Do you have any experience with sacroiliac joint pain and/or corticosteroids?

Also, should I see a sports doctor? Would they be more well-versed on the issue?

I dislocated both of my sacroiliac joints a few years ago. Before jumping to the corticosteroid injections, my doctor had me try physical therapy. I saw my regular doctor and was diagnosed after an xray to see what was causing the intense pain I was having. I could barely walk due to it. I spent about 3 months in physical therapy and it really helped. Whenever my SI joints start to hurt now, I can do the exercises I was taught in physical therapy and it really helps. I wouldn’t jump to the corticosteroid injections unless other methods didn’t work. From my experience working with patients that had gotten the injections, they only provide temporary relieve and the pain comes back.

While I was in physical therapy for my SI joints, the doctor had me on Lyrica which helps with nerve pain. He said that the pain is actually more of a nerve pain than a joint pain (at least it was in my case with my injury). I don’t know how effective oral steroids would have been, but those are another thing I’d wait to try until other methods have failed because steroids can have quite an effect on your whole body.

Ohh, there is also a support belt that you can get that will help with the pain sometimes too. My physical therapist told me about it a few times, but I never tried it.

Well @Seaofclouds it’s a biomechanical issue– my left leg is shorter than my right, causing me to put most of my weight on my left side. Years of sports, along with suddenly stopping most physical activity I know, I shouldn’t have done that has made it bother me a lot. Like, walking around my house, I’ll get a stabbing pain that brings me to my knees. It really fucking hurts, but it’s sporadic. Anyway, can you tell me how physical therapy would help if it’s a mater of uneven leg lengths?

@Facade With it being from the uneven legs, I don’t know if physical therapy would help much. The exercises might help with the pain, but then again, they might not. Since it’s because of the uneven leg length, I’d ask the doctor if they think physical therapy might help. This article and this one (at the bottom of each) have some of the exercises I use to do and that I still do when I have pain. You could take these with you to your appointment and ask your doctor if they might help you.

As far as price of the corticosteroid injections, a lot of that depends on your doctor’s office and your insurance. Usually the doctor’s office has an injection fee and then the charge for the medication as well (not counting the visit cost to get it all set up and then the visit for the injection). What your insurance covers will vary.

The doctors I worked with would also inject a little bit of a local anesthetic with the corticosteroid to help with pain relief. Basically, the local anesthetic would help with some immediate pain relief (within about 15 minutes or so) and then the corticosteroid would help with any swelling and pain relief after that. Some patients experienced rebound pain once the corticosteroid wears off.

@Seaofclouds Do you know how long the effects of the medicine lasts? Also, how has lyrica helped you?

@Facade – I think my advice is not as worthwhile as Seaofclouds because my two instances where I had the steroid injections were a different cause than either of you.. but here’s my case anyways.

I had unresolved bursitis in my right hip that was very much helped by corticosteroid injection, and recently a shoulder that managed to get dislocated all on it’s own (who knew that could happen!?) – and after they shoved it back into the socket they injected the steroids to help—and once again, all was well.

So, two cases where I had the steroid injections..different cause/reason than yours or @Seaofclouds…but in both cases I found the steroids to be miraculously helpful.

In both cases it involved two shots. The first shot was some numbing medication (like novocaine) into the location where they were going to inject me with the steroid..then the steroid. In both cases I literally walked out of the doctor’s office feeling completely healed. In both cases after the novocaine wore off I ached a bit..but even that was better than how it had felt before.
Both cases the steroids did the trick and I felt 100% better within a week.

My dad is a doctor and in both of these cases (years apart, mind you) he insisted I see an Orthopedic specialist doctor.

We have a practice of them nearby (and yes, they do a lot of sports medicine, but also a lot of broken bones.. and there were a LOT of elderly folks in the waiting room…so I remember feeling…all too healthy/mobile to be there)..and that’s who I saw.

So, if you can find a Sports Med/Orthopedic specialty group..that might be a plus.

Oh, and I didn’t think the shots were painful at all. But then.. I’ve been through childbirth a couple of times and have been told I have an unusually high pain threshold..so, your mileage may vary.

@Facade The steroid injections really depend on the person and the injury. Since yours is because of uneven leg lengths, I would think there is a good possibility of it recurring. Most patients I’ve seen with steroid injections can go pretty far in between needing them again, once again, that depends on them and the injury. Some patients get one and never get another one. I think those are usually more for people that have a temporary problem though. Most of the ones I’ve seen were due to arthritis type issues. The Lyrica was great for me. I don’t take it anymore, but if I started having the pain like I did before, I’d definitely take it again. It is expensive though (at least it is if your insurance doesn’t cover it or if you have a high copay).

I have one leg shorter than the other and a mild scoliosis For years I wore a lift in one short to even things out. Now that I wear mostly cushioned sneaks, I find that my religious attention to my exercise program takes care of the discomfort.

For me also, a very hard mattress, desk chairs with lumbar supports (and using a little cushion or rolled-up towel in car, movies, restaurants…anywhere with killer chairs. Sometimes if I forget, I simply roll up my hoodie or jacket.)

I would strongly suggest that you do no exercises unless under the supervision of a trained and licensed Physical Therapist. S/he will design a program suited to your injuries, your age and your physical condition.

Additionally, she will start slowly and teach you how to increase intensity and repetitions without injury

I just received two shots in each SI joint today. The shots were provided by my pain specialist. Yes it hurts (I cried) but you have to think of this, which would hurt worse weeks or months of more pain or pain for a day to see if you can be freed up to be the real you. I’m hoping this works and I’m keeping a positive attitude about it. I can deal with the pain I have had up until now but I need to loose weight and I can’t exercise to loose weight until I can walk a quarter of a mile without being crippled afterwards. So at first my rear end was numb and still is a bit but that is wearing off and now I just feel uncomfortable and achey but hey thats because I had needles in my joints. I also have Arthritis in the last 3 joints of my back and I have Oral Lichen Planus as well as Lichen Planus (the skin one) I havent been diagnosed yet but I may have some fibromyalgia as well. But with all this going against me I still try to stay strong and key is to always treat others really nice because it makes me feel good inside and out. I will pray for you, keep up the research and NEVER take a Doctors word ALWAYS do your own research as well. I have already fired my MD for not listening to me!