Considerations for the Surgeon New to Sacroiliac Joint Surgery

Abstract

During my own educational process spanning medical school, orthopedic residency, and a spine surgery fellowship, I never learned much about the sacroiliac joint (SIJ) in terms of functionality and pain generation. I certainly did not learn that people could become functionally disabled with chronic severe pain from a stable appearing SIJ or that fusion surgery could be performed with, at times, almost miraculous results. It was not until I was faced with such a patient that I realized how unequipped I was to both diagnose and treat this problem. As the years past, I began to realize that most surgeons, except for trauma surgeons, were in the same boat as me. Due to the increase in diagnosis of the dysfunctional SIJ and now having surgical instrumentation dedicated to fusing the joint that is all changing. This chapter discusses a few of the urgent considerations for a surgeon embarking on becoming a fuser of the SIJ. These tips have no particular order and will be discussed in various ways throughout this book. I chose to put a chapter together discussing them as a group in hopes that none would be missed from the book altogether as I feel each is important to at least consider.