SI Joint pain - how do you cope?

Jean410

Does anybody else out there have SI joint pain?

I have always had some degree of back pain, but since I had my son 17 months ago, It's been excruciating. Yes, this is definitely SI joint, I do not have a disk issue. I went to a specialist and physical therapist and started to feel better. Started working out at the gym and increasing core strength and I've been feeling much better for the last 3 months. This week it hurts so bad I can barely walk at times... I know my muscles are in knots and I don't want to rely on muscle relaxers to help ease it.

What do you find works best for the pain? How are you able to stave off the pain or keep it to a minimum? And does it ever get better?

Lleldiranne

Try yoga. Many poses help loosen up the back muscles, which can relieve pressure on the joint, and improve circulation. Let the instructor know you have joint pain in your back, and she can let you know if there's anything that you should avoid (ie back bends). Make sure you really focus on the breathing aspect, as that helps your muscles relax into stretches.

jb_2011

Get yourself a copy of Andrew Weil's book, "Pain Free". It'll take a few months of dedication doing the exercises shown, but it works wonders. They're easy stretches designed to realign the body. I was in misery for well over a year with pain similar to yours. Spent a few months following Weil's exercises religiously. I highly recommend it.

Sorry you're hurting, I know it's no fun at all. I think you might be able to fix it!!! Be sure to read the first few chapters of the book before starting the exercises.

myleensjodin

Hi Jean, there are plenty of natural ways to heal pain that have worked for me. The best has been Japanese shiatsu message (pressure point massage) which is done over clothes with no oils for the modest at heart. It really feels wonderful and a long time after the massage too! Also, there's acupuncture, which works great if you do more than a few treatments. I have been taking a homeopathic supplement for joint pain relief that really works well for me. I forgot the name of it, but anyways, you can go to your vitamin/natural food store and ask a knowledgeable person what's recommended. Hope this helps!

lezzells

This post caught my eye! I've been getting SI joint pain for about 18 months, im training very intensely in martial arts - the pain started very minimally, slowly progressed to worse over 6 months, then got to the point where i had to stop training for about 5 months, i had an MRI done and a CT, and doctors said it was disc injury and the beginning of a stress fracture in L5.
After not training and lots of ab/back strengthening work, it got alot better, went back to training and the pain came back... went to a physio, the physio said there was nothing wrong, but gave me pelvic stability exercises, rested again, it got better, went back to training, and pain came back - saw another sports doc who said its disc related, but im convinced it's not....
Went to an osteopath, she took me to their case study meeting, and four osteopaths all agreed it sounds like bursitis on the SI joint - theyve told me to get an ultrasound of the joint and the gluts (my glut med is not working properly) and if it is bursitis - the best thing to do is get a cortosoine shot into it, this was only yesterday, so i havent done ultrasound yet - but i recommend you get the same to see whats going on in that joint!

Hope this helps!

MzBug

I haven't found a good lasting relief to the problem. I do walking and Wii Fit as my primary cardio, do some pilates and use resistance bands. I do have a couple disk issues, so I do some stretches before I get out of bed. The biggest thing that has helped is a full body pillow used while I sleep. It keeps me from sleeping on my stomach and tucking it between my knees helps keep my SI's from shifting while sleeping. Most of the time I just have a little stiffness in the mornings that goes away by the time I get my second cup of coffee. Occasionally (usually when the weather changes or I do something stupid) I will have more pain for a few days. A hot bath and ibuprophen keep me going. If you find something that works let me know! Good Luck!

Jean410

Thanks everybody. I'm going to try Yoga again. My personal trainer has also been having me stretch different muscle groups that have been causing some of the problem. I've been taking a muscle relaxant at night and ibuprofen during the day... We'll see how this week goes and if the stretches help or if I need to go see my spine specialist again. I'll keep you posted. Thanks again for the comments.

lisasays

I do a series of stretches 2-3x a day that my PT gave me. It's 10 exercises and takes about 3 minutes. Its a life saver.
Wish I was there to show you :-)
Find a good PT - one that is into yoga and natural ways and means - and be careful with strength training.