The sacroiliac (SI) joints connect the base of the spine (the sacrum) to the pelvis (the ilium bones). They play a crucial role in transferring weight between the upper body and legs, providing both stability and flexibility. When these joints become inflamed, irritated, or unstable, the result can be sacroiliac joint pain — a common but often under-recognised source of lower back and buttock pain.
Typical symptoms include:
Causes range from joint wear (degeneration) and inflammation (sacroiliitis) to pregnancy-related instability or trauma. Because sacroiliac pain often overlaps with other spinal or hip problems, expert diagnosis is essential to confirm the true source and guide effective treatment.
At Wessex Pain Clinic, diagnosis begins with a detailed consultation to understand your pain pattern, lifestyle, and any triggering activities. Our consultants perform a focused physical examination, using specific movement and pressure tests designed to reproduce sacroiliac pain.
We may use MRI or CT scans to assess the joint and rule out other spinal causes.
Recovery depends on addressing the joint mechanics. Our team of physiotherapists and rehabilitation specialists focus on pelvic alignment, core stability, and movement retraining. Hydrotherapy offers gentle resistance and support for early mobility. Pain psychology sessions can help manage chronic pain and restore confidence in movement. We ensure a fully integrated care pathway, combining physical, medical, and psychological therapies.
At Wessex Pain Clinic, we work as a team and meet regularly to discuss complex, treatment resistant or unusual cases. As such you will often receive the expertise of several pain consultants. We believe that we are one of very few pain clinics to offer this.
We offer sacroiliac joint injections using local anaesthetic and steroid to calm inflammation and improve mobility.
If pain relief is temporary, radiofrequency denervation (or rhizolysis) can be performed — this involves heating the small nerves that supply the joint to interrupt pain signals. Typically this is a longer term solution that straightforward injections.
Our consultants also work closely with spinal and orthopaedic surgeons and we will liaise with them if we think an operative solution is needed, however this is generally rare with sacroiliac pain.
Our friendly team is on hand to support you every step of the way. Please get in touch at any time.
