Diagnosis and treatment of sacroiliac joint pain

Low back pain is the most common type of adult pain and is a leading cause of disability. While this complaint may be ubiquitous, there are many possible causes. Studies have shown that the sacroiliac joint is the cause in approximately 15% of patients with low back pain. The exact pattern is complex. Provocative physical examination maneuvers may help provide a presumptive sacroiliac joint pain diagnosis. Confirmatory diagnosis is achieved with diagnostic injection. For disabling pain that fails to respond to nonoperative treatment, surgical fusion may be necessary; different fusion approaches have been described and are presented.