Sacroiliac Compression Test | SIJ Pain Provocation | SIJ assessment

The Sacroiliac Compression Test is a provocation test for the sacroiliac joint and is also included in the Cluster of van der Wurff and the Cluster of Laslett.

As reported by Laslett et al. (2005), the sacroiliac compression test has a sensitivity of 69% and a specificity of 69%, which gives it a weak clinical value and it’s advised to do this test in a cluster.

To conduct the test, the patient will lie on the asymptomatic side with the hips flexed to 45° and the knees bent to 90°.

Position yourself behind the patient and place both of your hands on the anterior rim of the patient’s ilium.

Then, apply 3-6 vertical thrusts of moderate velocity with gradually increasing pressure.

A positive test will result in the reproduction of the patient’s familiar pain.

Other common orthopedic tests that aim to provoke the sacroiliac joint are:

• Distraction Test
• Sacral Thrust Test
• Gaenslen’s Test
• Thigh Thrust Test
• Cluster of Laslett
• Cluster of van der Wurff

Laslett M, Aprill CN, McDonald B, Young SB. Diagnosis of sacroiliac joint pain: validity of individual provocation tests and composites of tests. Manual therapy. 2005 Aug 1;10(3):207-18.