Article by the Drummond Team
What is a Sacroiliac Joint?
We have 2 sacroiliac joints. They are the connections between the sacrum of the spine and the corresponding portion of the pelvic girdle.
When the pelvic girdle is working well, the structure sometimes doesn’t get the credit it is due. The function of the sacroiliac joint is to allow a small amount of ‘rocking’, or nutation, forwards and backwards when moving our legs. The reason for this is to reposition the pelvis and allow greater range through the hip joint.
It is a very subtle movement, but when it becomes too stiff or too lax, it can have profound effects on our ability to move freely, in addition to being very painful! In the recent cases we have seen at the clinic, it has in fact presented as lower back pain due to movement compensations.
How do we treat it?
The complexity of the pelvic girdle tends to only be seriously considered when we have a problem! The number of muscles that directly attach to varying points on the pelvic girdle area, in addition to the subtle movements needed to function well, makes fixing sacroiliac joint problems a relatively testing subject.
It is vitally important to assess the injury fully and identify any muscle imbalances around the area. Strength around the lower back, abdominals and hips must all be considered.
In many cases the left and right joints are moving asymmetrically. In these instances a typical ‘strengthen everything’ approach rarely succeeds in treating the issue. You may get stronger, but until the underlying asymmetry is dealt with, the likelihood is that you will still be in pain.
Once this is identified however, you should see an improvement in your symptoms relatively quickly and t’s at this point where a program directed towards maintenance of pelvic strength can be very useful.
Breaking the cycle of pain and poor movement is the most important first step to a solution, so an appropriate assessment of the area is the best place to start.
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