Sacroiliac Joint Fusion
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Procura Pain and Spine
Pain Management located in The Woodlands, Shenandoah, TX
The sacroiliac joints in your pelvis don't move as knees and shoulders do, but they suffer from the same kinds of painful conditions. If you have sacroiliac joint pain, Kenneth Wu, MD, Thomas White, MD, and Yoann Millet, MD, of Procura Pain and Spine offer effective solutions such as sacroiliac joint fusion. To find out how you can benefit from this minimally invasive procedure, call Procura Pain and Spine's office in Shenandoah, Texas, or schedule an appointment online today.
Sacroiliac Joint Fusion Q & A
What is sacroiliac joint fusion?
Sacroiliac (SI) joint fusion is a procedure to relieve pain in the lower back and pelvis.
The two sacroiliac joints connect your sacrum at the bottom of your spine to the iliac bones of your pelvis. Like other joints, they can suffer from injuries and arthritic conditions. Sacroiliac joint pain and stiffness can make working, playing sports, and carrying out daily activities a considerable challenge.
Sacroiliac joint fusion joins the bones permanently, relieving pain and restoring stability to your lower back and pelvic area.
Why might I need sacroiliac joint fusion?
Your provider at Procura Pain and Spine typically uses conservative treatments to address pain and stiffness caused by acute injuries, sacroiliitis (sacroiliac joint inflammation), and arthritis. These treatments may include medication and physical therapy. Stem cell injections are also effective in tackling SI joint pain.
If these approaches don’t offer relief, another option is sacroiliac joint injections containing corticosteroids and a local anesthetic to relieve inflammation and pain. If these therapies don't provide a long-lasting reprieve from SI joint pain, your provider might suggest sacroiliac joint fusion.
What does sacroiliac joint fusion involve?
Sacroiliac joint fusion is a minimally invasive procedure that your provider can perform under a regional anesthetic. Procura Pain and Spine team uses Medtronic's Rialto™ SI Fusion System, joining your ilium bones to the sacrum with titanium implants.
The team makes a small incision to access the SI joint by moving the muscles aside rather than cutting them. They use video X-ray technology (fluoroscopy) to place a guide pin across your sacroiliac joint before carefully drilling a channel along the pin.
The channel passes into your ilium, through the sacroiliac joint, and into your sacrum. Your provider then inserts up to three Rialto implants to lock the bones together. Eventually, new bone grows on and around your implants, permanently fusing the joint.
Another form of sacroiliac joint fusion uses Omnia Medical's PsiF® (posterior sacroiliac fusion) one-size structural allograft requiring only two implants.
What happens after sacroiliac joint fusion?
After your sacroiliac joint fusion procedure, you'll still feel some discomfort while the bones start to fuse. This should improve over the weeks that follow, and you can optimize your recovery by following the personalized physical therapy program your provider recommends. It can take six months for the bones to fuse completely.
If you have sacroiliac joint pain, discover whether you can benefit from sacroiliac joint fusion by calling Procura Pain and Spine or booking an appointment online today.