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Tammy Wendling is enjoying pain-free time with her family
Tammy Wendling’s back pain prevented her from sitting for long periods, from playing with her kids and even from wearing high heels.
“Over five years, I tried everything, you name it,” she says, “physical therapy, medications, massages, acupuncture. Nothing worked.”
Now, after a minimally invasive sacroiliac joint fusion at Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute, the 44-year-old Bethlehem-area woman has found relief.
“Finally I can run, jump and play with my kids like a normal parent,” she says.
The sacroiliac joint is the point where the base of the spine and the top of the pelvis (hip bone) meet. When there is instability there – due to an injury, arthritis or wear and tear – it can cause extreme pain in the back and hip.
When other treatments don’t work, sacroiliac joint fusion is needed.
Nirmal Shah, DO, is a pain medicine doctor and interventional pain specialist who focuses on minimally invasive spine procedures. He made two small incisions in Wendling’s lower back and implanted two small cylindrical bone grafts to fuse her sacroiliac joint.
“This is the most minimally invasive sacroiliac joint stabilization and fusion procedure available right now,” says Dr. Shah. “This approach allows patients to have a quicker recovery after surgery. They are able to resume their normal non-strenuous activities within a few weeks.”
The sacroiliac joint is the largest joint in the main up-and-down axis of the body, Dr. Shah says. It undergoes a lot of force in all forms of physical activity. That is why it can sometimes become unstable or worn out, he says. Surgery may be required when other more conservative treatments – like physical therapy, chiropractic and pain medicines – don’t work.
Wendling has had sacroiliac joint problems before. In her 30s, during a time when she was an avid weight lifter and bodybuilder, she needed a sacroiliac joint fusion on the left side, and had it in the traditional way – which is a major surgery and can involve a long and painful recovery.
More recently, when it became apparent that she was going to need a fusion on her right side, she heard about Dr. Shah’s minimally invasive procedure and decided to go that route.
“It was amazing,” she says of the January, 2025 procedure. “I was in and out in one day, and I was up and walking right away.”
The pain relief has been a game-changer for her and her family, which includes 6-year-old children Morgan and Royal. In addition to being able to be active with her kids again, Wendling now has the freedom to resume work on her own physical fitness without the pain holding her back.
“I’m so glad to be able to get back to being fit and healthy,” she says, adding that she is considering adding weight lifting as part of her personal fitness routine.
She would recommend minimally invasive sacroiliac joint surgery to anyone who needs it. “I just hope more people do it,” she says, “because it’s so easy.”
