diagnosis of Osteoporosis in the sacroiliac joint!

Surf

Hi guys,

Newbie here! Just wondering if anyone else out there has had this diagnosis. So far I’ve only had an x-ray for the hips but instead of there being a hip problem it’s this joint between pelvis and spine.

I’ve had a scoliosis from childhood and back pain for at least the last 10 years. Most of the physios have always said just keep up with the expertises and keep the weight down. They’ve always told me there’s nothing else that can be done. My pain is worse at night and in the mornings. The things is...do I get a referral for an MRI or even just to get a consultant. I have a GP appointment this afternoon.

[Deleted User]

Hi and welcome to the forums - we are here to help and I'm sure you will find any answers from our varied membership.
Al

Surf

Sorry got it wrong first time....OA....rather than what I first posted which was Osteoporosis!

stickywicket

To be honest, and a little blunt, I'm not sure how an MRI would help. If the x-ray says OA is an MRI likely to say any different? I'd have thought not though it's worth an ask if you have an appointment.

I'd make sure you ask all about the x-ray. I think the sacro-iliacs is an unusual place for OA to start but the scoliosis could be a factor. GPs are usually very good at explaining about x-rays and consultant reports so I hope yours will be an you'll feel able to ask what you've asked on here. Have you someone to take with you as a second pair of ears? Always useful. Please let's know how you get on.

Surf

Hi Sticky Wicket,

Yes I think it’s started their because of my imbalance. I was only thinking MRI in regards to the rest of the spine?....check out if it’s elsewhere...but yes at least they have already picked up where it is.

Surf

Doctor has done a referral for MRI. He seemed a little clueless about the fact that OA in the SI causes a lot of back pain...hoping someone out there knows what I’m going on about!

dreamdaisy

Hello, I have OA all over the shop thanks to my first arthritis (an auto-immune one, psoriatic) but not in my back, not so far. I daresay it will rock up in due course because my bad joints are causing me to throw others out of kilter. I am pleased you have your referral, back when I was having MRIs on receipt of my appontment letter I would ring the department and state I could come in if they had a cancellation, on one occasion I had the scan within a few hours! I was lucky to live near the hospital and still do. Please let us know how you get on. DD

stickywicket

Thanks for the update. I hope the MRI will make things clearer. So much of arthritis involves waiting for things to happen.

Surf

Thank you my lovelies. I’ve had back trouble for a long time but I guess now I know I have OA it’s time to get under a consultant if I can

dreamdaisy

It's GPs that deal with OA - the only consultants that might have a part to play are orthopaedic if the affected joints need replacing and / or fusing. DD

crinkly1

Hello Surf.

Am sorry you have OA in sacro-iliac joints. That was one of the places in which my OA first made itself known and it has continued to be my biggest mobility issue as it quickly kicks in with excruciating pain, severely limiting my walking, standing, bending etc.

The MRI scan will show in more detail than an x-ray can how the soft tissues around the joint are affected and, although the rheumatologist may not be able to help you, an orthopaedic consultant who specialises in spines will know if there is anything that can be done.

Until very recently there was little, if any, effective treatment for SI arthritis but I just read that some surgeons are successfully using a new, relatively simple, technique for treating SI related pain.

Whether one can access that depends on what the scans show and if the procedure is available in your area.
After 30 years of living with the limitations any possible solution is more than welcome so it's good to see even a chink of light and I'll be interested to hear how you get on.

Surf

Hi crinkly,

So happy to hear from you! Like you I find this pretty debilitating...although I seem to have almost got used to constant pain I’m pretty sure it is getting worse. I really struggle to stand, sit for long, turn over in bed and get out of bed. It’s especially bad if I stay stood preparing a meal for example.....I’m glad that you feel that getting a spine specialist and see an orthopaedic surgeon is a good idea. I’ve also read about this new less invasive procedure that they do...like you say there’s a little bit of hope out there.....I also want to check that’s there’s nothing else going on like spondylitis. Will let you know how I do.

