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Europa Medicophysica 1999 December;35(4):207-18

Copyright © 1999 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

Structure, physiopathology and rehabilitation of the sacroiliac joint

Paci M.

Rehabilitation Department, Villa Fiorita Nursing Home, Prato, Italy

The sac­ro­il­i­ac ­joint (SIJ) is a com­plex and high­ly var­i­able ­joint in ­terms of mor­phol­o­gy, posi­tion and num­ber of move­ment ­axes. Its ana­tom­i­cal fea­tures and stur­dy per­i­ar­tic­u­lar struc­tures ­make it an extreme­ly ­stable ­joint and ­this has led research­ers and cli­ni­cians to ques­tion its capac­ity to gen­er­ate ­pain. However, increas­ing inter­est has ­been ­shown in ­this ­joint ­over in ­recent ­years. Although ­there is ­still ­much to be ­learned ­about bio­me­chan­ics, it is now pos­sible to for­mu­late a suf­fi­cient­ly reli­able diag­no­sis of SIJ dys­func­tion. Furthermore, ­some of the pre­lim­i­nary ­results of reha­bil­i­ta­tion are encour­ag­ing. Further ­well-­designed stud­ies are need­ed to ­reach a con­sen­sus on the ­role and phys­io­pa­thol­o­gy of SIJ abnor­mal­ities, ­with a ­view to defin­ing ­guide ­lines for cli­ni­cians and reha­bil­i­ta­tors.