Could A Pelvis Problem Be Causing Lower Back Pain?
All of our bones, joints, tissue, and muscles are intricately connected to form our incredible human body. It is no wonder that, when one part of our body is under strain, we experience pain in another area of our body.
This is exactly the case with one of the common issues we care for at Inspired Health: sacroiliac joint dysfunction.
Our sacroiliac or pelvic joint connects the bottom of our spine to our hips. Sacroiliac joint dysfunction occurs when too much ⬆ or too little ⬇ movement occurs in our sacroiliac joint, causing inflammation. This can lead to nerve irritation in the joint and sometimes referred pain in the lower back pain or leg 🦵.
What Is The Sacroiliac Joint Responsible For?
This is one ⚠ seriously important ⚠ joint as it supports the entire weight of your upper body, supports our sitting position, and stabilises us when we walk, bend or twist. These joints also act like shock absorbers as they prevent force impacting our spine.
The sacroiliac joint’s surfaces are covered with cartilage and are held together by ligaments. There are several ligaments that surround the joint which provides strength and stability.
How Does It Become Painful?
Usually, we experience pain when joints become stuck leading to inflammation in the joint or nerve irritation in that area. This pain can develop over time or can start suddenly due to trauma.
Pain can even start when pregnant. During pregnancy 🤰, a woman’s sacroiliac joint becomes mobile and relaxed to enable childbirth. However, increased body weight and added pressure to the abdomen due to a baby bump can put pressure on the joint. If the joint was not moving properly before, these changes can lead to pelvic and pubic bone pain.
Living a sedentary lifestyle can also lead to the sacroiliac joint not being used enough which can lead to sacroiliac dysfunction.
What Does Sacroiliac Dysfunction Feel Like?
We’ve had patients report all kinds of sensations when they visit us with sacroiliac joint issues. However, the signs we see the most frequently are:
- A sharp or stabbing pain is felt on either side of the lower back (sometimes called the hip).
- A dull ache or shooting pain in the same area.
- Lower back pain that extends over your buttock.
- Pain that goes down into the back of your thigh down to your knee.
- Some everyday activities such as moving from sitting to standing can start to become painful.
How Is It Treated?
We know everything we’ve said until now sounds quite painful, but there’s some great news: help is near! 🙌🙌🙌
Treating sacroiliac dysfunction or sacroiliac joint pain is usually quite straight forward. Chiropractic care can address any misalignments in the joints helping to ease the strain, muscle stiffness, and inflammation in the pelvic area so that you’re in less pain and more able to move.
After each chiropractic session, you’ll be given some at-home recommendations to help to relieve pain and strengthen the muscles in your pelvis. This may include ice 🧊 therapy, stretching 🧘♂️, and even simple balances exercises to improve stability.
Luckily, sacroiliac joint issues can usually be treated without surgery or other invasive treatments. You will soon be able to live a normal life again!
If you suspect that your sacroiliac joint may be causing your lower back or leg pain, book a consultation with us by tapping the button below 👇.
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