All You need to know about Sacroiliitis

Sacroiliitis is an inflammatory joint disorder that causes pain in lower back or buttock. Here is
your pocket guide about this disease:
What this disease is all about?
As we all know, the joints help to transfer the body weight from spine to legs and pelvis. To
accomplish this, the joints are attached together with the help of ligaments. Several years ago,
it was believed that the joints are not fixed, but recent research has proved this assertion
wrong. A small movement in the joints can lead to medical complications.
Causes of Sacroiliitis
The major causes of this disorder include:

Abnormal dysfunction- Abnormal dysfunctioning of sacroiliac joints can increase pain

and joint inflammation.
Pregnancy- During pregnancy the hormones softens the ligaments around the pelvis and
this result into the enhanced movement of sacroiliac joints. Combined with added
weight, the stress is increased on the joints and thus it results into pain and
inflammation.
Joint disorders- this disorder may occur in combination with other joint disorder like
ankylosing spondylitis, reiters disease and arthritis. In some cases, it may further lead to
medical complications.
Osteoarthritis- It is a natural wear and tear of the joints that causes osteoarthritis. As
these are weight bearing joints, it can become worn out and result into this disorder.
Trauma- It may happen due to any untoward incidents like car accident
Infection- Infection may cause inflammation of the joints and this in turn leads to this
disorder, however it is very rare.
Symptoms
The pain most commonly occurs in lower back and buttocks. It can be further aggravated by:

Climbing stairs
Stair climbing
Running
Taking large strides
Standing for long time period

Diagnosis
The most common sacroiliitis symptom experienced by a person suffering from this disease is
chronic pain. The pain is generally felt in lower back, on a single side or on the both sides.
Slowly and gradually the pain affects other body parts also like buttock, groin and thigh. The
pain worsens during night and further leads to back stiffness. The doctors can further order for
tests like:
CT Scans
MRI Scans
Further, if joint infection is suspected, the doctor may order for blood test.
Sacroiliitis treatment
The treatment of this disease depends upon underlying cause or factor that leads to this
dysfunction. The following treatment options are available for the patients:
Abnormal Movement- This dysfunction is caused due to misalignment of sacroiliac joint. And
the treatment option includes:
Medications that alleviate the pain or reduce inflammation
Correction of misaligned joints with assistance of techniques like mobilisation or with
the help of surgery
It can treated with the help of other techniques like massage around the hip and
buttock region
Exercise is recommended to improve muscle strength, flexibility and to maintain
balance around the hips and lower back.
During pregnancy
Sacroiliac joint disorder during pregnancy is very common and it can be treated with following
options:
Soft tissue techniques like massage to the hip and lower back is recommended
Gentle manual massage technique like mobilisation done by a physiotherapist is helpful
A strapping tape can be used to support lower back and sacroiliac joints
Certain exercises are recommended by doctors to treat this condition. It further helps to
strengthen the hip and lower back muscles, thus ensuring flexibility of the muscles.
Inflammation
If the disorder is caused by other inflammatory conditions like ankylosing spondylitis, then the
treatment process would be as follows:

It includes intake of anti-inflammatory medicines and in severe cases corticosteroid

injection is injected directly into the joints
Taking medications that are effective in treating this problem includes disease modifying
anti rheumatic drugs also known as DMARDs and TNF inhibitors.

Physiotherapist will recommend several exercises aimed at maintaining muscle

flexibility and improve muscle strength around the lower back and hip joints
Postural exercises are suggested

With right diagnosis and treatment, most often this disease is treated within few weeks. The
cases related to inflammation like spondylitis and other disorders, takes a long time. For
comprehensive care and treatment, it is better to visit a qualified doctor. It will further hasten
the recovery process.