First off, let’s discuss where and what exactly is the Sacroiliac Joint and the Approach to Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction
The sacrum is the part of the spine below the fifth and last lumbar vertebrae and above the coccyx. The uppermost portion of our pelvis is called the ilium. The area that connects these structures is the sacroiliac joint (SI): Sacro from the sacrum, iliac from the ilium. There is a network of ligaments that make up this sacroiliac joint.
The sacroiliac joint is often injured, when people complain of pelvic pain or a portion of their back being in pain, very often there is an issue with one or both SI joints.
So, What Are Some Therapies That Are Non-surgical?
Prolotherapy Injections
Prolotherapy is an injection treatment that stimulates the repair of connective tissues such as tendons and ligaments. It causes a mild inflammatory response which initiates an immune response. This mimics what the body does naturally to heal soft tissue injuries. There is research and clinical experience showing that when treating back pain with Prolotherapy, by administering the injections into the lumbar and SI area, the pain does lessen. The injections are not given by the discs and still, the back pain seems to absolve.
Platelet Rich Plasma and Prolotherapy Injections
There is a lot of recent research surrounding Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP), and it is an alternative to steroid injections. It is being shown that it can potentially enhance the tissue healing process and appears to have a long-term effect on pain relief.
One piece of research shows that forty patients with chronic low back pain diagnosed as SI joint pain were divided into 2 groups, the steroid group, and the PRP group. It was found that pain was significantly lower in the PRP group after 6 weeks when compared with the steroid group. The patients themselves reported lower pain scores in the PRP group. (1)
Another example comes from the University of Toronto, were 4 case studies evaluated the long-term effect of PRP injections. After 12 months, post-treatment, it was shown that there was an improvement in joint stability, a statistically significant reduction in pain, and improvement in quality of life. These benefits were still reported 4 years later. (2)
Do you have joint pain, back pain, or any chronic pain issues?
Dr. Cimikoski is a highly experienced, AAOM certified, medical toxicologist, who specializes in Joint Regeneration. If you are suffering from back pain, hip pain, or any debilitating pain, and live in Utah, we recommend you come in for a consultation. We have two locations, one in Park City (at the Westgate Resort) and in Sandy UT
Contact us today at (385) 213-3006.
1. Singla V, Batra YK, Bharti N, Goni VG, Marwaha N. Steroid versus Platelet-Rich Plasma in Ultrasound-Guided Sacroiliac Joint Injection for Chronic Low Back Pain. Pain Pract. 2016 Sep 27.
2. Ko GD, Mindra S, Lawson GE, Whitmore S, Arseneau L. Case series of ultrasound-guided platelet-rich plasma injections for sacroiliac joint dysfunction. J Back Musculoskelet Retail. 2016 Jun 30.
