Has anyone ever had SI-Joint Fusion??? Pros & Cons, please!

I was diagnosed with DDD and had my disc replaced in October of 2014. After 3 months we couldn't figure out why I wasn't getting better and I did si injections to see if that would help and of course it didn't. I had DDD for 10 years but when it first started to bother me doctors didn't believe me cause they said I was to young to have back problems. So of course they just kept giving me pain pills and muscle relaxers which helped when my back would go out but never cured the problem. So about over a year ago I finally put my foot down with my doctor and told them I was tired of their temporary fix(pain pills) and wanted to see a specialist and they refereed me to a spinal disorder place. The doctor was in shock when my xrays came back and said that he couldn't believe the other doctors ignored my back problem. So of course there was only one solution since it got so bad over 10 years I had to have my disc on L4 L5 replaced so we did that. Then 3 to 4 months later I was still in pain. So they did another xray and a ct scan and it showed my si joint was inflamed. So 7 months after my back surgery I had my si joint fused. And it's been 7 weeks after my surgery and it was the best choice I ever made. After living with the back pain I had and after 2 surgeries for it all to be gone is the most amazing feeling. Just like everyone else I was sceptical about another surgery cause I kept thinking if this don't work what else is next? Another surgery. But I don't ever have to worry about that. I recommend this surgery to anyone. I'm 37 and my body feels like it did in my early 20's. I'm still recovering but I can do things without the pain there anymore. So from my point and after going through it I recommend this surgery. For the first month you can't drive and you have to use crutches or a walker cause u can't put any pressure on the side you get it done on but in the end it's all worth it.

I was diagnosed with DDD and had my disc replaced in October of 2014. After 3 months we couldn't figure out why I wasn't getting better and I did si injections to see if that would help and of course it didn't. I had DDD for 10 years but when it first started to bother me doctors didn't believe me cause they said I was to young to have back problems. So of course they just kept giving me pain pills and muscle relaxers which helped when my back would go out but never cured the problem. So about over a year ago I finally put my foot down with my doctor and told them I was tired of their temporary fix(pain pills) and wanted to see a specialist and they refereed me to a spinal disorder place. The doctor was in shock when my xrays came back and said that he couldn't believe the other doctors ignored my back problem. So of course there was only one solution since it got so bad over 10 years I had to have my disc on L4 L5 replaced so we did that. Then 3 to 4 months later I was still in pain. So they did another xray and a ct scan and it showed my si joint was inflamed. So 7 months after my back surgery I had my si joint fused. And it's been 7 weeks after my surgery and it was the best choice I ever made. After living with the back pain I had and after 2 surgeries for it all to be gone is the most amazing feeling. Just like everyone else I was sceptical about another surgery cause I kept thinking if this don't work what else is next? Another surgery. But I don't ever have to worry about that. I recommend this surgery to anyone. I'm 37 and my body feels like it did in my early 20's. I'm still recovering but I can do things without the pain there anymore. So from my point and after going through it I recommend this surgery. For the first month you can't drive and you have to use crutches or a walker cause u can't put any pressure on the side you get it done on but in the end it's all worth it.

Did you have wet xrays done to detect a leg length discrepancy??

Hi DTMan32,

How have you been regarding your SI fusion and excersize? I just had one 28days ago.

Your last post was inspirational to me but I am willing to hear your current insight...... now that more time has gone by. Any pointers? Advise on types of excersize? Swimming, biking.... Etc. what have you learned so far? Do you regret? Are you still better off?.... Etc???

Thx jody

Hi,

How are you feeling now since you've had your SI fusion,

Thx jody

How are you today, re: your SI fusion.

I too have been a healthy athlete with no prior health issues. I'm 6 weeks post op and still in crutches with some pain in groin.....

I've really hung onto your comment and always wanted an up date! Help, input!

I hope this finds you!

Please respond, jody

Hi Jody,

I am 7 weeks post op. I had the ifusion method. I was off the crutches at 4 weeks. I am using a cane now. I feel tightness in the buttock area. My pain is gone and that is a great relief. I had low back pain, hip pain, buttock pain, groin pain, and sciatic pain. I was unable to walk, stand, or sit before the surgery. I do have discomfort now while sitting in some chairs, probably due to the rods in my si joint. Lying on my back is also uncomfortable. I see progress every week post op so hopefully that will pass. I hope you are doing well.

I had R SI JOINT FUSION 11 days ago. I am so frustrated that I can barely get around. I thought I would take pain Meds for a week, and that would be that. Well, I am wondering if anyone can tell me how long I can expect to be in pain? I have my first follow up Friday.

I think I should be able to fix myself food, etc, without pain, but it's not possible.

I went out to lunch on Sunday with a walker and I feel I am back to square one.

If I know what is relatively normal, it will be easier to tolerate.

