Post-surgical sacroiliac joint syndrome.

The sacroiliac joint can give rise to a syndrome of buttock and leg pain which is often difficult to differentiate from other causes of low--back pain. In some cases the syndrome may go unrecognized and may be a contributing factor in failed low-back surgery. The syndrome often occurs in the presence of lumbar spine disorders and may continue to cause pain after successful conservative or surgical treatment to the lumbar spine. The purpose of this paper is to review the anatomy, biomechanics, pathology, diagnosis and treatment of sacroiliac syndrome. Three case studies are presented to illustrate some of the main features of the syndrome, particularly in patients that have undergone previous spinal surgery.