Who Is a Good Candidate For Sacroiliac Fusion?
If you have ever experienced severe lower back pain, you know it can render you incapable of getting through a normal day, and keep you from carrying out even basic activities like driving a car, taking a walk, sitting down for a meal, or even relaxing on the sofa.
If you are suffering from lower back pain to the point that it has altered your quality of life, it may be time to seek out a permanent solution that can not only alleviate your pain but treat it at its source. The solution may be found in a procedure called sacroiliac (SI) fusion.
The sacroiliac joint connects the base of your spine to your pelvis. If you have injured this joint, you will feel intense pain not only in your back but often down the legs, as well. People who have injured their SI often assume the injury is temporary and will try to address the pain with conventional treatments for pain, but these are not always effective or satisfactory.
How do you know whether you should seek out a more permanent surgical solution to your pain? Here is some insight into why you may want to consider SI joint fusion.
If More Conservative and Non-Surgical Treatments Have Been Unsuccessful
When you suffer from this condition, the first step is almost always conservative treatment, such as taking pain medication. This seems pretty sensible: often, pain is a response to a temporary problem that we assume will go away with time and rest.
But if you have truly injured your SI, the medication will only temporarily mask the pain. It may help you get through the day, but when it wears off, the pain can be even more severe because you have put additional stress on the SI joint while you were not feeling the pain.
If the pain persists, you may seek further help: chiropractic care, physical therapy, or corticosteroid injections. But while these measures may help to a certain degree, again, the relief may be short-lived: the pain returns.
If conservative non-surgical treatments have not provided you with any permanent relief or improved your overall condition, it may be time to consider something more effective and powerful.
If Pain Is Interfering With Your Daily Life and Activities
We have all had to make small adjustments to our daily activities when dealing with a physical problem. But most of the time, these adjustments are temporary.
However, with an SI injury, the pain and physical limitations can impact your life in a more dramatic way. Often, the pain can affect your ability to do even routine work, as well as recreational and social activities. You begin to envision a life without many of the things you have always enjoyed..
If you’re dealing with the type of pain that interferes with your enjoyment of life, then you may be a good candidate for SI joint fusion surgery.
You Want a Solution That Works
If you’ve reached the point where you know that trying to tackle the problem with temporary “band-aid” solutions is simply not going to work, you need to find out what can. And SI fusion surgery may be the answer. SI fusion surgery is minimally invasive, and it actually corrects the damage done to your SI joint. Once your procedure is complete, you will be on the road to recovery, free of that daily pain and free to get your life back.
If you’re tired of dealing with lower back pain and haven’t been able to successfully treat that pain with non-surgical approaches, it is time to consider SI joint fusion. This procedure can change everything. To find out if it is right for you, contact us today to talk to our specialists at the St. Charles Spine Institute to learn more about this procedure and how it can finally relieve your pain for good.