SI joint pain, help!

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  • TswvNplooj
    TswvNplooj Posts: 60 Member
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    ievent wrote: »
    I would try ice for the first day or two, on/off for 20 minutes. I would then switch to warm compresses/moist heat. Important to keep moving despite the pain, otherwise you will stiffen up even more. Maybe look into getting a foam roller to help roll out your quads, hamstrings, and hip flexors? Gentle stretching and time will help relieve the pain. Most importantly, if it hurts doing any of the above, stop!

    Thank you. Very useful. What is a foam roller?
  • TswvNplooj
    TswvNplooj Posts: 60 Member
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    melissa6771 wrote: »
    I had SI joint problems from a car accident too. Chiropractor helped, PT after made it worse (wish I hadn't gone, I felt so good before pt), then the chiropractor didn't help after whatever it is PT did to me, then I had a few injections that helped for a few months each time. Then I started losing weight, exercising and stretching, it's gotten much better since I started that! I was in pain for a year and a half. I get a teenie flare up every so often but it's barely anything.

    Wow that's a long time. Mine is so painful I can't even walk or stand. How would I exercise?
  • tkdchick2016
    tkdchick2016 Posts: 38 Member
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    You need to see a professional like a physiotherapist, massage therapist or chiropractor. I have had this before and had it resolve with no meds. Meds just help with the symptoms (or are supposed to anyway), you need help with what is causing the symptoms (pain, etc.).
  • ievent
    ievent Posts: 13 Member
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    GaoleeYaj wrote: »
    Thank you. Very useful. What is a foam roller?

    A foam roller is a high density foam "log", which you roll back and forth on that helps stretch muscles gently and release any tension. It's almost like a self-performed chiropractic adjustment!

  • Lucy1752
    Lucy1752 Posts: 499 Member
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    teetertatertango wrote: »
    My husband got relief through chiropractic treatment and doctor prescribed stretches/exercises. Meds alone are probably not enough especially if you are doing something in your daily life that is continually aggravating it (doc should be able to help you pinpoint that).

    This

    When I was dealing with it I also converted to a standing desk at work as my pain occurred mainly when sitting.
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
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    Also a fan of chiropractic (make sure he's not a complete quack) and yoga/stretching.
  • TswvNplooj
    TswvNplooj Posts: 60 Member
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    Thank you
  • TswvNplooj
    TswvNplooj Posts: 60 Member
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    Update! I went to see a spine doctor. He said I have bad arthritis on my L2-L4. Therefore my bones are deteriorating causing the cartridge to thin out and wedge. He thinks it's a pinch nerve on my L2 causing my sciatic nerve to flare up that's why I have pain down my right leg. Treatments are, steroid pills, muscle relaxer and pain killer. If it does not get better in 30 days then they will do injection. If injection doesn't work than surgery is last option.

    I went to see chiropractor and he said he treats this all the time. I may just skip the whole medical treatment and try the chiropractor first. Any thoughts?
  • joanna_82
    joanna_82 Posts: 151 Member
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    GaoleeYaj wrote: »
    joanna_82 wrote: »
    I have SI joint problems but I keep it at bay with Pilates and stretching. When mine flares up the muscles around my hips back and glutes tense up. Acupuncture usually sorts out the muscle tightness almost instantly. Would recommend.

    Does it hurt? I'm terrified if needles.

    Not really. I'm not a needles fan but I just lie on my front so I can't see. The pain relief for me has been SO worth it.
  • leasah
    leasah Posts: 107 Member
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    I went to pt for several months, now to stay pain free I use a foam roller and go to yoga or Pilates every week. Seriously yoga has kept me pain free and out of the chiropractor's office for almost a year now.
  • lgregory6540
    lgregory6540 Posts: 63 Member
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    I'd give chiro a shot- just a bit to see if it improves at all, if there's no change the other options will still be there! Hope it feels better soon
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,982 Member
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    GaoleeYaj wrote: »
    I went to see chiropractor and he said he treats this all the time. I may just skip the whole medical treatment and try the chiropractor first. Any thoughts?

    What chiropractors do is primarily based on the theory of muscle/bone "realignment." You have a degenerative bone condition which is causing a pinched nerve that is causing your sciatic pain. A chiropractor "may" be able to realign your spine so that the nerve is pinched less (or maybe not at all) but I do not think that would be a permanent fix. The pain killers and steroid injections are also palliative and will not necessarily lead to a cure either.

    The risk is that in doing a spinal "realignment" could make your pain worse. If you've never seen or experienced just a treatment, you should take a look at some YouTube videos to see if that's something you want to do. If it is, you can give it a try but I would talk w/the chiropractor and share the medical diagnosis w/him to warn him about the condition of your spine, if you have not already done so. If the realignment works, there will be no need to take the pills or get the injections but, if it fails, the medical treatments would be your only recourse.

    FWIW, I had SI pain caused by a squat injury. I had chiropractic realignment which didn't work but didn't make the pain any worse. I had an MRI which detected spinal stenosis but not specific problem w/the SI joint where the pain originated. I did not have an sciatic pain. I had 2 steroid injections in the SI joint (over 6 months) which did very little to alleviate the pain. The only thing that worked in my case was time. I didn't lift again for 3 years and in that time the pain finally went away. I just resumed lifting a few months ago and my SI pain did not return.

    Here's hoping for a better and quicker resolution in your case.



  • subakwa
    subakwa Posts: 347 Member
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    You are asking if you should skip genuine medical advice to see a quack instead?

    Chiropractic intervention for back pain has not been proven. In fact studies have shown that there is no statistically significant difference between length of time for back pain resolution with chiropractic treatment vs no treatment at all. People ascribe success to chiropractors because they happen to be seeing them when resolution occurs.

    It can be different with other areas of the body where manipulation can help. This isn't a downer on all chiropractic activity, but for your back, stay clear and listen to a medically trained doctor.

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