Sacroiliac Joint Fusion Treatment Specialist in Rapid City, SD

Sacroiliac joint fusion is a minimally invasive surgery that uses imaging guidance to put titanium implants across the sacroiliac joint for stability. Dr. Lance Doedan and Dr. Tyler Ptacek at Rapid City Interventional Pain Management Clinic provide sacroiliac joint fusion treatment. For more information, contact us to book an appointment. We are conveniently located at 101 E Minnesota St. Rapid City, SD 57701.

About 15-30% of the time, the SI joint is a cause of chronic low back pain. If you have intense pain in your lower back, it could be caused by several things. Does the pain originate in your hip, spine, SI joint, or all of these areas?

Diagnosing this pain correctly will lead to the right treatment. Our staff is very knowledgeable and provides compassionate and high-quality care which means you can avoid suffering and get the right treatment to relieve your pain.

What is the sacroiliac (SI) joint?

The sacroiliac (SI) joint connects the sacrum and the left and right sides of the pelvis. The SI joint acts as a shock absorber between the spine and pelvis and is involved in supporting the weight of the upper body.

The SI joint is the joint where the sacrum meets the spine. If you have sacroiliac joint dysfunction, you might experience pain in the lower back, pelvic area, groin, or hip.

What does SI pain feel like?

Sacroiliac joint (SI) pain is chronic, nonspecific lower back or pelvis pain that is common in the general population. It may be the result of anatomic or biomechanical problems of the SI joints, the spine, or the lower extremities. Although often considered a “back” problem, SI joint dysfunction can be an important source of lower fit and radiating buttock or leg pain

Sacroiliac fusion surgery helps relieve pain in this joint by fusing it to stop movement within the SI Joint.

Diagnosing SI Joint Pain:

A comprehensive physical exam with your doctor may include one or more movement tests designed to provoke or improve symptoms. Putting pressure on the sacrum, or hips in various directions during a physical examination may cause pain in your lower back, buttocks, legs, or feet to temporarily get worse or improve. Your doctor will perform this test to establish whether a mechanical problem in the joint is the source of your pain.

Injection tests are then used to confirm the SI joint as the source of pain and contribute to the patient’s overall improvement in pain and function. A Key in determining a diagnosis, it is important to communicate your symptoms, exam findings, and injection results with your doctor or physical therapist to determine if this intervention will benefit you. A local anesthetic is injected into the joint space through the lower back or buttock. The drug causes a significant reduction in pain which indicates that the SI is likely the pain generator.

SI Fusion Procedure

When the pain of sacroiliac joint dysfunction is keeping you from enjoying life fully, sacroiliac joint fusion may be worth considering. While surgery involves having a doctor fuse the sacrum and ilium bones to stabilize the joints, non-surgical treatments should generally be considered first.

An incision is made in the skin, along the surfaces of the joint. Your doctor will use small titanium alloy screw implants to place across the SI Joint, this helps to maintain fixation and help with recovery. Your doctor will determine the appropriate implant size for your fusion. This procedure is an outpatient minimally invasive approach where patients are able to go home a couple of hours after the procedure. For more information, contact us to book an appointment. We are conveniently located at 101 E Minnesota St. Rapid City, SD 57701. We serve patients from Rapid City SD, Rapid Valley SD, Black Hawk SD, Box Elder SD, and surrounding areas.