By Kimberly on Monday, June 05, 2000 - 05:47 pm:

does anyone know how to get rid of pain in the SI joint. Gwen I thought it was my hip, but after seeing my ortho he said it's my SI joint. Thanks
LOL
Kimberly

By Eppie on Monday, June 05, 2000 - 05:47 pm:

I've had three rounds of prolotherpay in my SI joint with VERY good results. Email me if you need info or have questions. Good Luck Sist

By Pam on Monday, June 05, 2000 - 05:48 pm:

through trial and error, I've learned a way to stretch first one leg then the other while lying on my back. It seems to "pop" things back into allignment and relieve pain
in the SI region.

By Kimberly on Monday, June 05, 2000 - 05:48 pm:

O.K so how do I go about stretching my leg?

By Pam on Monday, June 05, 2000 - 05:48 pm:

I actually first tried it after watching a physical therapist pop my daughter's pelvic girdle back into allignment. It's kind of hard to explain, but I just force one leg to
extend as far as I can by rocking the hip. Then I repeat with the other side. I can usually feel it pop. It relieves the pain for awhile.

By Jude on Monday, June 05, 2000 - 05:49 pm:

Yeah, my sacro-iliac joint is one of my worst areas for pain. It''s like toothache over a huge scale isn't it? I tend to pop my hip in & out to get relief. Let's see, I stand
with my weight on the leg of the affected side and slightly bend the knee. My hip pops out and when it's really bad, if I lie down & do it it tends to pull off my
sacro-iliac joint. I also get relief from the osteopath. If all else fails sitting on a knobbly chair arm or such like not only gets strange looks but also gives a little relief.
Hope that's helped a bit. If you get any more tips from anywhere i'd love to hear them. Happy popping.

By Kimberly on Monday, June 05, 2000 - 05:49 pm:

Thank you all for your suggestions. I will try them out and see how they work. Let the popping commence.

P.S. I will let you know if I find anything else that works.
Kimberly

By Andrea on Monday, June 05, 2000 - 05:49 pm:

Dear Kimberly

Have you tried an SI belt? I have been wearing one since Easter after my physio (who specailises in HMS) found out that my whole pelvis was very loose but all the
muscles and ligaments in and around it had got stuck because they tried so hard to keep the poor pelvis together. I then needed to pop quite often whatever was
jammed in order to release the tension/pain. The belt is now doing the job of the muscles (for while) so that the muscles can relax before which I will not be able to
do any exercises. The belt is tied around your hips just under your hip bones and tightened with extra straps around the sides. At the beginning I could barely walk
with it, it felt as if I was waddling like a duck. But it has turned out to be a tremendous relief. I only wear it when I walk or when I am standing upright for a long time
(like in the kitchen doing the cooking).

The company who makes this belt is Serola Biomechanics in Honolulu, and it comes in different sizes.

Good luck - Andrea

By Sheena Halcrow on Monday, June 26, 2000 - 04:06 pm:

My Physio gave me some specific exercises for SI joint as my muscle tone is poor after two pregnancies, emergency c-sections and a very large baby. Lie on your back, knees bent, and tilt your pelvis forward then pull in your tummy muscles as if sucking them under your rib cage - hold foe a few seconds then release. Do this as many times as you can. Then do same again but instead of releasing, move one knee slowly down to side and back up again, keeping feet in place. repeat with other knee. I find it difficult to breath when tummy "sucked in" - this is normal - try to snatch breaths during the exercises. I found these exercises tremendously helpful in stabilising the joint and improves muscle tone generally helps the pain.
Hope you understand my description, Sheena

By Michelle on Monday, June 26, 2000 - 09:00 pm:

Hey Andrea, I am supposed to be getting one of those super duper SI braces as soon as I get a prescription. Right now, I am wearing a strap-like brace to hold myself together. It really does give me some relief too.

As far as stretching my SI, I have a tough time knowing what to do, because the traditional back stretches make it feel worse-then I've got my hip on top of that.
Michelle

By Kimberly on Tuesday, June 27, 2000 - 12:21 pm:

Andrea, I have tried the SI belt and it works. I also have been in physical therapy for a month and that to is working. My PT has given me some stretches to do that helps when the pain gets bad. The first one is to lay on your back with one leg straight and the other bent at a 90 degree angle at the knee. You would have the straight legged foot under a bed or something cause you want to lift that one up as you push the bed with the bent leg. I hope that makes sence. The other one is to sit in a chair with your arms crossed in between your knees. Then pull your knees together. For 3 seconds and 3 times on of these stretches.
Thanks again for all of you help.
Kimberly

By Lucy on Tuesday, June 27, 2000 - 01:44 pm:

Has anyone had trouble with their SI belt and blisters or burning of the skin? I have Ehlers-Danlos type 3, and with it comes this very stretchy skin around my hips (I'm not talking about fat here folks, but skin). When I wear anything tight my skin gets very sore, even if I use padding. So I have to weigh up wearing the belt for my SI joint with getting blisters on my hips. Any clever suggestions?

