In vivo measurement of the three-dimensional motion of the sacroiliac joint

The purpose of this study was to quantify in vivo the three-dimensional motion patterns of the sacroiliac joint during passive manipulations as the opinions about the extent of motion of this joint are varied. 12 sacroiliac joints of 6 patients with clinically and radiologically normal joints were investigated. All patients were treated with an external fixator for diagnostic purposes of low back pain unrelated to this study. The motion of the sacroiliac joint was measured continuously with a three-dimensional goniometric system, which was mounted at the end of Schanz screws implanted in S1 and the ilium. All measurements showed relatively small rotation angles around the three main axis of the body between the ilium and the sacrum (< 2 degrees) and very small translations between the screw entry points into the bones (<1 mm). The maximum rotation angle in the sagittal plane was 1.3 degrees on the right joint and 1.6 degrees on the left joint for flexion plus extension. It is questionable whether this motion can be quantified during manual manipulation. Extension of the hip always produced the largest motion in the sacroiliac joint.