Disclosures: Eric Sturos, MD: No financial relationships or conflicts of interest
Objective : Report Sacroiliac Joint (SIJ) pain prevalence data from an ongoing study.
Design: Interim analysis of patient recruitment for a prospective randomized study involving SIJ injections.
Setting : Academic Spine Center
Participants : Patients with unilateral low back/buttocks pain for >2 weeks, a baseline pain score of at least 5/10, clinically diagnosis of SIJ pain and referral for SIJ injection by a board-certified Physiatrist. Exclusion criteria include: SIJ steroid injection within last 12month, axial spine injection with steroid within 3 months, BMI >40, chronic widespread pain syndrome, and clinical suspicion of an alternative diagnosis.
Interventions: Unilateral SIJ injections performed by fellowship trained physiatrists in accordance with SIS guidelines utilizing 1cc of 2% lidocaine and corticosteroid.
Main Outcome Measures: Patients were continued in the study if they had 80% or more improvement in pain immediately post injection.
Results: After 31 months of consecutive screening, 172 unilateral SIJ injections were performed in 151 patients clinically diagnosed with unilateral SIJ pain. 131/172 (76% 95%CI +/- 6.4%) of the screened injections were excluded with the most common reasons being: 28 with SIJ steroid injections within 12 months, 27 with other recent axial spine injections, 18 with a BMI > 40, 18 with a chronic widespread pain syndrome, and 8 with an alternative diagnosis more likely. 41/172 (24% 95%CI +/- 6.4%) patients met our screening inclusion-exclusion criteria. Of these, 22/41 (54% 95% CI +/- 15%) had 80% or more pain relief immediately post injection.
Conclusions: Overall, the 54% prevalence of SIJ pain in this patient population appears high, this likely reflects it being representative of a highly screened patient population. Conversely, only 22/171 (13% (95% CI +/- 5%) had isolated unilateral SIJ pain without concomitant or previously treated spine pain, chronic pain syndrome, or morbid obesity.
Level of Evidence: Level I
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Sturos E, Ehsanian R, Epps AC, Schneider B. Unilateral Sacroiliac Joint Pain Prevalence in an Academic Spine Center, Without Comorbid Pain Conditions, defined by >80% Relief with Intraarticular Anesthetic Injection [abstract]. PM R. 2020; 12(S1)(suppl 1). https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/unilateral-sacroiliac-joint-pain-prevalence-in-an-academic-spine-center-without-comorbid-pain-conditions-defined-by-80-relief-with-intraarticular-anesthetic-injection/. Accessed May 31, 2025.« Back to AAPM&R Annual Assembly 2020
PM&R Meeting Abstracts - https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/unilateral-sacroiliac-joint-pain-prevalence-in-an-academic-spine-center-without-comorbid-pain-conditions-defined-by-80-relief-with-intraarticular-anesthetic-injection/