Sacroiliac joint pain: is the medical world aware enough of its existence? Why not considering sacroiliac joint fusion in the recalcitrant cases?

Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pain is a common contributor to low back pain, present in 10–30% of patients with chronic low back pain (1-5). SIJ pain impairs quality of life similarly to other spine conditions (6,7). Non-surgical treatments, such as physical therapy, chiropractic, intraarticular SIJ steroid injections and prolotherapy have minimal evidentiary support. Two small trials of periarticular corticosteroids (8,9) and radiofrequency neurotomy of sacral nerve root branches (10,11) suggest short-term therapeutic benefit. No published high-quality studies support long-term effectiveness of any non-surgical treatment for SIJ pain.