Sacroiliac Joint Injection

The Sacroiliac Joints, or SI joints, are located between the iliac bones and the sacrum, connecting the spine to the hips. The two joints provide support and stability, and play a major role in absorbing impact when walking and lifting. From the back, the SI joints are located below the waist where two dimples are visible.

This procedure is used in the diagnosis and treatment of pain caused by inflamed sacroiliac joint. Typically, the diagnostic injection is first performed with a numbing agent into the joint. Based on the amount of immediate pain relief experienced, it will either confirm or deny that this joint is the cause of your pain. After your doctor has confirmed that the SI joint is the source of pain, a second procedure will be performed administering a steroid with a numbing agent into the joint to provide more long term pain relief. The steroid will help reduce the inflammation causing the pain.

After the procedure, it takes between 2-5 days to experience the effects of the steroid. The actual results will vary between individual patients, regarding the duration and extent of the pain relief. Some of the factors that could have an impact on how effective the treatment is include the patient’s medical history and current level of activity. If successful, the procedure may be repeated.

Sedation is provided for patient comfort and for the procedure to be as safe as possible, an x-ray technique known as fluoroscopy is used to position the needle accurately.