SI Joint Pain

If you’ve been suffering from lower back pain, it may be because of sacroiliac joint dysfunction. SI joint pain can make it difficult to move, be comfortable, and go about your day-to-day life. One of the first lines of treatment for SI joint pain is physical therapy and exercise. Wasatch Peak Physical Therapy provides treatment options for SI joint pain that can alleviate your pain and strengthen and stabilize your sacroiliac joints so that it is easier to walk, sit, move, and generally live your life. 

What Are Sacroiliac Joints? 

Your sacroiliac (SI) joints are between your sacrum and your ilium bones in your pelvis. They work with the base of your spine and the top of your pelvis in order to support the weight of your upper body. You have two SI joints on the right and the left sides of your body that are held in place by ligaments. They work as shock absorbers in order to help keep your body stable and to prevent pain while you move. They can reduce pressure and impact your spine. 

Diagnosing SI Joint Pain

It can be challenging to diagnose SI joint pain, but it should always be considered as a potential diagnosis in cases of lower back pain. Many other conditions can cause similar symptoms to SI joint pain, such as arthritis and sciatica. Since your SI joints are deep inside your body, it can be difficult for a doctor to test or examine them. Additionally, damage to your SI joints often does not appear on tests, such as MRIs and CT scans. 

SI joint pain can be diagnosed through the use of imaging tests, a physical examination, and numbing drugs injected into the SI joint in order to determine whether that causes your pain to go away or not.

Causes Of SI Joint Pain

In many cases, SI joint pain is the result of a specific event, such as an injury. However, it can be difficult to determine the exact cause of sacroiliac issues. 

Some causes of SI joint dysfunction include:

• Pregnancy
• Childbirth
• Aging
• Spine surgeries
• Abnormal walking patterns
• Trauma, such as from an injury
• Arthritis
• Infection
• Leg length discrepancy

These are but some of the potential causes of this type of joint pain. In some cases, there is no clear cause for why you are suffering from sacroiliac pain. 

Symptoms Of Sacroiliac Joint Pain

While lower back pain is among the most common symptoms of sacroiliac issues, symptoms may vary from person to person.

Some of the most common symptoms of SI joint pain include:

• Lower back pain
• Groin pain
• Hip pain
• Pelvis pain
• Buttocks pain
• Feeling like your legs will give out
• Radiating pain in your upper legs
• Stiffness or burning in your pelvis
• Numbness
• Weakness
• Painful sitting
• Pain while standing up from a sitting position
• Pain while climbing stairs
• Being unable to sit for long periods of time/need to sit on one side
• Disturbed sleep patterns due to pain

Physical Therapy For SI Joint Pain

If you’re suffering from sacroiliac issues, Wasatch Peak Physical Therapy has treatment options that can help. Once your SI joint issues have been diagnosed, physical therapy is one of the first treatment options doctors suggest. Physical therapy can strengthen and stabilize your SI joints and help you find relief from your pain. In the rare cases that you need surgery to fix the issue, physical therapy can help you both prepare for it and recover from it. 

Depending on the cause of your SI joint pain, it may be short or long-term. Regardless, physical therapy can greatly help you with pain management and mobility. 

Contact Wasatch Peak Physical Therapy for a consultation at one of our Northern Utah locations, and let us help you feel better.