AARP: 7 Causes of Sacroiliac (SI) Joint Pain
AARP recently interviewed Andrew J. Bach, DO, a physiatrist at the Cedars-Sinai Spine Center, about low back pain caused by the sacroiliac (SI) joint, which connects the hip bones to the base of the spine.
Pain in this area can be dull or sharp and may radiate down the legs. It accounts for 15%-30% of low back pain experienced by patients, according to treatment guidelines from physician specialty groups.
“For the 50-and-up population, I think that most SI joint pain is probably just normal wear and tear,” Bach told AARP.
Joints can wear out with age, allowing bones to rub against each other, causing osteoarthritis—the most common type of arthritis.
Other causes of SI joint pain include traumatic injury from a fall, repetitive activity, lack of movement, hypermobility (when the joint moves too much), hypomobility (when the joint can’t move enough), and reactive arthritis (inflammation caused by infection).
A less common cause of SI joint pain is a chronic, inflammatory type of arthritis called ankylosing spondylitis, which affects the axial skeleton.
“That’s all the midline structures, including your spine, your SI joints, and it can affect your hips, too,” Bach told AARP.
For patients with mild or moderate pain, ice and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen may be useful. But if the pain becomes unmanageable, Bach recommends seeking medical advice either from a primary care physician or a physical therapist.
“If your pain isn’t going away after a week, and it’s keeping you from doing things, then go see a doctor,” Bach advised.
Read the complete article from AARP.