Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Sacroilitis diagnosed by a good PT?

Good afternoon,

I was wondering if a good PT could diagnose sacroilitis?

Is this possible? Or can it only be diagnosed by imaging studies?

Merci!

hi there!
i wish i had more info to offer, but i thought sacroilitis was dx by xrays? i'm not so sure by mri's and such.

i know pts can tell when you are having problems with your si joints by range of movement and such but that's all i know...hope someone else can offer more info!
have you had xrays for it?
best of luck!

I'm not sure that pt's are supposed to diagnose anything. In my experience they go by what the Dr. says. If they notice something that doesn't seem right or they think the Dr. may have missed something, I think they would then call the Dr. and discuss it with them. If you have questions about this, I'd ask my Dr.

I agree with the last two posters. The PT does not normally dx anything. Also the only way to dx sacroilitis is by x-ray.

Cautionary note: even you know that there is sacroilitis, if you have an x-ray done and it comes back with an "iffy" comment, such as there are signs of degeneration from one angle but not the other angle, then you need to persist with your doctor until you are formally diagnosed. I know from experience that the evidence was present many years prior to my dx.

PT's can't diagnose anything. They simply treat you based on your doctor's diagnosis. I don't think a good PT would even consider treating you without evaluation from a doctor. They could do a lot of damage giving you exercises without knowing what's wrong. I was diagnosed with sacriolitis after having a bone scan. X-rays showed nothing.

I agree with everyone else about the doctor should be doing the diagnosis, however PTs work closely with patients and are more aware of some things that the doctors may have missed. The PTs normally send their note and your progress reports to your doctor letting them know of anything that may be out of the ordinary.

Brent