The effect of gait training with shoe inserts on the improvement of pain and gait in sacroiliac joint patients

5. Sacroiliac joint pain

INTRODUCTION

Sacroiliac (SI) joint pain is defined as pain localized in the anatomical region of the SI joint. The reported prevalence of SI joint pain among patients with mechanical low back pain varies between 15% and 30%.

METHODS

In this narrative review, the literature on the diagnosis and treatment of SI joint pain was updated and summarized.

RESULTS

Patient's history provides clues on the source of pain. The specificity and sensitivity of provocative maneuvers are relatively high when three or more tests are positive, though recent studies have questioned the predictive value of single or even batteries of provocative tests. Medical imaging is indicated only to rule out red flags for potentially serious conditions. The diagnostic value of SI joint infiltration with local anesthetic remains controversial due to the potential for false-positive and false-negative results. Treatment of SI joint pain ideally consists of a multidisciplinary approach that includes conservative measures as first-line therapies (eg, pharmacological treatment, cognitive-behavioral therapy, manual medicine, exercise therapy and rehabilitation treatment, and if necessary, psychological support). Intra- and extra-articular corticosteroid injections have been documented to produce pain relief for over 3 months in some people. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of the L5 dorsal ramus and S1-3 (or 4) lateral branches has been shown to be efficacious in numerous studies, with extensive lesioning strategies (eg, cooled RFA) demonstrating the strongest evidence. The reported rate of complications for SI joint treatments is low.

CONCLUSIONS

SI joint pain should ideally be managed in a multidisciplinary and multimodal manner. When conservative treatment fails, corticosteroid injections and radiofrequency treatment can be considered.

Sacroiliitis in cancer patients: a review of current literature

The sacroiliac (SI) joint can be directly jeopardized by malignancy and indirectly by ergonomic changes of pelvic obliquity that introduces uneven weight distribution. Cancer treatment can exacerbate preexisting arthritis and cause diffuse arthropathies, but these are unlikely to be isolated to the SI joint. The cancer population is exposed to unique stressors that might facilitate development of SI joint pain that includes cancer itself and therapy-related complications. Like the general population, cancer patients are subject to aging and BMI and musculoskeletal structural changes that affect symmetric body functioning and posturing. No frank association between sacroiliitis and cancer has been identified. Therefore, we believe there is a need to characterize any relationship between cancer and SI joint dysfunction and pain.

Nonoperative Treatment Options for Patients With Sacroiliac Joint Pain

Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pain is thought to be a component of low back pain in 20% of people who suffer with it chronically. There is no consistent objective diagnostic testing that includes SIJ pain as the diagnosis and thereby it can become a diagnosis of exclusion. Treatment of SIJ pain is variable, and no set method or protocol of treatment has been found to be efficacious or reliable. Thus, the healthcare provider is often left to create an individual treatment plan based on their own experiences and expertise. The purpose of this narrative review is to describe and discuss nonoperative treatment options for patients with SIJ pain. Further, coordination of treatment options and progression of treatment will be offered.

Raster-stereographic evaluation of the effects of biomechanical foot orthoses in patients with scoliosis

[Purpose] Little is known about the effects of biomechanical foot orthoses in scoliosis, as determined by raster stereography. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of individually manufactured biomechanical foot orthoses on scoliosis angle, trunk imbalance, and pelvic obliquity by comparing them with general insoles by using DIERS formetric 4 dimensional in patients with scoliosis. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-six patients with scoliosis were recruited at Yeungnam University Hospital and allocated equally to one of two groups, the biomechanical foot orthoses group or the control group. Parameters, such as, trunk rotation, imbalance, and scoliosis angle, were obtained using a DIERS formetric 4D. [Results] Scoliosis angle, pelvic obliquity, and trunk imbalance were significantly different between the two groups and improved in the biomechanical foot orthoses group with time, but no significant improvement in any parameter was observed in the control group. [Conclusion] Biomechanical foot orthoses could be effective in patients with scoliosis, and DIERS formetric 4D provides a useful method for evaluating scoliosis parameters.