Introduction: Sacroiliitis is an inflammation of one or both of the sacroiliac (SI) joints, most often resulting pain in the lower back that can extend down the legs. Pain arising from the SI joint can be difficult to diagnose and treat due to the intricate surrounding ligamentous structure, nerve innervation, and its role in transferring weight from the upper body to the lower limbs. SI joint dysfunction accounts for up to 25% of cases of lower back pain and has a debilitating effect on patient functionality. This review aims to provide comprehensive coverage of all aspects of SI joint pain, with a specific focus on differential diagnosis and treatment.
Methods: Current literature on SI joint pain and inflammation, other etiologies of lower back pain, and new treatment options were compiled using the databases PubMed and Cochrane and used to write this comprehensive review. There were no restrictions when conducting the literature search with regard to publication date, study language, or study type.
Results: The diagnosis protocol of SI joint pain arising from sacroiliitis usually begins with the presentation of lower back pain and confirmatory diagnostic testing through fluoroscopy joint block. Reduction in pain following the anesthetic is considered the golden standard for diagnosis. The treatment begins with the conservative approach of physical therapy and analgesics for symptom relief. However, refractory cases often require interventional methods such as corticosteroid injections, prolotherapy, radiofrequency ablation, and even SI joint fusion surgery.
Conclusion: SI joint pain is a complex problem that can present with varying patterns of pain due to uncertainty regarding its innervation and its prominent surrounding structure. It is therefore especially important to obtain a thorough history and physical on top of diagnostic tests such as a diagnostic block to properly identify the source of pain. Conservative treatment options with physical therapy and analgesics should be attempted first before interventional strategies such as ablation, injections, and prolotherapy can be considered. SI joint fusion surgery is a solution to cases in which previous methods do not provide significant relief.
Introduction: The objective of this study is to compare the effectiveness of the clavicular hook plate (HP) technique and the minimally invasive coracoclavicular (CC) fixation with a TightRope (MITR) procedure in treating acute unstable distal clavicle dislocation.
Method: MITR (minimally invasive TightRope) group had 21 patients, and the open reduction and internal fixation (HP) group included 23 patients. Researchers compared MITR and HP (hook plate) outcomes for the treatment of acute type III AC joint dislocation in a retrospective analysis. The patients were followed up at 1 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. Complications were analyzed such as redislocation, fractures, implant-related complications, or subacromial erosion. For the clinical outcomes, the visual analog scale (VAS) (0: no pain, 10: worst possible pain), Constant-Murley score (CMS) (100: no pain, 0: maximum pain), the average satisfaction score with their current shoulder function (range: 0-10), and the University of California at Los Angeles Shoulder score (UCLA) (>27 good/excellent <27 fair/poor) were recorded at the last follow-up.
Result: There were 21 sufferers in the MITR group, which comprises 19 males and 2 females and 23 individuals in the HP group (20 men and 3 women), with average ages of 43.9 and 39.2, respectively. Age, sex, laterality, and the interval between injury and surgery did not significantly differ between the two groups (0.357, 0.792, 0.432, and 0.55, respectively). No statistically significant difference was found between the groups in terms of the VAS score and CMS score at one year postoperatively. The mean CCD at the initial trauma and last follow-up was not significantly different between the MITR and HP groups (p=0.365, p=0.412 respectively).
Conclusion: For treating acute type III AC dislocations, the minimally invasive TightRope (MITR) system and the hook plate technique were great options. However, the minimally invasive TightRope system showed further benefits such as reduced reoperation for implant removal and reduced risk of subacromial distal clavicle osteolysis.
Purpose: The optimal surgical technique for unstable acromioclavicular (AC) and coracoclavicular (CC) joint injuries has not yet been established. The biomechanical and radiographic effect of the LockDown device, a synthetic ligament for AC joint reconstruction, was evaluated to assess the optimal surgical technique for unstable AC and CC joint injuries. It was hypothesized that the LockDown device would restore AC joint kinematics and radiographic stability to near native values.
Methods: Three fresh frozen cadaveric torsos (6 shoulders) modelled CC joint motion in their "native," "severed," and "reconstructed" states. The effects of stressed and unstressed native, severed, and reconstructed conditions on AC separation and CC distances in anteroposterior, mediolateral, and inferosuperior directions during shoulder abduction, flexion, and scaption were assessed. The analysis of variance (p, 0.05) was used to compare CC distance and peak AC distance in anteroposterior, mediolateral, and inferosuperior directions during shoulder flexion, abduction, and scaption measurements among native, severed, and reconstructed states with unstressed and stressed Zanca radiographic views.
Results: From radiographic analyses, the CC distance was significantly greater (p=0.001) across the surgical state in stressed versus unstressed views. Mean difference between stressed and unstressed views was 1.8 mm in native state, 4.1 mm in severed state, and 0.9 mm in reconstructed state. The CC distance was significantly greater in the "severed" state (10.4 mm unstressed; 14.5 mm stressed) compared to the "native" state (p=0.016) (6.5 mm unstressed; 8.3 mm stressed) and compared to the "reconstructed" state (p=0.005) (3.1 mm unstressed; 4.0 mm stressed) and significantly less (p=0.008) in the "reconstructed" state compared to the "native" state. CC distances decreased from native to reconstructed, an average of 3.3 mm for unstressed and 4.3 mm for stressed. On average, peak AC joint separation distance in anteroposterior, mediolateral, and inferosuperior directions during shoulder-abduction, flexion, and scaption was shown to be restored to 11.5 mm of native values after reconstruction with LockDown device.
Conclusion: Reconstruction of AC joint with LockDown synthetic ligament restores motion of clavicle and acromion to near native values, thereby decreasing scapular dyskinesis and enhancing AC joint stability.