Back Care Awareness Week: Is your Back Pain Being Properly Treated?

Lower back pain is one of the most commonly underdiagnosed and undertreated health conditions in the United States. Back Care Awareness Week, Oct. 5 – 9, serves as a reminder for patients and their health care providers to ensure back pain is properly assessed and resolved with a long-term solution.

Up to 30% of lower back pain is caused by the sacroiliac joint, also known as the SI joint. This often-misunderstood joint is located on either side of the body, where the lower spine and pelvis meet. The joint’s purpose is to stabilize the pelvis so it can help support the weight of the upper body.

The SI joint may become dysfunctional when it is compressed or inflamed as a result of injury, trauma, abnormal motion or misalignment. The pain is often isolated on one side of the body and can range from dull and achy to sharp and stabbing. It typically affects the lower back and buttocks, but it’s not uncommon for the pain to shoot down through the hips and legs.

Common triggers for SI joint pain include running, climbing stairs, walking long distances, and in the most extreme cases — simply standing for a prolonged period of time. Feeling sharp discomfort when bearing more weight on one leg than the other can also indicate SI joint dysfunction.

One factor that makes SI joint pain difficult to diagnose is how closely its symptoms resemble sciatica, which causes a radiating pain along the path of the sciatic nerve from the lower back down the back of the legs.

To ensure lower back pain is properly diagnosed, patients seeking treatment should be prepared to answer the following questions for their doctor:

• Where is your pain located?
• Was the onset of your pain associated with a specific event or injury?
• Does your pain stay in one place or radiate elsewhere?
• Does anything, such as physical activity, standing or sitting, make your pain worse?
• Do you experience aching, numbness, stinging, burning or tingling?

Based on the answers to these questions, a pain physician who is familiar with the SI joint will be able to determine whether SI dysfunction or another issue is causing a patient’s lower back pain.

SI joint dysfunction is managed in a variety of ways, from physical therapy to surgery. PainTEQ’s minimally invasive, highly effective procedure that stabilizes the joint has become an increasingly popular option.

Current data finds the LinQ SI Joint Stabilization System provides 60% of patients with 100% pain relief (see image).

If you are a provider looking to add a safe, single solution for SI joint pain to your practice, call 855-248-7246 or email info@painteq.com.