It's difficult to find much information about post surgical recovery. I think my surgeon may have been too optimistic, or maybe it was me who was optimistic.

Any information that you may have would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you very much.

You are not supposed to be weight bearing until after the fusion heals. This could be 8 weeks +/- 2 weeks. Who told you could be walking around the house let alone outside?

You probably messed things up. The implants wouldn't even be set in yet let alone the SI joint fusion having any bone growth.

The main reason these fail is because people don't listen and weight bear too early.

I just had the open SI joint fusion. I am 2 weeks post op and my original pain is gone which is so great. A little history from me I am an active athlete and have been dealing with chronic pain in my SI joint since 2011. I do have a fracure on L5 which my doctors thought was the source of the pain. After a couple of second opinions we found the source of my pain through injections to my right SI joint. It was a great feeling like a light switch being turned off. I did physical therapy and injections over the years to try and manage the pain. As the pain got worse the use of pain meds were needed I was able to continue staying active but it got more and more difficult over the years. I was lucky to have a great pain management doctor that helped me diagnos the problem and helped me navigate the approval process with insurance. I found a doctor that has been trained to use the minimally invasive method but with active patients he found that doing the open method with bone graft has given him better results. I am very happy post op with my pain management. It is amazing to wake up following surgery and having that continual kick in the butt be gone. It is the best choice that I have made. I will keep you up to date as I go through PT and get toward weight bearing and beyond.

Hi there

I was due to have si fusion on the 22nd of this month (Feb 2017) but cancelled after reading an article by a company called Regenexx who claimed that joint fusion rid patients of pain after the operation, but then several years down the line the problems started. They said that as the joint is fused, other joints and muscles surrounding the area have to work harder to compensate for the fused joint, and later in life you get more pain & more complications! I'm now visiting my Chiropractor regularly & trying to exercise more but I'm still in constant pain so not sure what to do! How long ago did you have your op & are you still pain free?

Tanya wrote:

Hi there

I was due to have si fusion on the 22nd of this month (Feb 2017) but cancelled after reading an article by a company called Regenexx who claimed that joint fusion rid patients of pain after the operation, but then several years down the line the problems started. They said that as the joint is fused, other joints and muscles surrounding the area have to work harder to compensate for the fused joint, and later in life you get more pain & more complications! I'm now visiting my Chiropractor regularly & trying to exercise more but I'm still in constant pain so not sure what to do! How long ago did you have your op & are you still pain free?

I had Bilateral SI Joint fusions back in 2006. I have had great success with the procedure. I was able to go back to work however I did not function as I did before the accident. I cannot sit for a long period of time so my office job was very difficult. I could not walk for long periods of time so grocery shopping or any job that required walking was out as well. I returned to work driving a truck. I had huge success with this for 6 year until my husband and I were hit by another truck driver. I was asleep in the bunk at the time. I now have a bulging disk at l5s1 and the sciatica in both legs has returned as well as muscle spasms and other problems. The disk in l5s1 does not look bad enough for surgery so now back to square 1.

I believe I had success due to the surgeon I used as well as my recovery. I did not walk on it until after 3 months. At that time I did physical therapy in a pool with very little weight on me. I know my limits and I do not abuse them. If you are active (I used to be very active) you will have to work with some pain. I know one of the patients my doctor did surgery on was a triathlete and was training to compete but she only had the surgery on 1 joint not both. I know I cannot run, jump, etc any longer.

I am truly thankful I had the surgery because before the surgery I could not do any of that and I had to crawl to the bathroom at night and crawl to my car after work. I had no quality of life at that point. I tried everything for a year and every doctor said it was in my head. I finally found the doctor who saved me and gave me a portion of my life back. To this day I have no regrets from my surgery and I am 10 years post op have had no major issues until I was in another accident.

I wish you the best of luck and if you need anymore things answered I will do my best. I think the best thing you can do is be sure to do research on your doctor check for malpractice suits and patient reviews before you decide as well.

neliah2507 wrote:

I have a million questions regarding this type of joint repair but here are my major ones for anyone willing to share their experience:

1. How did you get your SI-joint pain diagnosed without feeling unsure it was the problem?

2. How long did you attempt to fix this issue with PT before you decided surgery was what you needed?

3. How long did you have pain prior to your surgery?

4. Did the surgery take away all of your pain/discomfort?

5. How long did it take to heal?

6. Are you back to normal activities or do you have specific limitations?

Thank you in advance and I truly appreciate any responses!

Ask yourself the question, was this joint made in a fused state? If the answer is no, then you are making a bad choice if you go for surgery. It's a joint for a reason.

