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Kim's Story
- Location
- Missouri
- Back Story
- SI Joint Trauma
- iFuse Implant Procedure Date
- September, 2013 Left side
"After iFuse, I can bend over at the waist with no pain."
Background
In 2008, Kim was playing softball with her daughter and teaching her how to slide into a base. Her extended leg caught something on the ground jarring it abruptly and she immediately felt lower back and left upper thigh pain. Over time, Kim’s pain intensified. An MRI revealed that she had a herniated L5-S1 disc. She underwent a micro discectomy, but felt the same pain return almost immediately. A few months later, Kim’s surgeon suggested performing an L5-S1 lumbar fusion, but Kim felt she was not ready to undergo the procedure. In 2013 her pain management doctor performed steroid injections near the L5-S1 disc, but again she felt no relief. Upon further examination of her symptoms, he decided to inject her SI joint and for the first time she experienced pain relief. With this result, her pain management doctor referred Kim to a surgeon who was trained to perform the iFuse procedure.
Update
In September 2013, Kim underwent the iFuse procedure and today has returned to her normal activities. Kim reports that the previous pain generated by her SI joint is no longer radiating down her leg and her upper thigh pain is gone. Kim is still employed as a literacy coach and can work easily for long periods of time with her students without experiencing SI joint pain.
The SI Buddy® program is reserved for patients who have been diagnosed by a trained surgeon and recommended for the iFuse procedure. SI Buddy volunteers have been successfully treated with the iFuse Implant System®. Although many patients have benefited from treatment with the iFuse Implant System, patients' results may vary. They are not medical professionals and their statements should not be interpreted as medical advice.
The iFuse Implant System® is intended for sacroiliac fusion for conditions including sacroiliac joint dysfunction that is a direct result of sacroiliac joint disruption and degenerative sacroiliitis. This includes conditions whose symptoms began during pregnancy or in the peripartum period and have persisted postpartum for more than 6 months. The iFuse Implant System is also intended for sacroiliac fusion to augment immobilization and stabilization of the sacroiliac joint in skeletally mature patients undergoing sacropelvic fixation as a part of a lumbar or thoracolumbar fusion. In addition, the iFuse Implant System is intended for sacroiliac fusion in acute, non-acute, and non-traumatic fractures involving the sacroiliac joint.
There are potential risks associated with the iFuse Implant System. It may not be appropriate for all patients and all patients may not benefit. For information about the risks, talk to your doctor and visit: www.si-bone.com/risks. Rx Only.
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