Sacroiliac Joint Pain Treatment in Chennai Find the Pelvic Pain Source. Stabilise the Joint. Move Comfortably Again.
Sacroiliac joint pain often feels like one-sided lower back or buttock pain near the “back dimple”. It can worsen while sitting, standing, climbing stairs, turning in bed, getting out of a car or walking long distances — and it can easily mimic sciatica, hip pain, facet joint pain or tailbone pain. This guide helps you understand SI joint pain, when scans or diagnostic injections are useful, and every treatment step Dr. Soma Sundar S offers: medicines, activity modification, pelvic stabilisation physiotherapy, home exercises, image-guided injections — and surgery only in rare, carefully selected cases.
15+ Years of Experience
Dr. Soma Sundar S
Spine & Orthopaedic Surgeon, Chennai
Kauvery Hospital, Alwarpet
Mon–Sat · 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM Get DirectionsShens Hospital, Ashok Nagar
Mon–Sat · 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM Get DirectionsSacroiliac Joint Pain Patterns We Commonly See
SI joint pain sits at the junction between the spine and pelvis. It may feel like back pain, buttock pain, hip pain or even mild sciatica — so the first step is matching the pattern correctly. 👇
One-sided Back Dimple Pain
Pain around the lower-back dimple, often spreading into the buttock or outer thigh.
Check symptoms →
⚡ Mimics sciatica
Buttock Pain With Thigh Spread
SI pain may travel to the buttock, groin or thigh — but true nerve sciatica usually travels below the knee.
Compare with sciatica →
🔁 Common overlap
Back Pain With Standing or Extension
Facet and SI joint pain can look similar. Examination and targeted tests help separate them.
Compare facet pain →
🪑 Sitting pain
Pain While Sitting
Pain directly at the tailbone is different from SI pain, but both can worsen with sitting and driving.
Compare tailbone pain →
What Is Sacroiliac Joint Pain?
The sacroiliac joints are the two strong joints that connect the base of your spine — the sacrum — to the pelvic bones. They move only a few millimetres, but they transfer load between your upper body and legs every time you stand, walk, climb stairs or get up from a chair.
SI joint pain occurs when this joint becomes irritated, inflamed, strained or overloaded. The pain is usually felt on one side of the lower back, close to the dimple above the buttock. It may spread to the buttock, groin or upper thigh, and it often gets worse with changing positions.
The important question is: is the pain really from the SI joint, or is it coming from a lumbar disc, facet joint, hip or tailbone? Because the symptoms overlap, treatment works best when the diagnosis is confirmed clinically — and sometimes with a targeted diagnostic injection.
The SI joints sit deep between the spine and pelvis — small movement, big load transfer.
Common Causes of Sacroiliac Joint Pain
SI joint pain usually develops from load imbalance, pelvic strain, inflammation, injury or nearby spine problems. The same symptom can have different causes — so examination matters. 👆
Lifting or Twisting Strain
A sudden bend, lift or twist can overload the SI joint and trigger one-sided buttock or lower-back pain.
Pelvic Load Imbalance
Uneven walking, leg-length difference, hip stiffness or weak gluteal muscles can repeatedly stress one SI joint.
Pregnancy or Postpartum Strain
Hormonal ligament relaxation and altered pelvic mechanics can irritate the SI joint during or after pregnancy.
Inflammatory Sacroiliitis
Inflammatory spine conditions can cause morning stiffness, alternating buttock pain and pain that improves with movement.
Lumbar Disc Problems
Disc pain or nerve irritation can mimic SI pain — especially when pain spreads into the buttock or thigh.
🦴Facet Joint Pain
Arthritic lumbar facet joints can produce one-sided lower-back pain very close to the SI region.
🪑Tailbone or Pelvic Pain
Pain with sitting may come from the coccyx, pelvic floor or SI joint — the location and trigger help separate them.
🩻MRI–Clinical Correlation
Scans can show disc or joint changes, but examination decides what is actually causing your pain.
📍 Back dimple pain
SI pain is often felt just below the belt line, close to the dimple above the buttock.
🪑 Sitting & car pain
Long sitting, getting out of a car or turning in bed can irritate the SI joint.
🩻 Diagnosis first
The SI joint, lumbar disc, facet joint and hip are checked before deciding treatment.
Sacroiliac Joint Pain Symptoms — What Is Yours Telling You?
SI joint pain has a few classic clues. Tap the pattern that matches yours to compare it with nearby spine conditions. 👇
One-sided Back Dimple Pain
Pain just below the lower back, over the dimple above the buttock, is the classic SI joint location.
Classic patternButtock or Outer Thigh Pain
SI pain can spread to the buttock, groin or upper thigh — but usually not as a sharp nerve pain below the knee.