I had both my si joints fused (I-fuse). The right side was done 5 years ago in May. The left side was done 2 years ago in Jan. The right side took 17 months before the pain went away. My back would shift from side to side thoughout the entire 17 months until it found its "happy spot" and one morning I woke up and had 0 pain from head to toe. I felt like I won the lottery. To go from constant pain from head to toe to 0 was like a miracle. That was early Dec. Soooo excited that this really works I called to schedule my other side. The left side was done Jan 21,2015 so for 6+ weeks I had 0 pain on my right side. Here's where the problem started. After surgery you cannot put any pressure on that leg for 2 months. I was about a week away from getting rid of the walker, and just went from a laying position to a sitting position and heard a loud "crack" come from the right si joint (the healed side). I followed all the rules!! I have been in pain ever since with the pain getting worse lately. I have had all the tests, x-ray, mri, ct scan, emg and they don't "see" anything there. I feel like a piece of the healed bone around the rods broke loose when I heard that "crack" and it feel like it has stabbed me in a nerve in my si joint. The only thing that showed up is nerve and muscle damage in the si joint area during the emg but they say it doesn't "specify" a particular nerve so there's nothing they can do. I am waiting for all my records to be sent to UW Health in Madison,WI where I am hoping someone will find a better test or have different ideas or at least listen to me. This is horrible. Has anyone else ever had something like this happen? How did the find the broken piece? They say they can't do exploratory surgery unless they "see" something on one of these tests. They say thee nerve and muscle damage is "mild" so they can't go in. I cannot like like this. I am in #8 pain 24/7 with occasional 9-10. They doctors all do the same thing...take a test...ring up the bill and say "everything looks good". I need a doctor that really cares and has the knowledge and tool to find and remove this bone fragment. Any help would be appreciated. The 2nd surgery healed well and have a 1-2 pain level as it should be. Sooo worth it!!

If anyone is still wondering, I DID have my SI joint fused and it was the best thing that happened to me. I was a big time ultra runner. And then one day my low back, SI area started hurting. It got to the point where I could not sit for more than 10 minutes, couldn't walk down the street. My life was over as I knew it due to the pain. I did EVERYTHING ANYONE COULD SUGGEST. yes, even you, who thinks you know everything, I did that, too. Three years and nine physicians later I met an orthopedic surgeon who said a fusion would fix it. I looked at message boards like this and saw people saying ' don't do it! It's a mistake!' Fools. You have no idea what kind of pain people are in. Or the fact that the SI joint tends to fuse on its own over time. It's only supposed to move a TINY bit. And if it moves any more than that is causes incredible problems - mine led all the way to neck issues.

So I went for it. Three titanium screws in the joint, three hours later and I woke up and the pain was totally DIFFERENT. That nagging, awful, horrible, dibitating pain was GONE.

It takes a long time to recover from three years of messed up posture. But it's been 18 months and I'm doing great. I can go to movies again. I can sit through dinner. And YES. I can run. I will never run ultra marathons again but so what. Could I? Probably after many years of healing. But I don't want to. That's not healthy anyway. I ran a trail 10K last night and it was awesome.

It took patience to heal and I still have residual issues with my neck and ribs, but my SI Joint doesn't make a PEEP any more.

DO IT. Get your life back.

Don't listen to fear mongers who don't know what they are talking about!

Hey Sjane,

how did you get your diagnoses?

I suffer from Si joint arthritis at 24 years old. i Believe it was caused when i flipped my ATV/Quad on top of me, landing on my sacrum around age 14, i was able to walk after the accident even with a decent amount of pain so i just spent a few weeks taking it easy letting the aches and pains heal and i was fine for a few years. symptoms of back pain began a few years later around 18 years old and i have never been the same since. I've had every scan possible. Bone scan, multiple mri's and ct scans. every doctor says my back is fine besides advance si joint arthritis bilateral. doctors sent me to get si joint injections which gave no relief at all. I have Mild inflammation with advance arthritis is what is seen on all scans. since injections haven't worked, they sent me to rhematologist believing it could be auto immune related.I basically took all there anti-inflammatory medications they have to offer with no relief.... now i have to be careful how i sit. hard surfaces and certain chairs cause alot of pain and discomfort. Doctors are unsure to go through with surgery because i have no response to steriod/lidocane injections into the si joints. They tell me just because you have arthritis and inflammation doesn't mean you qualify for surgery. protocol is to get a positive response from diagnostic injections...kind of at the end of my rope here.

i'm debateing if i should go ahead with surgery anyway...even though the diagnostic injections don't work.

In the mean time. going to try PT and and more medication just to try to get me by for the 5th time lol.

Hi, I'm curious about your recovery. I've suffered from SI joint dysfunction for almost 15 years and am at the point, especially now during a bad flare, that surgery is going to have to happen. I've tried and failed everything. What was your recovery time and restrictions? Thanks!

Hi, is your group still up and running on Facebook? I had ifuse sacroiliac fusion on left side 3 days ago. would love to hear how your recovery went ad husband tips from someone who has been through it.

Claire Thomas