What if an Si Joint Injection Doesn’t Work?

Your right and left sacroiliac (SI) joints are large, relatively flat, and relatively immobile. They connect the wing-like bones of your pelvis (ilia) to the wedge-shaped bone at the bottom of your spine (sacrum).

Dysfunction in the SI joint is a common source of lower back, pelvis, and groin pain. And when one or both of these large joints become irritated—due to issues like surgery, trauma, arthritis, or pregnancy—injections of medication into the area can provide effective SI joint pain relief.

For many individuals, SI joint injections aren’t enough on their own to provide effective and long-lasting results, but this doesn’t mean they can’t be a beneficial part of an individual’s pain management plan. Keep reading to learn more.

What Is a Si Joint Injection and How Does It Work?

An SI joint injection is a type of pain management technique used by pain management doctors to help patients get relief from painful, irritated SI joints. SI joint injections can also be used to diagnose or rule out SI joint conditions like sacroiliitis.

To receive a SI joint injection, a person lies face down on a table with the skin of their lower back and buttocks area cleansed and exposed. A pain doctor uses medicine to numb the injection area and then inserts a needle into the irritated SI joint. Our Columbus, Dublin, and Springfield pain doctors use X-rays to help guide the needle during this process for optimal placement.

Once the needle is properly inserted, medication is injected directly into the joint. The needle is then removed, and the injection site is covered with a bandage.

Benefits of Si Joint Injections

SI joint injections are relatively quick, have a low risk of side effects, and typically cause little to no discomfort during the actual injection, which can be done during a simple outpatient visit to a pain clinic. Patients generally notice significant SI joint pain relief and improved quality of life within a couple of days.

SI joint injections can provide enough relief to allow a person to tolerate physical therapy and increase their exercise and activity tolerance. This is so important because we know that daily movement helps manage chronic pain and related factors like mood and sleep.

SI joint injections also allow patients to resume their daily or work-related functions with greater ease. Plus, SI joint injections usually contain both pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory medicines, which can help reduce inflammation in the joint itself and reduce the amount of oral medicine a person needs.

When Si Joint Injections Don’t Work

Research and patient experience show us that SI injections are great potential solutions to chronic pain, but ongoing, multidisciplinary pain management offers the greatest chance for enduring relief. There are several reasons for this:

• SI joint pain relief from injections is generally considered short-term, lasting from a few days to a few months
• SI joint injections sometimes require more than one attempt to work optimally—this means patients should receive other pain management modalities from their providers to help them manage symptoms between injections
• Chronic pain is a highly individualized and ongoing process, and as a person’s health and underlying conditions evolve, their treatment will need to evolve as well!

Are You Ready to Experience Personalized Pain Management?

If you’ve had SI joint injections before but didn’t get the results you were hoping for, don’t be discouraged. Our Columbus, Dublin, and Springfield pain management teams have a wide range of services that can help you get lasting relief no matter where you are on your health journey. Contact Integrated Pain Solutions now at 614-383-6450 to schedule an appointment with one of our expert pain management physicians.