Sacroiliac Joint Degeneration-Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Excruciating back pains can be annoying and difficult to handle. We at Jackson Neurosurgery Clinic recommend the treatment for sacroiliac joint pain for a quick and timely recovery.

What is sacroiliac joint degeneration?

Sacroiliac joints are located at the integration of sacrum and ilium, and the SI joints acts as a shock absorbent by reducing pressure on the spine. If there is inflammation in one or both of your sacroiliac joints, the condition is termed sacroiliac joint degeneration.

What are the symptoms of sacroiliac joint degeneration?

• Lower back pain that can be felt either on one or both sides
• Pain in the buttocks and side or upper thigh
• Stiffness in the hips, pelvis, groin, and lower back that restrict mobility
• Sciatic-like pain in the back of the thighs or buttocks that is hot and sharp and results in numbness
• Instability in the lower back and/or pelvis makes the pelvis give away while walking, standing, or changing positions
• Shooting pain when climbing stairs, jogging, or running because sacroiliac joints are under pressure in such activities

What are the causes of sacroiliac joint degeneration?

• Gait tissues:Leg-length discrepancy can put unnecessary pressure on the pelvis resulting in wear and tear of the SI joint.
• Pregnancy: Relaxin (a hormone released during pregnancy) results in the elasticity of SI joints. Due to this, the pelvis widens to make room for childbirth, and accompanied by the increasing weight of the woman, the chances of SI joint pain increase.
• Osteoarthritis: Aging can result in loss of cartilage and result in SI joint degeneration.
• Gout: Gouty arthritis occurs if the levels of uric acid in your body are high.This problem affects the large toe first and further shows its effects on other joints, including the SI joint.
• Abnormal walking pattern:If the walking posture is incorrect, you can be a victim of SI joint pain.

What is the line of treatment for sacroiliac joint degeneration?

• Self-care and therapies: Yoga, massage, cold/hot packs, physical therapy, and sacroiliac belt are the comfortable ways to ease the problem.
• Medications: Oral steroids, anti-inflammatory medicines, corticosteroid injection,radio frequency ablation,muscle relaxants and TNF inhibitors are the non-surgical treatment options
• Surgery: If the pain is chronic, the doctor advises sacroiliac joint fusion surgery for easing the pain.

Visit us at Jackson Neurosurgery Clinic when any kind of back pain troubles you.

How to Treat Lumbar Spinal Stenosis with a Coflex® Device?

The lower back spine is called the lumbar spine, consisting of five vertebrae between the ribs and the pelvis. Lumbar spinal stenosis is an ill spinal condition in which the gap between the spinal canals gets narrowed and, in the process, compresses the nerves traveling through the lower back into the legs.

This narrowing usually takes place at a slow and gradual pace spanning many years as a person ages. The spinal disks become less spongy, making them harden and bulging into the spinal canal resulting in narrowing of the central canal. The Coflex device is known to alleviate compression as it is made of titanium, making it strong yet flexible and supporting the spine. Let’s understand the diagnosis procedure to know how the device works.

Symptoms

The patient might feel pain, weakness, and numbness in the legs, calves, and buttocks. In lumbar spinal stenosis, the pain might radiate to both thighs and legs. It might result in defective motor function of the legs, bowel, and bladder.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis is made by neurosurgeon through X-ray, CT scan or CAT scan, MRI, and Myelogram. It helps in showing the bone structure, spine alignment, and joints’ outline; show images of the spinal cord, nerve roots, and surrounding areas; and show evidence of pressure near the nerves and spinal cord, respectively.

Nonsurgical treatment

In some cases, proper medication, posture management, and exercise can prove helpful in managing the pain and strengthening bone. Analgesics and epidural medication can relieve pain and reduce swelling significantly in lumbar spinal stenosis. Physical therapy can build endurance, stabilize and protect the spine.

Surgical treatment

The primary goal of lumbar spinal stenosis surgery is to detract bone or neural elements affecting the nerves that are trying to extend throughout your body. Although there are various types of surgeries available for the lumbar spine, the most common one is decompressive laminectomy. In this procedure, the laminae of the vertebrae are extracted to create more space for the nerves.

After a direct decompression to remove bone, facet, ligament, or disc segments from the narrow spinal canal, the spine can get unstable. At this point, a Coflex device is inserted directly in a similar manner about how the decompression procedure is performed to keep the spine stable to maintain the height and motion of the spine.

The device replaces the spinal fusion to retain the natural movement in the impacted area of the posterior lumbar spine. It’s a U-shaped implant, which comes in five different sizes and can be designed according to various anatomies.

The Coflex device is implanted to provide extra space for the nerves to pass through without compressed vertebrae. Reach out to Jackson Neurosurgery Clinic to know more about their treatment techniques.