Sciatica mimicPain Getting Out of a Car
Twisting the pelvis while standing up from a car or chair can provoke a painful SI joint.
Movement triggerPain Turning in Bed
Rolling over, single-leg loading or standing on one leg while dressing may reproduce SI pain.
Pelvic load signStanding or Walking Pain
Prolonged standing and walking can worsen SI pain, but facet and stenosis patterns must be ruled out.
Needs correlationMorning Stiffness or Alternating Pain
Long morning stiffness, night pain and alternating buttock pain can suggest inflammatory sacroiliitis.
Priority review💡 Tip: point with one finger to the most painful spot. SI joint pain is often very local near the back dimple, while disc-related sciatica usually follows a sharper nerve path down the leg.
When to See a Sacroiliac Joint Pain Specialist in Chennai
Mild pelvic strain may settle with rest, activity changes and gentle exercises. These signs need timely assessment to avoid missing nerve compression, inflammatory disease or serious causes. ⏱️
Pain travelling below the knee with tingling or numbness
New leg weakness, foot drop or difficulty walking
Morning stiffness, night pain or alternating buttock pain
Pain after a fall, road accident or heavy lifting injury
Fever, unexplained weight loss or pain that wakes you from sleep
Bladder or bowel control changes with back or leg symptoms
⏰ Do not label every buttock pain as “SI joint pain”
Sacroiliac joint pain, lumbar disc pain, facet joint pain, hip disease and tailbone pain can overlap. Persistent one-sided pain, spreading leg symptoms, inflammatory features or pain after injury deserves a proper spine and pelvic assessment. 📞 Call +91 90809 68066 for a priority appointment.
Why Chennai Trusts Dr. Soma Sundar
Experienced hands, international training, and a philosophy that always starts with the least invasive treatment that can genuinely help you. View doctor profile.
15+ Years of Experience
Over fifteen years dedicated to spine and orthopaedic care, from everyday back pain to complex spinal conditions.
Internationally Trained
Fellowship training in Germany, Switzerland and the UK — FESS, FMISS, FAOS and the AO Spine Fellowship.
4.9 · 500+ Google Reviews
Consistently rated 4.9 by more than five hundred patients across both Chennai clinics.
FRCS & Gold Medallist
FRCS (Glasgow, UK) certified, MS Orthopaedics Gold Medallist, DNB and MNAMS qualified.
Non-Surgical First
Advanced pain management, injections and physiotherapy are always explored before surgery is considered.
Two Chennai Locations
Kauvery Hospital, Alwarpet (mornings) and Shens Hospital, Ashok Nagar (evenings) — six days a week.
How Sacroiliac Joint Pain Is Diagnosed
Good SI joint treatment starts by proving the pain source — because lumbar disc pain, facet pain, hip pain and tailbone pain can all look similar.
Symptom Pattern Review 🗺️
The exact pain point, sitting/standing triggers, car pain, stair pain and leg spread help map the likely source.
Spine, Hip & SI Tests 🔦
Provocation tests, hip mobility, neurological examination and walking pattern are checked together.
X-ray or MRI When Needed 🩻
Imaging is used to rule out disc, facet, hip, fracture or inflammatory sacroiliitis — not as a shortcut diagnosis.
Diagnostic Injection If Unclear 💉
In selected cases, an image-guided SI injection can confirm the joint as the pain generator and relieve inflammation.
Diagnosis is clinical first — scans and injections are matched to your exact pain pattern.
Sacroiliac Joint Pain Treatment Options — Simplest First
Dr. Soma Sundar follows a stepwise approach: calm the painful joint, restore pelvic stability, use targeted injections when appropriate, and reserve surgery for rare confirmed cases. ✅
Calm Pain & Reduce Triggers 🪑
Medicines + activity modificationShort-term pain control, avoiding repeated twisting, sitting modifications and load reduction settle many flares.
- Reduce painful sitting and twisting
- Heat/ice guidance when suitable
- Temporary belt support in selected cases
Build Pelvic Stability 🤸
Physiotherapy + home exercisesGluteal strengthening, core control, hip mobility and movement retraining are the main long-term solution.
- Glute and core activation
- Hip mobility correction
- Walking and stair mechanics
Confirm & Calm the Joint 💉
Image-guided injection when suitableAn SI injection may reduce inflammation and confirm the joint as the pain source when symptoms persist.
- Precise image guidance
- Day-care procedure
- Diagnostic + therapeutic value
Stabilise Rare Cases 🔬
Surgery only for selected patientsSI fusion is rarely considered, only after the SI joint is clearly confirmed and non-surgical care has failed.
- Confirmed SI pain source
- Persistent disabling symptoms
- Careful counselling first
Physiotherapy & Exercises for Sacroiliac Joint Pain
Non-surgical care is the first choice for most SI joint pain. The goal is not just stretching — it is controlled pelvic stability. 👇
Back & SI Physiotherapy
Therapist-guided pelvic control, glute strengthening, core activation and movement retraining.
