Persistent pregnancy-related lower back pain and pelvic girdle pain (or postpartum pelvic girdle pain, PPGP) is a major health issue among postpartum women.

About 50% of women have pelvic girdle pain during pregnancy and 25% experience pain after pregnancy. Approximately 5% of all pregnant women continue to have pain (PPGP) 3 years following delivery. The pain may be due to sacroiliac joint dysfunction.

SI joint pain is a component of pelvic girdle pain and is primarily located between the posterior iliac crest and the gluteal fold.

Symptoms

• Lower back pain (below L5)
• Sensation of lower extremity:
• pain, numbness, tingling, weakness
• Pelvis / buttock pain
• Hip / groin pain
• Disturbed sleep patterns due to pain
• Feeling of leg instability (buckling, giving way)
• Disturbed sitting patterns (unable to
• sit for long periods, sitting on one side)
• Pain going from sitting to standing
• Sciatica like symptoms

Non-surgical Management

• Oral pain medications (NSAIDs, opioids, etc.)
• SI belting
• Physical therapy
• Therapeutic SI joint injections

Surgery: SI Joint Fusion

If a patient experiences ongoing or recurrent pain, this may be due to an underlying disruption. For chronic PPGP lasting >6 months due to a sacroiliac joint disruption, fusion of the sacroiliac joint may be an option.

iFuse Implant System

Patients refractory to non-surgical management may benefit from minimally invasive surgical (MIS) fusion of the SI joint. The iFuse Implant System, with its patented triangular implant design, has produced unparalleled clinical results.8 Multiple published, peer-reviewed articles demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the iFuse ProcedureSM, including results from prospective multicenter clinical trials.9-11 The iFuse Implant System is the only SI joint fusion system with clinical studies demonstrating that treatment improved pain, patient function, and quality of life.