Is Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction the Cause of Your Back Pain?
Lower back pain is a very common problem with many Australians experiencing an episode of back pain sometime during their lives. A common cause of lower back pain is sacroiliac joint dysfunction or injury. The sacroiliac joint is the large joint in the pelvis formed by the hip bone and the sacrum. This joint is commonly involved in lower back pain or injuries.
Telltale Signs of Sacroiliac Joint Pain
The sacroiliac joints sit in the pelvis and are formed by the hip bone and the sacrum. If you want to find them on yourself they are the bony areas in your lower back just left or right to the middle of your sitting bone. This is often an easy clue to find out if your back pain is coming from your SI joint. If you have pain that is very low in the lumbar spine and located left or right of the midline, over the bony SI joint prominences then there is a good chance there is some damage or inflammation to the sacroiliac joint.
Other things to look out for with SI joint problems is when you are sore. SI joints LOVE movement. So if the pain is worse when sitting/lying or standing in one position but improves when you move around then that is another indicator that you may have an SI joint problem.
What Causes Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction or Injury?
Pain is caused by either trauma or behaviour and this concept applies sacroiliac joints as well. You can traumatically injure your SI joint doing things like lifting poorly at the gym or falling and landing heavily on one side of the pelvis.
SI joints can also develop dysfunction from lifestyle behaviours such as sitting for too long or in a bad position or performing repetitive twisting movements.
Sacroiliac joints are also often a problem for women during pregnancy and postpartum as the ligaments in the pelvis tend to stretch and create instability in the SI joint. This instability is often the cause of sciatic symptoms during pregnancy.
How Do You Diagnose and Treat Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction or Injury?
Sacroiliac joints can be difficult to diagnose as they don’t show up on Xray or MRI scans and bad SI joint injuries can present as a disc injury. To diagnose a sacroiliac joint injury you are probably best to see a chiropractor or physio who can perform manual and orthopaedic tests to discover if your lower back pain is coming from your sacroiliac joint. Various treatment options include:
- Chiropractic adjustments to the pelvis can be an effective way to heal SI joint problems.
- Getting movement back into the compressed SI joints gives rapid pain relief and improves the function of the muscles and joints around the pelvis.
- Remedial massage, physio and osteopathy also have manual techniques that can be used to release these joints.
Get Chiropractic Treatment for Your Sacroiliac Joint Injury in Brisbane CBD
If you think you may be suffering from an SI joint problem or have lower back pain and would like a thorough assessment and treatment plan developed to help you feel better, feel free to get in touch with Dr Miki. She has experience helping people who have suffered from sacroiliac joint dysfunction and SI injuries and would love to help you out.
