Maintaining healthy joints is crucial for preventing injuries. Incorporating physical activity, eating healthy foods, staying hydrated, and getting routine check-ups helps ensure the body is functioning properly, including the joints. The joints in the body act as shock absorbers, softening the impact of injuries the body has sustained. However, as the body ages, so do the joints, causing them to harden and lead to problems. In today’s article, we will look at sacroiliac dysfunction, the issues it can affect beyond back pain, and how chiropractic care can manage it. We refer patients to certified providers specializing in musculoskeletal therapies to help those with sacroiliac dysfunction. We also guide our patients by referring them to our associated medical providers based on their examinations when appropriate. We find that education is the solution to asking our providers insightful questions. Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, provides this information as an educational service only. Disclaimer
Are you experiencing pain in the pelvis? Do your hips seem tighter than usual? Do you feel muscle stiffness when you twist from side to side? Some of these issues are signs that you might be experiencing sacroiliac dysfunction. Around the pelvic region lies the sacroiliac joint, a weight-bearing, solid joint connecting the pelvis to the sacrum. It is surrounded by tough ligaments that support the body as it distributes the weight from the upper body to the lower body. However, like all other joints in the body, this joint can become unstable and painful, leading to sacroiliac dysfunction. Sacroiliac dysfunction or sacroiliac joint pain, is defined as one of the potential causes of axial low back pain. When there are issues affecting the sacroiliac joints, it’s associated with about a quarter of cases of low back pain. This is due to problems that overlap with lower back pain. Studies reveal that dysfunction of the sacroiliac joint can be associated with leg or back pain, making diagnosis difficult. Back pain associated with sacroiliac dysfunction causes the pelvis to be hypermobile, causing the risk of developing radiating groin pain. Leg pain associated with sacroiliac dysfunction can cause muscle tension and stiffness in the low back, legs, or buttocks, mimicking sciatica-like symptoms.
Many individuals may not realize that when they are experiencing sacroiliac dysfunction, symptoms show that they overlap with lumbar spine pathologies. However, sacroiliac dysfunction can also affect the pelvic region of the body. Studies reveal that when the muscles around the body’s pelvic area become inflamed or irritated, it can cause stiffness in the sacroiliac joints, thus increasing the risk of pelvic pain. Pelvic pain is usually defined as non-menstrual pain that causes functional disability to the lower extremities. Around the pelvic region, the lower sacral nerves provide extensive neurologic connections to the structures throughout the pelvic area that maintain normal pelvic organ function. When issues like sacroiliac dysfunction become a risk of pelvic pain, it may potentially involve pelvic symptoms like constipation. Studies reveal that constipation is significantly associated with a high prevalence of pelvic organ prolapse and low urinary tract symptoms. Other issues that sacroiliac dysfunction correlates with are:
Are you experiencing radiating pain from your lower back down to your leg? How about stiffness in your hips? Are you feeling constipated or have a sense of fullness in your bladder? You may suffer from sacroiliac dysfunction in your pelvic region if you notice these symptoms. The video above explains how to understand sacroiliac joint pain. The sacroiliac joint connects the pelvis and sacrum, surrounded by tough ligaments and muscles that help support the body by distributing weight from the upper body to the lower body. When issues affect the sacroiliac joints, they can overlap with other risk profiles, such as low back pain, leg pain, and pelvic pain. This can make diagnosing sacroiliac dysfunction difficult because the symptoms are similar to other issues. For example, hip pain is associated with piriformis syndrome, while potentially being involved with sciatica. How would hip pain be correlated with piriformis syndrome? The piriformis muscle can become overused and injured and can entrap the sciatic nerve (which runs from the lumbar spine, through the hips, and down to the leg), causing radiating, throbbing pain. At other times, referred pain in the lower back can affect other areas of the body due to sacroiliac dysfunction. Luckily, there are treatments available to manage sacroiliac dysfunction, including chiropractic care, physical therapy, and anti-inflammatory medications.
When issues of sacroiliac dysfunction become associated with leg or back pain, physicians often misdiagnose it as a soft tissue issue rather than a joint issue. Many doctors might rule out various medical conditions before including sacroiliac dysfunction as part of the diagnosis. Some treatments, like massage therapy, can help loosen tight muscles surrounding the joints, relieving pain and discomfort. At the same time, chiropractic care utilizes spinal manipulation and mobilization of the affected spinal area. Since the sacroiliac joint is an essential part of the musculoskeletal system, chiropractors specialize in this area. Through practical, non-invasive methods, chiropractic care has proven to not only relieve pain in the spine but also help rehabilitate the spine. Chiropractors are specially trained to guide the individual through several phases of care that help loosen the stiff muscles and strengthen the joints. Chiropractic care will help reduce pain as the body returns to health and allow the individual to resume their health and wellness journey.
Maintaining healthy joints is crucial for preventing injuries. The sacroiliac joints are part of the musculoskeletal system that connects the pelvic bone to the sacrum. This joint is surrounded by tough ligaments and muscles that support the upper and lower halves of the body by distributing weight. When the sacroiliac joint becomes unstable, it can cause pain, resulting in sacroiliac dysfunction. Sacroiliac dysfunction sometimes mimics low back and leg pain, making it difficult to diagnose. Co-morbidities like pelvic pain correlate to sacroiliac dysfunction, causing somato-visceral pain in different body areas. Treatments like chiropractic care can help strengthen stiff muscles and joints through spinal manipulation and mobilization, providing practical, non-invasive treatment. Chiropractic care can help rehabilitate the spine while decreasing the pain from returning to the body.
Jonely, Holly, et al. “Chronic Sacroiliac Joint and Pelvic Girdle Dysfunction in a 35-Year-Old Nulliparous Woman Successfully Managed with Multimodal and Multidisciplinary Approach.” The Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy, Maney Publishing, Feb. 2015, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4459139/.
Raj, Marc A, et al. “Sacroiliac Joint Pain.” In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL), StatPearls Publishing, 12 Feb. 2022, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470299/.
Singh, Prashant, et al. “Pelvic Floor Symptom Related Distress in Chronic Constipation Correlates with a Diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Constipation and Constipation Severity but Not Pelvic Floor Dyssynergia.” Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility, Korean Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility, 31 Jan. 2019, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6326213/.
Yeomans, Steven. “Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction (SI Joint Pain).” Spine, Spine-Health, 7 Feb. 2018, https://www.spine-health.com/conditions/sacroiliac-joint-dysfunction/sacroiliac-joint-dysfunction-si-joint-pain.