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I had two failed back surgeries prior to 2008.  In 2008, I had a spinal cord stimulator implanted which managed my back pain well for several years.  I started to notice bilateral low back pain across my buttock area in 2022.  It came on gradually, and the right side was worse than the left.  It was aggravated by activity and sleeping was very difficult.  It was affecting my hiking, biking and kayaking.  I contacted my stimulator representative to have my stimulator reprogrammed.  This was not effective in relieving my lower back and buttock pain.  I had a follow up visit with my prior spine surgeon for an opinion on my worsening back pain.  I was sent for an MRI, but nothing was clear on my imaging.

In 2023, I was a patient speaker for my stimulator company at a local patient seminar put on by a well-known surgeon in my area.  I decided to make an appointment with him for another opinion on my ongoing pain issues.  At my appointment we went over my prior history and surgeries, he sent me for x-rays and he performed a series of provocative maneuvers to evaluate the sacroiliac joints.  My x-rays revealed arthritis in my SI joints, and the provocative testing reproduced my symptoms.  He suggested my SI joints could be the cause of my pain and sent me for bilateral SI joint injections. Oh my gosh, I was pain free!  This was great but it didn’t last very long. We did a second SI joint injection with the same outcome. I was offered an SI joint fusion for a permanent solution to my lower back pain. At the time, I was training for a 100-mile bike/kayaking 3-day event that would take place in the Florida Keys.  I was prescribed a short acting muscle relaxant to help with the pain, and I had to modify my activity during training.  I could only ride flat training routes and I had to stop and get out of the kayak and walk around to relieve my discomfort.  My surgeon agreed to give me a third SI joint injection a few days prior to my event so I could complete it.

In December 2024, I had a right SI joint fusion utilizing the iFuse Implant System®. I went home the same day and was partial weight bearing utilizing crutches for 2 weeks.  I was able to return to work 2 weeks postoperatively because I work from home.  I had lifting restrictions for several weeks but was able to walk as tolerated at my 2 week follow up visit.  I noticed the pain on my left side became more prominent once my right side was stabilized.  I had a diagnostic SI joint injection on my left side with a great result and scheduled my left SI joint fusion for February 2025. My left SI joint fusion had the same result as the right.  My post-operative restrictions were the same and I followed all the “rules” so I would have a positive outcome.  I was released to resume hiking, biking and kayaking in April.  I am back to all my normal activities pain free!