Thanks everyone for all the great exercise suggestions. My trick for putting the "bugger" back in place is as follows:

1. My husband (a friend will do) places the palm of his hand right on top of the SI joint (I am lying face down - try to keep your neck straight by supporting your head on either side with pillows).
2. He then rocks the joint back and forth in small motions with gentle pressure.

You will be amazed at the relief it brings and at how easily it will settle back in its joint. It also sends a message to any cramped or spasm'd muscles to move. Use this technique anywhere that's sore. My physio taught us this one - try it and let me know.

By Michelle on Wednesday, June 28, 2000 - 10:23 am:

Lucy, I often wear a pair of lycra shorts under the belt, and then my clothes over that. It feels a little warm in the summer, but I find that helps skin problems.

By Charlie on Tuesday, August 01, 2000 - 08:40 am:

All you "poppers" out there, sorry to be a pooper but I found I could pop my SI joint back 'in' and did so for about four months, only to be told by my osteopath that it prevents the healing by snapping the ligaments too violently, which stuffs them up even more. If your joint does go out very painfully then try to create the right conditions for it to ease (NB allow it to ease, don't push it at all) itself back into a less painful position.

I find lying on my front and supporting my chin on my hands and my elbows on the floor to be very helpful. I try to become aware of the tension in the whole of my back (i.e. from coccyx to skull, the whole width too) and then 'breathe' into it, feeling it lengthen and widen with each breath. The pain is always gone after a few minutes of this.

I sometimes then roll over onto my back and pull my knees very gently and slowly towards my chest, then breath into my lower back and buttocks.

Ideally find out what works best for you, and if there's any pain, either during or after (probably due to bruising of the joint's soft tissues following too harsh a manipulation) then don't do it that way!

Good luck

By DEEDEE on Tuesday, September 12, 2000 - 11:42 am:

I AM SO AMAZED THAT I AM NO THE ONLY ONE FEELING LIKE THIS, I THOUGHT I WAS DEFORMED OR SOMETHING.
MY PHYSICAL THERAPIST TOLD ME THIS IS WHAT I HAD, BUT THE DR SAID HE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT. AFTER FINDING ALL THIS INFO. I KNOW THIS IS WHAT I HAVE. EVERTIME I GO TO P.T.
HE HAS TO POP MY JOINT BACK INTO PLACE. WOW CAN ANYBODY TELL ME HOW THIS IS CAUSED.
THANKS
CANDI

By Rene on Saturday, December 13, 2003 - 07:09 pm:

Hi,
I have extra SI motion. I had seen a GI dr. for lower back and stomache pain. He sent me to an ortho. The ortho is suggesting that I have an SI fusion. Has anyone had this done and what was the result? I have had several orthopedic surgeries and am not sure I want to jump into this one. Thanks for the input!!

By Deb on Thursday, December 18, 2003 - 04:04 pm:

I popped my SI joints about a year and a half ago. The pain relief was immediate. A few hours later, I was in MUCH worse pain. Take it easy on the SI popping. It traumatizes the muscles around the joints.

I have disabling SI pain and hyperlordosis, which is essentially a swayback. The curve in my lower back crunches my upper-body weight down onto weak spots like my SI joints. I'm doing physical therapy to realign my back and straighten the curve, which also requires stretching the quads and hip flexors in front.

It's not fun, but eventually the pelvis will tilt and the back will straighten, easing the load on the SI joints. If you have problems with your SI joints, get your lumbar back checked out too.

peace.

By Tania on Tuesday, June 22, 2004 - 11:32 am:

Kimberly and All,
After 2 cars rear-ended me within 1 year, my right hip was rotating forward, along with slight damage to my L7 vertebrae, with extreme lower back and hip pain. Now the Dr's. say my pain resides in my sacroiliac joints and sacrum.

I have tried everything over the past two years except accupuncture; I've done PT twice, Chiropractor, deep massage therapy, SI Belt, Electrical Tens Unit, Pilates, Yoga, Back brace, Many Meds, etc.
My current Pain Management Center has benefitted me the most by me receiving Bilateral SI joint Shots. I only recommend the SI joint shots if you have exhausted all other resources.

The needle is inserted to the very center of your SI Joints and is administered in a soundproof room if that gives you an idea! You are allowed 3 SI shots every 6 months but not recommended over a long period of time since it can lead to osteoperosis. However, it is worth receiving a few shots to target the pain area and possibly eliminate the inflamation or reoccurence.

After 2 years, I am finally off of pain medicine and muscle relaxers, and will hopefully be off of anti-inflamatories in the future. The Bilateral SI Joint shots seemed to be the only relief
Good Luck!!!!