Your Back Pain May Not Be Your Back at All!
What Is Sacroiliac Dysfunction?
Your Back Pain May Not Be Your Back at All!
Symptoms include pain in the buttocks or might mimic sciatic nerve pain. Many people come in and say, “My back and hips hurt.” What most people refer to as “hips” are called the sacroiliac joints. They connect the base of the spine to the pelvis. They are important joint as they are at the base of your spine. If you look in the mirror and see two little indentions at the top of your hips just under your lower back and right at your belt line, those are the sacroiliac (SI) joints. If you feel you are walking with a hitch or restriction, this is usually caused by misaligned sacroiliac joints. This can be seen by one leg being shorter than the other.
Lie face-down and have someone put your heels together and look at your feet to see if one leg is longer than the other. Also look at the wear patterns on your shoe or boot soles. Uneven patterns might be related to the foot, but misaligned hips can alter the way you walk as well. Stop reading right now, and look at the heel of your shoe. Sacroiliac problems rarely show up on an MRI and so are commonly missed by doctors, but if left untreated, arthritis and chronic inflammation create continued pain. SI joint dysfunction can occur due to years of muscle imbalance or postural strains. Many pregnant women develop problems that can last well after pregnancy, usually due to abnormal strain on the pelvis and a hormone, called “relaxing,” that releases in the body to tell the ligaments of the pelvis to loosen up and prepare for delivery. The ligaments might never fully regain supportive properties at the sacroiliac joint.
Effective Treatment for Sacroiliac Dysfunction
Joint manipulation by a trained chiropractor • Muscle balance treatments to improve postural strains • Natural anti-inflammatory such as Boswellia, turmeric, or hot packs • Electrical stimulation • Muscle balance therapy • Core and pelvic strengthening • Sacroiliac braces
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