Interventional Pain Management
We network with several pain management specialists in our area to help diagnose and treat SI joint dysfunction. After the diagnosis is made we can lead you in the appropriate direction to help with your pain.
The first step in establishing the diagnosis of SI Joint dysfunction is to perform a diagnostic SI joint injection. This is done with a short acting agent that lasts apx 8 to 12 hours and should immediately eliminate the pain. This is done twice to confirm the diagnosis of SI joint dysfunction and is highly accurate.
If the diagnostic shots provided relief transiently then the next step is a steroid injection. These are done as an outpatient at one of our centers. They can provide temporary relief of SI joint pain that may last several days to months.
Thermal ablation is a technique done to temporarily disable the sensory nerves to the SI joint. This is done as an outpatient and requires minimal sedation. Needles are placed next to the nerves going to the SI joint and then cauterized with a heat probe. This can be effective and last for up to 2 years in some people. There are no significant side effects from the procedure and takes 5 minutes to perform.
Upon request this therapy is available through one of our networking partners specializing in Regenerative Medicine. It usually requires a simple outpatient injection much like the steroid injection but curbed towards re-establishing the biologic surroundings in the SI joint.
