4 Solutions For Lower Back And Hip Pain On One Side

So you are suffering from lower back and hip pain on one side — what could it be?

It’s a symptom I regularly hear patients bring up and is more common than you might think. The source of this pain often comes from the hips and pelvis. In particular, the large joint in the back of the pelvis called the Sacroiliac Joint (SI), where the sacrum and iliac bones connect.

Notice if you can feel the little grooves or bumps on each side of your lower back, just above your hips. The SI joints are responsible for supporting and distributing your body weight across the pelvis. When bones in the SI joint come out of alignment, it can be agonising.

SI Joint Dysfunction can cause you to experience sharp, stabbing pain that radiates from your hips and pelvis, up to the lower back, and down to the thighs.

Around 15-30% of chronic lower back pain is caused by SI joint dysfunction. As you might have already experienced, lower back pain can be debilitating. It’s the leading cause of missed workdays, impacts normal life activities and in serious cases may lead to chronic pain.

What Causes SI Joint Pain?

Inflammation of the SI joint is known as sacroiliac joint dysfunction or sacroiliitis. It’s a general term that encompasses a variety of conditions.

Examples include osteoarthritis, Ankylosing spondylitis, Gout, Pregnancy and abnormal walking patterns. Other causes may be poor posture, injury from falling hard onto one side of your lower back or hips, core and glute weakness or past injuries in the lower body that cause the hips to compensate.

SI joint problems can be difficult to diagnose as the bones are located deep in your body. Often, joint damage will not show up on imaging tests such as X-Rays, MRIs, or CT scans. And the symptoms can be quite similar to Sciatica, bulging discs, and arthritis of the hip. An examination from an experienced health practitioner such as a chiropractor can analyse how you move and stretch to pinpoint the source of the problem.

While SI joint problems are common, there are some easy solutions to help ease the discomfort.

Solutions To Treat SI Joint Pain

Improve Day To Day Posture

Your posture can have a big impact on your sacroiliac joint. The joints of the pelvis are designed to carry weight evenly across both sides of the pelvis. Posture habits such as leaning on one hip joint when standing, sitting with your feet under your hip or with your legs crossed, or sitting with your wallet in your back pocket will all throw your pelvis out of balance. I always tell my patients to focus on maintaining a neutral spine, especially if they have issues in their pelvis.

Move Throughout The Day

Sacroiliac joints like movement. Sitting for too long will cause these joints to become compressed and achy. If you sit all day for work, try to get up and move around the office every hour to keep your lower back moving.

Work Your Core

A weak core or abdominal muscles is a huge cause for lower back pain and sacroiliac joint problems. Regular sitting and inactivity tend to make our deep core lose strength and become lazy. This causes the joints of the lower back, hips and pelvis to get compressed which leads to pain. Activities such as Pilates and Yoga are great ways to keep your core active and engaged.

Chiropractic Treatment

If you have had lower back and hip pain on one side for a long time or the pain is severe, I highly recommend checking in with a chiropractor. Chiropractors are highly trained at providing treatment and have specific spinal adjustments for sacroiliac joint injuries. Chiropractic can make a huge difference to anyone who is suffering from SI joint problems.

Book An Appointment With Dynamic Chiropractic

Those are my top solutions for helping with lower back and hip pain on one side. Check in on your lifestyle and see if your posture, activity levels or core are contributing to your issues.

If you need treatment for your lower back or advice on how to improve your posture and core strength, get in touch with me. Dynamic Chiropractic is a Brisbane CBD Chiropractic clinic and would love to help!