Sacroiliac Joint Fusion (iFuse Implant System®)
Overview
If you have a painful damaged or diseased sacroiliac joint (we call it the “SI” joint), a fusion may help. With the iFuse System, your surgeon uses titanium implants to join your hip’s ilium bone to the spine’s sacrum. This may relieve the SI joint pain.
Preparation
To begin, you are given medicine to put you to sleep or to block sensation in your SI joint. You’re positioned face down. The surgeon makes a small opening in your skin. With the help of a video x-ray device called a “fluoroscope,” a guide pin is placed into your SI joint.
Procedure
While protecting your soft tissues, the surgeon carefully drills a channel along this pin. It passes into the ilium, through the SI joint and into the sacrum. The first implant is inserted, locking these bones together. Typically, two or more implants will be needed to stabilize your joint. Over time, new bone will grow on and around the implants and across the joint, creating a solid fusion.
End of Procedure
When the procedure is done, you are monitored. You may be allowed to go home or you may stay overnight, depending on your needs. Your doctor will give you instructions to help your recovery.
Sacroiliac Joint Pain
Overview
Your sacroiliac joints (we call them the “SI” joints) are the places where your hips meet your spine. These joints don’t have a lot of flexibility, but they do move slightly as you move your body. And if SI joints become damaged or diseased, it can be painful.
Causes
SI joints hurt when tiny nerves in the joints become irritated. That happens if your joint is damaged in a traumatic injury. It can happen if you have arthritis, which causes the joints to break down over time as you age. You can also feel pain in the SI joints if the supporting ligaments become irritated. That happens if you walk with a limp or have some other
issue that places more stress on one hip than the other.
Symptoms
SI joint pain starts in your lower back and buttock. It can radiate to your hip, groin and thigh. Your leg may feel weak. It may feel numb or tingly. You may notice SI joint pain when you are sitting or lying down. You may also notice it when you are walking or climbing stairs, or when you try to stand up after sitting. Usually, SI joint pain is felt only on one side.
But if both joints are affected, you may feel pain on both sides.
Treatment
Treatment depends on the cause of your pain. You may benefit from physical therapy, or from injections of medicine into your joint. You may benefit from a procedure called “radiofrequency ablation.” It uses electricity to destroy the painful nerve endings in
your joint. If these aren’t helpful, you may need surgery to stabilize your joint. Your healthcare provider can create a plan that’s right for you.
