Biomechanical, biochemical, and histological characterization of sacroiliac joint cartilage in the Yucatan minipig.

Although the sacroiliac (SI) joint can be a source of lower back and buttock pain, no comprehensive characterization studies on SI cartilage have been conducted. Using the minipig as a large animal model, this study conducted the first biomechanical, biochemical, and histological characterization of SI joint cartilage. Because previous literature has reported that sacral cartilage and iliac cartilage within the SI joint are histologically distinct, concomitantly it was expected that functional properties of the sacral cartilage would differ from those of the iliac cartilage.

Biochemical and biomechanical characterization of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar facet joint cartilage in the Yucatan minipig.

Facet joint arthrosis causes pain in approximately 7 % of the U.S. population, but current treatments are palliative.