Sacroiliac Joint Rehab

The sacroiliac (SI) joint is where the sacrum (the triangle shaped bone at the base of your spine) meets the pelvis. There are 2 SI joints, one on each side. There are a lot of ligaments and surrounding muscles that reinforce the joints . One of the main functions of these joints is to transfer large forces between the trunk and the legs.

Sacroiliac Joint Pain can be caused by a traumatic injury (like a fall), repetitive activities, pregnancy, or may have an unknown cause.

Pain is typically on one side of the lower back and can radiate into the buttock and hip.

If you have had SI joint pain in the past, you may have heard that the joint is dysfunctional, fragile, unstable, or that it was "out of place." The truth is that the joint is none of these things and cannot very easily come out of place. There has been found to be very little movement at the SI joint. A research article by Sturreson et al. found that there is 2.5 degrees of rotation and .7 mm of translation at the SI joint. It has also been proven that clinicians cannot feel movement at the SI joint and they do not have the ability to change the position of the SI joint.

SI joint pain is best treated by strengthening the muscles around the joint that are weak and improving mobility in areas that are tight.

Here are 5 Exercises that I commonly use to treat SI Joint Pain.

1. Ball Squeeze Bridge. Lie on your back and place a ball between your knees. Squeeze the ball and lift your hips off the ground.

2. Cook Hip Lift. Lie on your back with your knees bent and grab one knee with both hands. Lift your hips off the ground.

3. Alternating Supermans. Lie on your stomach with your arms extended overhead. Lift one arm and the opposite leg. Then lift the other arm and the other leg.

4. Seated Hip Internal Rotation. Sit with a block or ball between your knees. Rotate your leg leg away from the center as far as you can.

5. Seated Banded Hip Abduction. Place a band around your knees and sit down. Keeping your foot on the floor, rotate one knee away from the center as far as you can.

SI Joint Pain can really limit you from doing your daily activities or your sport, but you can get rid of it! 

If you want a more comprehensive plan to get rid of your SI Joint Pain, check out my 12-week Back Program or join my Membership.