ID: 222376 Far-Contralateral Oblique (FCO) Sacroiliac Joint Injection: Description of a Novel Technique

Abstract

Axial low back pain (LBP) has been one of the primary causes of years lived with a disability, and it continues to be an expanding burden on health systems as the global population continues to grow. Though some patients experience LBP originating from facet mediated and vertebrogenic pain, about 15-25% of patients with LBP have pain originating primarily from the sacroiliac joint (SIJ). As the treatments offered for SIJ mediated pain continue to evolve, appropriately diagnosing this diarthrodial joint as the primary pain mediator becomes even more critical. Traditionally, the intra-articular SIJ injections are targeted towards the inferior 1/3 of the SIJ. Due to patients’ variable anatomy and pathological changes that occur with time, accessing the joint from this area may become challenging. For the objective of our study, we propose entering the superior ⅓ of the SIJ, by way of an alternative far-contralateral oblique approach. Furthermore, to promote future studies on the efficacy of this approach and possibly comparing it with the traditional approach.