A person seated on a wooden step, holding their lower back with a pained expression, indicating lumbar discomfort or injury.

Other Injuries

Sacroiliitis

Sacroiliitis or inflammation of the sacroiliac joint, is the most common cause of sacroiliac joint pain and the leading cause of sacroiliac joint dysfunction. Sacroiliitis is arthritis of the sacroiliac joint. Trauma is the leading cause of sacroiliitis. Traumatic injuries to the pelvis can occur with a fall, sports injury or motor vehicle accident. Once the sacroiliac joint is injured it becomes unstable and deteriorates over several years resulting in lower back pain to the side of the butt crack. Sacroiliac joint pain is the third most common cause of chronic lower back pain.

There are two sacroiliac joints (SIJ) located in the lower back. The sacroiliac joint connects the spine to the hips. There is a right and a left SIJ. The SIJ is a large weight bearing joint and can be injured easily with forceful injuries to the pelvis or hips. Strong ligaments hold the sacrum to the iliac bones and normally prevent excessive movement at the joint. Forceful injuries tear the ligaments and loosen the joint allowing excessive movement and this can result in pain. Over time the joint wears down and becomes arthritic, causing pain with movement.

Diagnosing sacroiliac joint pain requires a focused physical exam of the joint. X-rays, cat scan and MRI can be ordered and may be helpful at times, but the diagnosis is mainly based on the clinical exam. Occasionally, a nerve block is needed to confirm the sacroiliac joint is the actual source of back pain. These diagnostic tests are performed routinely at Deuk Spine Institute. At Deuk Spine Institute the diagnosis and treatment of sacroiliac joint pain is well established and performed daily.

Traditional treatment of sacroiliitis (sacroiliac joint arthritis) includes physical therapy, anti-inflammatories, pain medication, injections, heat and ice, creams and even stem cells or PRP. These treatments may help for a short time but usually wear off and the pain returns. Episodes of sacroiliac joint pain can be disruptive to daily routines and lead to unnecessary suffering.

Deuk Spine Institute pioneered a proprietary new treatment to permanently eliminate sacroiliac joint pain in over 95% of cases by using a small probe to destroy the pain nerves to the painful joint. This procedure is called the Deuk Plasma Rhizotomy® for the sacroiliac joint. This procedure was pioneered at Deuk Spine Institute in 2023 by founder neurosurgeon, Dr. Ara Deukmedjian MD. The Deuk Plasma Rhizotomy® is the safest, most effective and durable treatment for sacroiliac joint dysfunction. It is not the same as an RFA (radiofrequency ablation). Now, there is no need for complicated surgery or fusion, Deuk Plasma Rhizotomy® is performed with a band aid incision under anesthesia and no hospitalization or down time. Most patients return to work within 1-3 days after the procedure.

To find out if you are a good candidate for one of our advanced treatments, please complete our Free MRI Review

An animated picture highlighting the SI joint pain necessitating the SI joint Deuk Plasma Rhizotomy from Deuk Spine Institute.

Piriformis Syndrome

Piriformis syndrome is lower back or hip pain originating from an injured piriformis muscle deep within the buttock. The pain is usually located deep under the gluteus muscle in the top half of the buttock. Severe tenderness of the buttock to touch is a common symptom when the injury flares up. Because the sciatic nerve passes under the piriformis muscle, leg pain, numbness, tingling and weakness are possible when the piriformis muscle is inflamed.

Piriformis syndrome is the fourth most common cause of chronic lower back pain following disc herniation, facet joint arthritis and sacroiliac joint inflammation. Piriformis syndrome is the second most common cause of sciatica following lumbar spinal stenosis from a disc herniation. Most doctors don’t know how to diagnose piriformis syndrome, and many do not know of its existence. Piriformis syndrome is now curable with proper treatment at Deuk Spine Institute.

Vertebral Fractures

Spine fractures account for less than 1% of the causes of chronic lower back pain. Fractures can involve bones of ligaments in the spine. Bone fractures are more common than ligament fractures. Fractures of the spine occur under several different scenarios, The most common is osteoporotic compression fractures due to weakened bones in the spine and other areas of the body. Osteoporosis is due to a hormonal imbalance in the body that shifts bone metabolism into a resorptive state where bone lysis outpaces bone formation resulting in weakened bones susceptible to fracture. Both men and women get osteoporosis.

$A picture showcasing vertebral fractures on the lumbar spine.$

Coccydynia

Coccydynia is pain located at the tip of the tailbone just above the anus. Pressing on the tip of the tailbone causes the pain to worsen. The cause of coccydynia is trauma to the tailbone. This most commonly occurs with a fall while landing on your butt. The most common symptom is pain in the tailbone that gets worse with sitting on a hard surface like a chair. Pain comes from inflammation of a ligament that connects the coccyx to the end of the sacrum bone. Trauma to the coccyx overstretches the ligament and causes tears to form in the ligament. The ligament tears cause inflammation to occur within the ligament which in turn causes pain and tenderness in the “tailbone”.

Others - Infection and Tumors

To find out if you are a good candidate for one of our advanced treatments, please complete our Free MRI Review

Visit our Facts page to discover more interesting facts about spinal health.

An axial cross section of a spine symbolizing that there may be other causes of back pain such as tumors and infections too.

Accurately diagnose the cause of chronic back pain

Deuk Spine Institute specializes in accurately diagnosing the sources of chronic back pain so you can learn exactly what is causing your back pain. Our Free MRI Review includes a videoconference where our spine specialist will virtually examine you and with the help of your MRI scan, diagnose your actual back “pain generators”. Pain generators are the specific joints, muscles and nerves causing your pain.

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Other Injuries

Accurately diagnose the cause of chronic back pain