This is inflammation of one or both sacroiliac joints, which are the ones connecting the sacrum and ilium bones in the pelvis.
The most frequent cause is from trauma such as a severe blow, though it may appear due to childbirth, multiple pregnancies, excess body weight, asymmetry of the legs, scoliosis and vertebral fusion surgery. It is associated with diseases that inflame the joints such as ankylosing spondylitis, inflammatory arthritis of the spine or psoriatic arthropathy.
It manifests as pain in the lower region of the back or in the buttocks, which may radiate towards the legs and feet. The pain increases when sleeping on the affected side, sitting, standing, putting weight on the leg that hurts and climbing stairs.
It is diagnosed with clinical questioning, physical examination using movements that unleash the pain and through a diagnostic tap, where local anaesthetic is injected to show that the pain subsides.
Treatment includes physiotherapy to strengthen the pelvic muscles, a pelvic belt, local radiofrequency treatment and anaesthetic joint injection. Sacroiliac fusion surgery is employed in cases that are resistant to conservative treatment.
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