Sacroiliac Joint Pain

Definition
Spinal pain stemming from a sacroiliac joint.

Clinical Features
Pain perceived in the region of the sacroiliac joint with or without
referred pain into the lower limb girdle or lower limb itself.

Diagnostic Criteria
The following criteria should all be fulfilled.
1. Pain is present in the region of the sacroiliac joint.
2. Stressing the sacroiliac joint by clinical tests that are selective for the joint reproduces the patient's pain,
3. Selectively infiltrating the putatively symptomatic joint with local anesthetic completely relieves the patient of the pain.

Pathology
Unknown. Presumably the pain is caused by excessive stresses being imposed on the ligaments of the sacroiliac joint as a result of some structural fault in the joint itself or as a result of the joint as a whole being subject to inordinate stresses.

Remarks
This category does not encompass sacroiliitis, ankylosing spondylitis, or seronegative spondylarthropathies that may be demonstrated by radionuclide imaging other forms of imaging or diagnosed by other means. This category infers a mechanical disorder of the joint.
Mechanical disorders of the sacroiliac joint are the subject of controversy. While there are beliefs that such disorders can befall the sacroiliac joint, no clinical tests of laudable validity and reliability have been devised whereby this condition can be diagnosed.