Sacroiliac Joint Pain
The sacro-iliac (SI) joints are 2 joints that connect the spine to either side of the pelvis.
There has been a long held belief within manual therapy that pain at the SI joints is due to a 'twisted pelvis' or being 'out of alignment', but recent research has shown that these are not factors involved in SI pain. Instead, it's more likely that a combination of factors including physical activity, daily habits, and individual anatomical differences play a role.
While posture and 'misalignment' can contribute to SI joint pain in some people (those with hypermobility disorders, or when great force has been applied to the pelvis such as during a car accident), it is not a factor for the majority of the population, and there are other factors needing to be considered, such as:
- is this pain being referred from another area of the body?
- is this pain due to other joints of the body not moving so well, placing more stress on this joint?
- is this pain due to muscles around the area being too tense, or needing to be strengthened?
At Live Well Osteopathy your osteopath will do a thorough assessment to determine what is contributing to your pain, and discuss treatment options with you.
Research shows that treatment and prevention strategies for SI pain should focus on overall movement quality, strength and mobility rather than solely on correcting posture.
Notes:
- SI pain in younger people can sometimes be a symptom of an inflammatory rheumatic condition. Your osteopath will advise if onward referral is warranted.
- SI pain in pregnancy or postpartum is something requiring specialist help with due to it being a multi-factorial condition. This is Cheryl's area of expertise. More information is on the Pregnancy Care page.