• H M Buyruk, H J Stam, C J Snijders, J S Laméris, W P Holland, and T H Stijnen.
• Institute of Rehabilitation, University Hospital Rotterdam, The Netherlands. buyruk@revd.azr.nl
• Eur. J. Obstet. Gynecol. Reprod. Biol. 1999 Apr 1; 83 (2): 159-63.

ObjectivesThe research question of the present study was: are sacroiliac joint stiffness levels of peripartum pelvic pain patients different from those of healthy subjects?Study DesignA cross-sectional comparative sacroiliac joint stiffness analysis of peripartum pelvic pain patients with healthy subjects. In previous studies we introduced a new technique, Doppler imaging of vibrations (DIV), to assess sacroiliac joint stiffness using colour Doppler imaging and vibrations. The measurements were performed on a group of peripartum pelvic pain patients (n=56) and on a control group (n=52). The differences in sacroiliac joint stiffness between the patient group and the control group were tested statistically by means of the Wilcoxon's two sample test, the chi-square test and Student's t-tests.ResultsBoth patients and controls displayed stiff as well as unstiff joints with no significant difference. There was a significant difference between the groups with regard to the relative difference of sacroiliac joint stiffness between left and right.ConclusionsA diagnostic tool which can possibly be developed in the future could demonstrate an objective finding among women with peripartum pelvic pain. DIV is easy to apply and non-invasive. Asymmetric stiffness of the sacroiliac joints seems to be more directly related to low back pain and pelvic pain, not the stiffness level of a single sacroiliac joint.

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