SI Joint Fusion
SI Joint Fusion is an option for patients who have failed conservative and injective therapy associated with SI joint dysfunction. Pain from sacroiliac joint dysfunction can be felt anywhere in the lower back or spine, buttocks, pelvis, groin, or sometimes in the legs. Chronic SI joint pain symptoms can make it difficult to perform common daily tasks and can affect every aspect of a patient's life.
People with SI joint dysfunction can experience pain and impaired function. It's important to note that SI joint pain symptoms can be similar to those of other conditions of the lumbar spine, pelvis, and hip, and you will need an SI joint examination to properly diagnose the origin of the pain.
Surgical Procedure
Sacroiliac (SI) joint fusion is a surgical procedure that is typically performed in an outpatient ambulatory surgery center at Aptiva Health. During the procedure you will be given either general or spinal anesthesia. At Aptiva Health, we utilize the iFuse Implant System, a minimally invasive surgical (MIS) procedure, which requires only a small incision (about one to two inches long), along the side of the buttock.
Your spine surgeon will use a specially designed system to guide the instruments that prepare the bone and facilitate placement of the titanium implants across the sacroiliac joint. With the use of a c-arm, an imaging device commonly used in surgery, your spine surgeon will have real-time moving images of internal structures and the spine during the procedure. Typically, three iFuse Implants are used in an iFuse SI Joint Fusion procedure. Both the surgical technique and the iFuse Implant System are designed to protect the tissues surrounding the surgical site and allow for optimal post-operative recovery.
The entire SI joint fusion procedure takes about an hour, and recovery time is significantly less than open surgery.
Recovery
Some patients may be able to progress rapidly to full weight-bearing. Other patients may require a period of protected weight-bearing due to associated health conditions such as age, osteoporosis, altered bone health, impaired balance, and/ or gait, or other musculoskeletal conditions. You may also receive guidelines to ice the surgical site to reduce any swelling, perform certain exercises including short periods of walking to keep up your strength, and to visit one of our physical therapists. You'll receive post-operative guidelines that are suited to your health and situation. To optimize your recovery it is imperative that you follow your spine surgeon’s advice.
At discharge, your surgeon will arrange follow-up visits to assess your progress and health status (including the status of your incision) and may take additional x-rays of your surgical site. Your spine surgeon will advise you when it is appropriate to resume your daily activities and weight bearing activities, such as walking without crutches or carrying groceries. When you return to work and resume other activities will depend on your postsurgical progress and occupation.
The IFuse system that is used at Aptiva Health has had more than 80 published, peer-reviewed articles demonstrating the safety, effectiveness, durability and economic benefit of the iFuse implant. Multiple clinical studies, including randomized trials, have shown that treatment with the iFuse Implant improved pain, patient function, and quality of life.
In fact, two years after the surgery, patient satisfaction was 88%. The iFuse Implant System was shown to reduce SI joint pain by 68%, reduce the usage of opioids by 29%, and improve back function by 50%. View more details on the randomized controlled trial.
The success of iFuse is due to a few factors:
It was designed specifically to stabilize and fuse the SI joint -- and nothing else.
The iFuse implant’s porous surface facilitates bony ongrowth and ingrowth.
The triangular implant profile minimizes rotation and the press fit minimizes micromotion.