🏠Home Exercise Plan
Simple, progressive exercises that improve stability without repeatedly irritating the joint.
🔥Back Pain Care
Useful when SI pain overlaps with disc, facet or posture-related low back pain.
🪑Posture & Sitting Correction
Chair, car-seat, sleep and work modifications that reduce repeated pelvic stress.
🩻MRI Report Review
Understand whether your scan points to SI joint pain, disc pain, facet pain or another source.
🧘 Pelvic tilts🌉 Glute bridge
🐞 Dead bug
🐕 Bird dog
🐈 Cat-cow
🔄 Knee rolls🏠 Can’t travel for physiotherapy? Home-visit physiotherapy is available across Chennai. Guided sessions at your home for back, SI joint and pelvic stability rehabilitation.
📞 Physio Home Visits · +91 98403 45335Injection Treatment for Sacroiliac Joint Pain
SI injections are most useful when the pain pattern and examination point to the joint.
If SI joint pain persists despite medicines, activity changes and physiotherapy, an image-guided SI joint injection can be considered. It places medicine precisely into or around the painful joint to reduce inflammation and help confirm the SI joint as the pain source. 🎯
This is especially useful when pain overlaps with disc, facet, hip or tailbone pain. A good response supports the diagnosis and often allows physiotherapy to progress more comfortably. The procedure is usually day-care and planned only after clinical correlation.
When Is Surgery Needed for Sacroiliac Joint Pain?
Surgery is not the usual treatment for sacroiliac joint pain. Most patients improve with a structured plan of activity modification, physiotherapy, pelvic stabilisation and selected injections.
SI joint fusion or stabilisation is considered only in rare cases where the SI joint is clearly proven to be the pain generator, symptoms remain disabling despite proper non-surgical and injection-based treatment, and the expected benefit is carefully explained. 🤝
Surgery is reserved for carefully confirmed SI joint pain that has failed appropriate care.
⚖️ Balanced treatment principle
SI joint pain is real — but it is also commonly overdiagnosed. The safest care is diagnosis-first: match the pain pattern, examination and imaging, treat conservatively when possible, and use injections or surgery only when the SI joint is clearly responsible.
Sacroiliac Joint Pain — Frequently Asked Questions
What Sacroiliac Joint Pain Patients Say
I had pain exactly near the back dimple for months. It was being treated like sciatica elsewhere. The SI joint diagnosis and physio plan finally made sense.
★★★★★Getting out of the car and climbing stairs were painful. Dr. Soma explained the SI joint clearly and started stabilisation exercises. I improved without surgery.
★★★★★I was worried my MRI disc bulge meant surgery. The doctor matched my symptoms and found the pain was more from the SI region. Very balanced advice.
★★★★★The physiotherapist focused on glutes and core, not just heat and massage. My one-sided buttock pain reduced gradually and I could walk longer.
★★★★★The SI injection was suggested only after trying medicines and physio. It helped confirm the source and gave me enough relief to continue exercises.
★★★★★After delivery I had pelvic and lower back pain while walking. The explanation was practical and the rehab plan was gentle and confidence-building.
★★★★★My pain was worse in the morning and kept alternating sides. I was referred correctly for inflammatory workup instead of just painkillers. Very thorough.
★★★★★Home physiotherapy helped because travelling itself made my pain worse. The team coordinated well and reviewed my progress regularly.
★★★★★I consulted by video from Coimbatore with my MRI. The doctor explained what was disc-related and what sounded like SI joint pain, and guided next steps clearly.
★★★★★Explore More Spine Care
Expert Spine Advice, From Wherever You Are
Can’t travel to Chennai, or want a specialist opinion before deciding your next step? Consult Dr. Soma Sundar over a secure video call — and let your whole family join and ask questions.
-
Consult from anywhere
Connect from home, another city, or abroad — no travel needed for an expert opinion.
-
Reports & MRI — optional
You can share scans in advance on WhatsApp if you have them, or simply talk first. Both work.
-
Clear next steps
Leave the call knowing what your condition is, what to try first, and when a clinic visit is truly needed.
Book a Video Consultation
Message us on WhatsApp with your name and a short note about your problem — our team will confirm a convenient slot.
Especially useful for- Outstation and overseas patients — and their families
- A second opinion before agreeing to spine surgery
- Understanding an MRI or scan report in plain language
- Follow-up reviews after surgery or injections
- Elderly patients who find travelling difficult
📎 Sending scans or MRI in advance is optional — many patients simply describe their problem and share reports later if needed.
Explore SundarSpine
Everything on this site, organised the way patients think — conditions, treatments, physiotherapy, home exercises and free resources.