MrPhysio+ Sacro-iliac Joint
An irritated Sacro-Iliac joint can cause widespread symptoms around the low back, pelvis and lower limbs.
Where is the Sacro-iliac joint and what does it do?
If you place your hands on the outside of your waist above your hips, you will feel a bony edge. If your fingers follow the edge around your low back to the buttock cleft you have found the sacro-iliac joints, one on each side. The joints are where the pelvis joins to the sacrum of the lower spine and are held together by very strong ligaments.
If these ligaments become stretched or irritated, various symptoms occur, the severity of which depend upon how irritated the area has become.
Causes of irritation can be from the Relaxin hormone during the later stages of pregnancy, heavy lifting, a slip of the foot or jarring of the back (eg stepping into a hole), standing/running on uneven ground, ladder use or prolonged poor posture.
Scans of the Sacro-iliac joint are very unlikely to show any problems (unless you have had a previous fracture of the pelvis or have an auto-immune disease causing joint changes) as the ligaments do not show up as problematic in this condition.
Symptoms are likely to include a deep toothache sensation in the low back that may radiate around the pelvis into the groin or upper front of the thigh, a pain straight through to the front of the pelvis, or a progressively rising tightness into the middle of the low back that may spasm.
If symptoms are on one side only there may be a sensation that you are hitched and rotated on that side. If both sides are involved, you may experience a feeling that your back has locked or is pulled into an excessive sway back position.
Rising from a seated position may cause pain, as will getting in/out of a car, lunging movements such as vacuuming or taking large steps, with standing for long periods or with one knee bent and the pelvis dropped.
Physiotherapy techniques can be very effective in reducing Sacro-iliac joint pain. It is not uncommon for Sciatic pain to occur at the same time, therefore see the Sciatic page as well for more information.
image courtesy of ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Where is the Sacro-iliac joint and what does it do?
If you place your hands on the outside of your waist above your hips, you will feel a bony edge. If your fingers follow the edge around your low back to the buttock cleft you have found the sacro-iliac joints, one on each side. The joints are where the pelvis joins to the sacrum of the lower spine and are held together by very strong ligaments.
If these ligaments become stretched or irritated, various symptoms occur, the severity of which depend upon how irritated the area has become.
Causes of irritation can be from the Relaxin hormone during the later stages of pregnancy, heavy lifting, a slip of the foot or jarring of the back (eg stepping into a hole), standing/running on uneven ground, ladder use or prolonged poor posture.
Scans of the Sacro-iliac joint are very unlikely to show any problems (unless you have had a previous fracture of the pelvis or have an auto-immune disease causing joint changes) as the ligaments do not show up as problematic in this condition.
Symptoms are likely to include a deep toothache sensation in the low back that may radiate around the pelvis into the groin or upper front of the thigh, a pain straight through to the front of the pelvis, or a progressively rising tightness into the middle of the low back that may spasm.
If symptoms are on one side only there may be a sensation that you are hitched and rotated on that side. If both sides are involved, you may experience a feeling that your back has locked or is pulled into an excessive sway back position.
Rising from a seated position may cause pain, as will getting in/out of a car, lunging movements such as vacuuming or taking large steps, with standing for long periods or with one knee bent and the pelvis dropped.
Physiotherapy techniques can be very effective in reducing Sacro-iliac joint pain. It is not uncommon for Sciatic pain to occur at the same time, therefore see the Sciatic page as well for more information.
image courtesy of ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net