In 2020 I was referred to see a hip consultant as I was suffering from a lot of pain in both my hips and my GP decided we needed to rule out whether it was actually a hip problem or back related.
The hip consultant immediately treated me for Trochanteric Bursitis by giving me Lateral Trochanteric Bursa injections.
He then decided to send me for an MRI of my lumber spine as I had a lot of pain on examination around the sacroiliac areas on both sides. The MRI showed I had bilateral SIJ arthritis which did not surprise him due to all my previous lumber surgeries.
He suggested I had a CT guided sacroiliac steroid injection and booked me in for one. I had my right side done first which improved it greatly but the second one into my left side did not help it at all.
Six months later I had an acute neck spasm and I was sent to see a top spinal consultant as I have a lot of pins and needles and it was necessary to see somone before I embarked on any type of treatment in this area.
I had an MRI of my cervical spine which showed disc osteophyte complex at C6/7 plus degenerative changes at C3/4 with some loss of disc height and moderate foraminal stenosis. The spinal consultant felt a cervical block could help calm it all down it would be a much safer idea than looking at further surgery which is something I have always said I would not have again.
This was a total success and I no longer have any neck pain, just a bit of stiffness for which I exercise every day. The pins and needles are the same but is something I can definitely live with.
While all this was being dealt with my lumber spine pain was just getting worse and affecting my sleep and general every day life so when I went for my post next check up I mentioned to my spinal consutant about my worries over my lumber spine.
He looked through all my notes again, checked me over and noted the MRI scan showed bilateral SIJ arthritis. He recommended bilateral sacroiliac joint injections which he explained he does with sedation in the hope these would settle my lumber spine down.
I went for the injections last Friday and was given quite a strong anethestic so I remember nothing until I woke up in recovery where I had to stay flat for half an hour. I was then taken back to my room where I was checked over for a couple of hours. I needed a bit of support when I first got out of bed but other than feeling very sickly I was completely pain free.
Two weeks on from the injections I am still completely pain free in my lumber spine which is something I have not experienced in years. I have been very very sickly which at first I thought was the anesthetic but I read the side effects of the injections I had can leave you feeling sick from 2 days to 2 weeks. I was desperately hoping it wasnt 2 weeks. It lasted for 4 days before it lifted.
The best Christmas present I could have ever wished for is to be pain free. I cannot quite believe how I feel. I hope this post will give others hope if they suffer from sacroiliac pain that this can be treated.
I have no idea how long it will last but the fact that it has worked means that I am a candidate for having Radio Frequency Ablation of my sacroiliac joints next time which could stop the pain for a lot longer so I am on a win win situation.
Most people are aware that the spine is made up of bones called vertebrae, and that the vertebrae in the lower spine are called lumbar vertebrae. However, many are unaware of the wedge-shaped bone that the lumbar vertebrae rest upon, known as the sacrum.
On either side of the sacrum is a sacroiliac joint that connects it to the pelvic bone. The sacroiliac joints are among the largest synovial joints in the human body, providing a large potential target of attack by various forms of arthritis.
Patients with SI joint pain often report diffuse pain of the low back, buttocks, hips, and/or the groin region. In addition, sacroiliac pain can radiate down the legs, most commonly along the back of the thighs.
Arthritic diseases cause painful joint inflammation, and inflammation in the SI joint is known as sacroiliitis. The type of arthritis associated with my problem is Osteoarthritis.
More than 32 million Americans have symptoms of osteoarthritis (OA),which is defined as a breakdown of cartilage in a joint. This breakdown can lead to complications that result in pain, swelling, and difficulty with movement.
Given the vital role that the large SI joint plays in transferring upper body weight to the lower extremities, it is commonly affected in osteoarthritis. People who have osteoarthritis in their SI joints often develop osteophytes or bone spurs around the joint, leading to pain and dysfunction.
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