MRI Scan - Sacroiliac Joints Test

The Sacroiliac Joint (SI) is the joint next to the bottom of the spine connecting the sacrum with the pelvis. For treatment, the focus of the doctors is through normal motion of the joint as SI joint pain is non-surgical. To diagnose SI, physical examination is the first step. The doctor may ask your previous medical history. Doctor may do some tests to identify the root cause of pain. One of the tests include Flexion Abduction External Rotation (FABER), a test to determine whether your SI joints are the source of your pain. The doctor will ask you to do specific movements (like flexing, rotating and extending your hips) to see if your pain originates from your SI joints. If the doctor is not sure what’s causes your pain he or she may ask for additional tests. One of them also includes MRI Scan – Sacroiliac Joint

Patient should remove all the metal objects from the body which includes keys, coins, wallets, debit / credit cards or any card with magnetic strip, jewellery, hearing aid and hairpins. Wear hospital gown. Nurse should explain the procedure/instructions to the patient. Note the weight of the patient. Patient’s face should be upwards during the scan with head pointing towards the magnet.

Doctors can have a close look at your soft tissues (such as muscles & ligaments and can be shown if there is inflammation in your SI joints. Metallic disorder MRI may be used to assess the results of corrective orthopedic procedures.

Patient should be in proper position as advised by the doctor. Take the use of three plane localizer and plan the sequences. Take additional localizers if needed. After placing the patient in MRI machine, radiologist will take the images from a separate room. After the examination, you may need to wait for few minutes as the radiologist will check if few more images need to be taken for accurate results.