Don’t get me wrong...I realise I may not be at the stage for surgery but I just feel an expert eye would be good. Sorry to hear that you have had such a long time with this condition and it started in the SI...dare I ask where it went from there? :shock:

dreamdaisy

I no longer stand for any length of time when doing household chores, veg prep, cooking and ironing can all be done whilst sitting. I never found perching stools of any use as they stressed my knees and ankles so I used a folding chair. I invested in a cordless vacuum, changed our pots and pans, we have two single mattresses pushed together on a superking base so we can have suitable individual support and I will ensure that my next mattress is a no-turn. Sleeping is difficult with pain breakthrough, needless to say the medical solution is more drugs but that's not for me. My SI joints are also affected but I have no idea by which arthritis and I don't care. Like the rest of me they can't be fixed so I muddle on with pain relief, rest and exercise.

It's all about the arthritis ABC, adapt, believe and compromise. Adapt is about changing our behaviours, believe is trusting oneself to carry on and succeed albeit differently and more slowly, compromise is things like choosing which event of two or three to attend and which to cancel. I no longer accept long-term invitations where numbers are a factor as I have no idea how I will be in two hours, never mind a year hence! DD

Surf

Hi DD,

Sorry to hear about all of the struggles you have. Thank you for your advice on some of the modifications you have made.

I guess it’s early days for me...I’m just finding my way through. I’m already seeing that change is going to have to happen but I need my mind to catch up with it all!

dreamdaisy

As I said to somebody else, I don't see it as struggling - if I find an obstacle I then find a way to overcome it but I am 'lucky' that life has always been this way: if you are coming at this from a healthy background then to find your body letting you down and not working as it should must be a dreadful shock - things are far easier when it never has! DD

Surf

Nope. Definitely not from a healthy background. Just an extra to add to the list!

crinkly1

Must say I'm a little confused by DD's assertions above that she has no arthritis in her back so far yet that her SI joints are affected but I do agree with her that there are various possible adaptions to make life a bit easier. We choose the most appropriate aids for our own personal needs as we go along (mine are not the same as DD's) but, if there is now a less invasive surgical procedure that will improve quality of life I am all for it - even in my 70s!

As for the progression of my OA I really can't remember the details of when which joint became involved - just that hands, and back were the first to make their plight known when I was in my late 30s.

Hopefully, before long, research will be able to differentiate between the different types of OA and provide more accurate diagnoses and predictions but, meanwhile, you have encouraged me to pursue the possibility of this latest treatment system. It would be great to be able to walk comfortably round a supermarket instead of using crutches or wheelchair and to escape increasingly long-lasting bouts of sciatica!

When you have more news it would be good to post on the 'Living with Arthritis' forum where more members are likely to add their experience of living with SI arthritis.

Surf

Hi Crinkley,

I will try and post for you. Just trying to find my way around the forum though x

Thank you for the support it’s much appreciated.

dreamdaisy

Right, two apologies coming up!

Surf, I had forgotten that you have a history of scoliosis, I am sorry. My only defence is that I am not at my best at the moment, I have the attention span of a gnat foetus. :oops:

Crinkly1, you are absolutely right to be confused and I suspect it's my less than basic knowledge of anatomy that has led you astray (me too, for that matter). My SI joints are affected but the pain/discomfort runs through my hip and groin area, not my back, so that led me to think my back is unaffected. I have been working on my posture for years, I sit straight and well-supported, walk upright no matter how much it hurts and try to keep my shoulders pulled back all with the aim of keeping what isn't arthritic as staying that way for as long as possible. I am sorry for confusing you. DD

Surf

No worries DD...I do have quite a few health issues as well as the scoliosis but I guess my knowledge isn’t great on Osteo. It’s a steep learning curve and I’m making sure I understand the balance of rest and exercise. I just want to check out the condition of the rest of my spine because of the scoliosis and find out if it’s going to be self help or if anything else can be done. As the X-ray was originally for hip not spine.

I’m only 50 and although have grown up children I also have adopted boys and want to make sure I do what I can to stay mobile...whatever that may be! Luckily for me I have a husband who is rather like ‘tigger’ so he tends to pick up the slack for me.