1.
All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
2.
Field House, Bradford Royal infirmary, Duckworth Lane, Bradford, BD9 6RJ, United Kingdom.
Intra-articular injection of local anesthetic into the sacroiliac joint (SIJ) is a diagnostic test that is used to confirm or refute that the pain is arising from the sacroiliac joint. If the pain is relieved it suggests that the targeted joint is the source of pain. However, injection of steroids into the SIJ can often provide satisfactory pain relief for several weeks or months allowing the patient to decrease oral medication. SIJ pain is more common than we think. Studies have quoted the incidence of SIJ pain to be up to 15% among patients complaining of low back pain. If a patient has most of the pain below L5 level it is more likely to be arising from the SIJ. In our experience a mixture of local anesthetic and steroid can be useful in carefully selected patients who derive satisfactory pain relief for several weeks or months allowing them to reduce analgesic consumption with increased activities.