SI joint injections for leg pain (post-op spinal fusion w/ screws in pelvis)

[leahdragonfly]

Hi Susan,

How much does the SI joint injection hurt? I have heard some reports that it is very unpleasant. I have some trouble with my left SI joint, the one that had a pelvic anchor through it (which was removed almost 2 years ago). What I assume is the joint pops and grinds when I lay down on my back, and many times when I rise from sitting, particularly getting out of the car, the SI joint gives a pretty hard click/pop. As far as I know all my hardware is ok.

I will be asking Dr Hart about this. Did you have your injection done at OHSU?

Thanks,

Gayle

[susancook]

Gayle, the injection was just minimally unpleasant. I did not find it very painful. I saw Dr. Chen and her fellow. I have also seen Dr. Mohler who is the chair of the department, i think. Both Chen and Mohler are women and more compassionate than the male who is also an anesthesiologist who i found had the compassion of a head of lettuce. If you want to make sure that the procedure is less uncomfortable, tell her or whomever you see that you want sedation and they will give you an IV with meds. If you have sedation, you will need to have a driver to take you home. Let me know what you decide to do and I could probably transport you and then you could rest at my duplex which is about 10 minutes away from OHSU.

Then again, it is all a trade off and even if it is very painful for you or anyone, the pain would be just temporary for a longer term trade off. I figure that given the pain that all of us have endured, I could tolerate. Just about anything for a brief time. My thoracic denervation was phenomenally painful, mainly because the nurse could not find her keys to the main drug closet, so they used some other meds. My thoracic area has the large kyphosis, so maybe that made it difficult. That procedure on 3 vertebrae, bilateral took some minutes....seemed like forever. Even as painful as that was, I would do that again, which fortunately I do not EVER need to do because of my fusion. I recently had a cervical denervation bilateral C3,4,and 5 with minimal pain but the correct sedation (I guess that they finally found the keys!).

Take care and send me a message about when your appointment is with Dr. Hart.....I owe you lunch!
Susan