The Effect of Peripheral Neuromodulation on Pain From the Sacroiliac Joint: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective: To report a retrospective review of the longer-term results of peripheral neuromodulation in 12 patients with significant chronic sacroiliac joint pain who had previously failed multiple conservative and interventional pain therapies.

Methods: To allow for the assessment of meaningful longer-term outcome, implants for all 12 patients had been in place for a minimum of 18 months to a maximum of 36 months prior to the formal review.

Results: Compared to the preimplantation baseline, the longer-term follow-up revealed a significant and sustained reduction in visual analog scale pain scores from 8.7T 1.1 to 1.1T 1.0 (p < 0.001), with a 75% reduction in analgesia requirement, and improvement in pain impact on daily function from 94.1% T 5.9% to 5.8% T 6.0% (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: This initial case series has highlighted that SIJ neuromodulation results in the reduction in pain intensity and improved functionality in patients who have already failed conventional medical management and interventional techniques, including RF denervation. These preliminary results merit a prospective randomized trial of peripheral neuromodulation.