Hi to everyone - found you on a Google search and am thankful I found this thread.

My husband was injured in a car accident about a year ago and has suffered from chronic low back pain ever since. Based on layman's reading and doctor input, we think (but don't know for sure) that the pain originates in his SI joint. He hasn't had any diagnostic injections yet, let alone SI injections, so we're operating sort of on the fly here, but I have a handful of questions about the SI injections.

For those who have received the injections, are they painful to receive? Is the relief you get from them worth the pain? How long do they last before they need to be repeated? Do you have yours done under Fluro, CT, or MRI? And if you're willing to share, what does each injection session cost on average?

We're trying to manage his pain conservatively, but I don't know how much longer he can take the daily pain and disruption - if this offers relief, he may have to go this route.

Thanks for the informational reading and for any insight you can provide.

Nandina, have you tried chiropractic or physiotherapy?
This sounds like what happens to me after doing too much lifting and twisting-gardening for instance.
Low back pain starts, then after a day or so moves a bit to one side. If it is not too bad, a long walk taking extra long strides can put it back in place, but failing that it is off to the chiro.
Happens to me all the time. Joint actually locks up. Then you get muscle spasms as it tightens all around it, so becomes VERY painful and debilitating.
Pain meds, anti-inflams, muscle relaxant and a good chiro.
Walking, if you can, is very good. On several occasions I have had to stop walking, being in a spasm, and had to return home and lie down. That's when you know it's time for the chiro.
Not sure if this is what he has, but worth a try.

Well my new orthopedist that had thought he wanted to take out the pins decided that it probably would not give me the results I'm praying for. An SI joint injection reproduced the pain so definitively that they feel that more of my pain is coming from the joint and not the pins. With a failed fusion and incomplete bridging, in my mind, I am seeing pieces of bone that I know is what I feel everytime I take a step. The pins are a component though. SO it sounds like no one wants to help me even the pain management people. My family MD is prescribing longacting narcotics with breakthrough medication. I work about 6 hours a day and spend the rest of my life lying on the sofa or my bed. This sucks so bad I don't know what to do. It is so painful to move around so I just don't. I know this is not the way I want to live. I live and work at one of the finest medical schools in the southeast. The doctor I work for is a pediatric heart surgeon. He saves little babies lives with little conduits that look like cocktail straws or smaller. Yet, no one can fix ONE damn bone in my body. The new orthopedist says that the joint needs to be cleaned out and probably re-fused and no one around wants to attempt that.
My life is absolutely screwed.

Hi Sally, Just want you to know you are not alone. No ne quite understands how debilitating this SI Joint Dysfunction is....not even people with disc pain. I WISH I had a herniated disc that could be "fixed" with a simple, well-known surgery. I am tying to heal without fixation or fusion surgery, but I am certainly not counting it out. It has been a year and half of sheer hell for me. I have been undergoing prolotherapy treatments which do help: (it's prolotherapy.org) . but I belive my pelvis is twisted pretty badly out of place and keeps losing its correct positioning. Don't give up. There is a doctor out there who will help you. Please email me if you ever feel like chatting. I would be happy to let you in on all my "research" findings. I am currently wearing an SI belt that is great: it's .
I definitely feel a lot more stable with it. Don't give up. I have felt like throwing the towel in more than a few times so I know how you feel. I know I will never be the same as I was, but I do have hope for a "somewhat" normal life again.

Thanks for the support and you are absolutely right. People don't understand that it isn't just a bad back. Right now I am still unsure what to do. The fusion failed and it appears the pins are moving. I really don't plan on going back to Atlanta for a repeat however when it gets real bad who knows. My family MD is angry that I won't go back to Atlanta. I told him the worse case scenario is that I'll show up at ER door and the orthopedist here will have to remove these damn pins. Started a new long acting pain med yesterday, Opana ER. Seems to be working.

