Will my doctor check for SI joint problems?

It’s often not so easy to diagnose the SI joint problems, especially as the primary symptom is lower back pain. As you should be aware, this is a common symptom of several different spinal disorders. So, it won’t be always easy for your doctors to recognize the SI joints as the issue.

Even though the sacroiliac joint is one of the largest joints in the body, it’s deeply buried inside the pelvis. The placement of the joint is another reason why it’s hard for your doctor to locate the issue during the physical examination. Furthermore, it can also be hard for imaging tests to capture the issues with the joint.

So, there are possibilities that SI joint problems are confused with other conditions, such as sciatica and hip arthritis. And, routine tests cannot always pinpoint where actually the issue is.

So, doctors will usually rely on the results of more than one test to diagnose the SI joint problem. Apart from the physical examination and medical history, common tests that are conducted by doctors are:

• Cranial shear test
• Flamingo test
• Gaenslen's test
• Gillet test
• Pelvic compression test
• Pelvic distraction test
• Patrick's test
• Sacroiliac shear test
• Thigh thrust test
• Imaging Tests
• Injection Test