LIFESTYLE NEWS - Sacroiliitis (say-kroe-il-e-I-tis) is the inflammation of one or both of your sacroiliac joints - situated where your lower spine and pelvis connect.
Sacroiliitis can be difficult to diagnose because it can be mistaken for other causes of lower back pain.
It's been linked to a group of diseases that cause inflammatory arthritis of the spine.
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 and taking large strides.
As with other conditions that cause chronic pain, sacroiliitis can result in depression and insomnia.
Treatment depends on your signs and symptoms, as well as the cause of your sacroiliitis. Depending on the cause of your pain, your doctor might recommend an analgesic, muscle relaxants or tumor necrosis factor inhibitors.
Your doctor or physical therapist can help you learn range-of-motion and stretching exercises to maintain joint flexibility, and strengthening exercises to make your muscles more stable.
Causes for sacroiliac joint dysfunction include:
- Traumatic injury
- 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.
If other methods haven't relieved your pain, you doctor might suggest:
Joint injections. Corticosteroids can be injected into the joint to reduce inflammation and pain.
Radiofrequency denervation. Radiofrequency energy can damage or destroy the nerve tissue causing your pain.
Electrical stimulation. Implanting an electrical stimulator into the sacrum might help reduce pain caused by sacroiliitis.
Source: Mayo Clinic