Hi Sally,
I think it might be wise to consult with DR. Lippitt. He is the surgeon who really pioneered this surgery AND trained Dr. Amaral. He is in his 70's and retired from surgery, but he still gives consults. He works in the Body Mechanics PT office right next to Dr. Amaral's office. I flew there frm Pennsylvania as I am so desperate. I did not realize that Dr. Lippit was still giving consults, so I missed out on meeting him. There is a weird set up at those offices. Apparantly there is some drama between Lippitt and Amaral. Wen you mention either of their names to the staff at their respective offices, they give a word of disapproval. I picked up on this immediately and asked why? They said that Lippitt used to use the Body Mechanics PT staff to allign the joint just prior to surgery, but Amaral chooses to do it himself (or maybe not at all). Lippitt is the godfather of this surgery and maybe he can advise you best. He may tell you to go back to Amaral and honestly, if I am in as bad pain as you (which sounds like I am I spend most of my day in bed and can not work), I would go back to Amaral to get fixed. At least meeting with Lippitt can give you an expert 2nd opinion and you can bring that with you to see Amaral. I am sorry you have to go through this. I am sorry for myself too. I fear that the surgery will be botched and I will be worse off, but I am beginning to think that is not possible. If I do get the surgery, I will likely use Amaral too since he is an "expert" and most ortho surgeons simply do not have enough of these surgeries under their belt for me to feel comfortable going with them. I am not crazy about Amaral....he was about 1 hour late to my consult even though I flew in from PA and had to fly back out the same day! He blamed his "girls" for not telling him. Well, I let that slide, but then I said something about "needing surgery" and he says to me "no one NEEDS surgery...it's not like you have cancer and are going to die". I looked him straight in the eye and told him I am referring to QUALITY of life and he just interrupted me and spoke over me. Very arrogant. He also told me the surgery only has a 70% success rate. Lippitt used to claim 80-85% (just look at the website). Maybe the percentage of success has fallen off since Amaral took over?? Also, if you go on the testimonials on the website there are all these old letters thanking Lippitt for "giving me my life back". Not one recent letter to Amaral. That scares me. Lippitt retied just a few years ago. I wish I had not missed his boat.

I called the Gainesville GA PT office to make a phone consultation appointment with Vicki Sims (I want to ask her about her expereince with Doppler imaging since no standard imaging shows torn ligaments in the SI region). I was informed by the woman Claudia who made my appointment that Dr. Lippitt is assisting in surgery with a Dr. Weiss in Gainesville. I just about cried tears of relief/happiness. There is another surgeon out there who is an expert in SI surgery AND he is in the OR with Dr. Lippitt's assistance. I am giving prolotherapy a few more months and then flying out get the surgery.
Sally, maybe this is the answer to our prayers!

Wow, I'm glad I found you all. I've been thinking that maybe my "butt" pain was SI and after listening to your symtoms, makes me think even more so. I'm having an injection on Wednesday. Any thoughts regarding this? Also, I'm wondering what stretching exercises to do and which ones to avoid? I've been searching the internet but found conflicting exercises.
It really hurts to sit for long & since this pain flared up 5 or 6 weeks ago, I've spent most of my time laying down. I'm thinking maybe I should be stretching out my muscles.
I really feel for you all. This pain is awful.
Linmarie

I had an SI joint Fusion when I was young. I was 19 years old. It has been 14 years now. It was the BEST thing I have ever done. I was in major pain, I couldn't walk, and my Dad had to carry me around. Even sitting in a wheelchair hurt like heck, it was just constant pain. I developed arthritis in my SI joint so my first surgery was just to go in and clean it up. Get all the arthritic bone out. That didn't work at all- I was still in pain for about a year.

Then SI fusion surgery was brought up. At this time there wasn't a lot of info out there cause this was 14 years ago. I thought to myself I am 20 do I want to be in pain for the rest of my life like this? I went ahead with the surgery because I had nothing to lose. If it didn't work ok I would be in pain , but I still am in pain. I couldn't work or go to college. I had to drop out of my first year of college because walking hurt to much.

I am so glad I had the surgery. I am not in pain anymore- only when the weather gets cold. I still have my screws and plates in. I was supposed to get them removed but my surgeon said if you not in pain and they haven't cracked yet don't fix what's not broken. So we decided that once it does crack then I will have another surgery till then I am walking, running, hiking, etc. all with a fused SI joint.

I recommend SI fusion to anyone BUT you have to make sure you get a darn good surgeon who know's what they are doing. Go to a medical university trauma level one hospital. I had mine done at UCLA-- University of Calif. Los Angeles. The only thing that I had complications on was my pregnancy. Because of the weight I had gained I had to be on bed rest for the last couple of months to avoid putting weight on my SI joint.

Sally, I have heard that the Dr in Atlanta that does the SI Fuisions in Atlanta only uses one screw to hold them in place. There needs to be at least 2 screws to give it stability from what I have read.

I'm so very sorry that you went through all the pain of surgery and it didn't work and now facing surgery to have the pins removed.