pelvic pain when the leg bones are not the same length.
When a person has a sacroiliac injury, there are certain symptoms that they may experience. Common signs include sciatica, or back pain in the lower back and buttocks, usually on one side. Some people may also have pain in the groin that radiates to the upper thighs. Other symptoms include numbness and tingling in the feet or calves, as well as burning in the lower back. To determine how extensive the injury is, a person would need to see an orthopedic spine specialist.
The orthopedist will likely perform a physical exam and x-rays to determine the extent of the sacroiliac injury. If repetitive motion from sports or work activities caused the injury, the patient may need physical restraints until the injury has healed. Most doctors treat sacroiliac spinal injuries conservatively with physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications, and warm/warm compresses. Another method of treatment is steroid injections, and as a last resort, doctors may recommend surgery.