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By William Hogan, MD
Blanchard Valley Pain Management

The sacroiliac joint is a large joint in your lower back and buttocks region. There are two sacroiliac joints, one on each side, with ligaments in each joint that hold the bones together. Sacroiliac (SI) joint pain can be difficult to diagnose as other conditions can cause similar symptoms. When the joint becomes painful, it can cause pain in its immediate region or it can refer pain into your groin, hip, buttock or leg. SI joint pain can be aggravated with prolonged standing, sitting, stair climbing, moving from sitting to standing, and running.

The largest cause of sacroiliac pain is arthritis of the SI joints. However, you can experience SI joint pain with traumatic injury, during and after pregnancy, spinal scoliosis and after a lumbar spine fusion. The diagnosis of sacroiliac pain starts with a physical examination and imaging, including X-rays, a CT scan or an MRI.