Disease: Sacroiliitis

Sacroiliitis (say-kroe-il-e-I-tis) is an inflammation of one or both of your sacroiliac joints — the places where your lower spine and pelvis connect. Sacroiliitis can cause pain in your buttocks or lower back, and may even extend down one or both legs. The pain associated with sacroiliitis is often aggravated by prolonged standing or by stair climbing.

Sacroiliitis can be difficult to diagnose, because it may be mistaken for other causes of low back pain. It's been linked to a group of diseases that cause inflammatory arthritis of the spine. Treatment of sacroiliitis may involve a combination of rest, physical therapy and medications.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com

The pain associated with sacroiliitis most commonly occurs in the buttocks and lower back. It can also affect the legs, groin and even the feet. Sacroiliitis pain can be aggravated by:

  • Prolonged standing
  • Bearing more weight on one leg than the other
  • Stair climbing
  • Running
  • Taking large strides

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com

A wide range of factors or events may cause sacroiliac joint dysfunction, including:

  • Traumatic injury. A sudden impact, such as a motor vehicle accident or a fall, can damage your sacroiliac joints.
  • Arthritis. Wear-and-tear arthritis (osteoarthritis) can occur in sacroiliac joints, as can ankylosing spondylitis — a type of inflammatory arthritis that affects the spine.
  • Pregnancy. The sacroiliac joints must loosen and stretch to accommodate childbirth. The added weight and altered gait during pregnancy can cause additional stress on these joints and can lead to abnormal wear.
  • Infection. In rare cases, the sacroiliac joint can become infected.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com

During the physical exam, your doctor may try to pinpoint the cause of your pain by pressing directly on various places on your hips and buttocks. He or she may also move your legs into a variety of positions that will gently stress your sacroiliac joints.

Imaging tests

An X-ray of your pelvis can reveal signs of damage to the sacroiliac joint. If ankylosing spondylitis is suspected, your doctor might recommend magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) — a test that uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field to produce very detailed cross-sectional images of both bone and soft tissues.

Anesthetic injections

Because low back pain can be caused by so many different types of problems, your doctor may suggest using injections of anesthetics to help pinpoint the diagnosis. For example, if an injection of numbing medicine into your sacroiliac joint stops your pain, it's likely that the problem is in your sacroiliac joint. However, the numbing medicine can leak into nearby structures, and that can reduce the reliability of this test.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com

Sacroiliitis may be part of an inflammatory arthritic condition known as ankylosing spondylitis. Complications of this condition can be very serious, including difficulty breathing, spine deformities, lung infections and heart problems.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com

Home treatments for sacroiliitis pain include:

  • Over-the-counter pain relievers. Drugs such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) and acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) may help relieve pain associated with sacroiliitis. Some of these drugs can cause stomach upset, or kidney or liver problems.
  • Rest. Modifying or avoiding the types of activities that aggravate your pain may help reduce the inflammation in your sacroiliac joints. Proper posture is important.
  • Ice and heat. Alternating ice and heat may help relieve sacroiliac pain.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com

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