Pain in the sacroiliac joint can be a result of some type of trauma to the pelvis such as a fall as well as be nontraumatic like in the case of age-related degenerative changes like arthritis. However, pregnancy can be another underlying cause to sacroiliac joint pain. The pelvis undergoes a lot of change throughout each trimester of pregnancy which can bring about asymmetries in muscle strength and muscle length in any of the muscles that attach inside and outside of the pelvis.
When patients come into the clinic they are usually complaining about a sharp or dull and achy pain usually right in the center of the butt that they can sometimes also feel in the back of their thigh. I’ll often observe that the patient has difficulty with stabilizing their low back and hips while they’re walking and even when getting out of a chair or off the treatment table. If the muscles of the core system aren’t stabilizing the rest of your body efficiently, it makes it so much harder to shift weight from one leg to the other or pick up anything heavy, even getting into different positions throughout our day can become challenging.
S.I. Joint Pain can make transitional movements like getting in and out of the car, bed or bath more difficult. Over time, getting dressed in the mornings may become difficult and painful also. It’s very important to address symptoms like this because it’s often associated with increased risk of developing low back pain which can become its own can of worms. It is also a sign that there is likely something going wrong in the core system, specifically the way the body is absorbing and redistributing all the forces that we encounter in our daily lives.
Our goal is to create a strong core in order to protect our joints. Developing a good flexibility routine as well as deep core and glute strengthening routine in combination with soft tissue work and activity modifications can bring about a lot of positive change. I am always encouraging my patients to be mindful and avoid standing with weight shifted to one side or sitting with crossed legs to minimize any asymmetrical stress through that irritable joint.
