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Sacroiliac Joint Pain
Exercises for SI joint pain
Body Part:
Pelvis & Buttocks
Equipment:
Midi Massage Ball, Chair
Level:
Beginner
Lower Back Ache? Try These Exercises for SI Joint Pain
If you’ve got lower back pain, your back hurts when you stand up after sitting, or you feel pain radiating down your legs, the discomfort may be coming from your sacroiliac joint. According to a recent study, the sacroiliac joint is one of the most common sources of chronic back pain1); it’s also one of the most frequently overlooked causes. 2)
This 8-minute exercise routine targets the tight, stiff muscles and fascia surrounding the sacroiliac joint. Regularly practising our routine can help relieve tension and stiffness and alleviate SI joint pain. All you need for our exercises is a chair and our Midi Massage Ball. If you don’t have our Midi Massage Ball, use a tennis ball. Jump to our routine to start relieving your discomfort, or keep reading to learn more about the sacroiliac joint and SI joint pain.
Your Sacroiliac Joints: Where They Are & What They Do
Below your lumbar spine (lower spine) and above your coccyx (tailbone) is a triangular-shaped bone called the sacrum. Along the right and left sides of the sacrum, running about halfway down, are the sacroiliac joints. The sacroiliac joint attaches the sacrum to the ilium, the biggest and topmost bone in the hip. The sacroiliac joint is the largest synovial joint in our body. 3) Synovial joints are covered by a cartilage layer and kept lubricated by a slippery liquid called synovial fluid. Synovial joints facilitate movement, but the sacroiliac joint only allows for some motion. The joint is stabilized by muscles and ligaments.
The SI joints transfer weight between the spine and lower body, absorb the shock of physical movement and provide stability. Thanks to our SI joints, we can keep our backs straight when we walk and run.
Sacroiliac Joint Pain Symptoms
Sacroiliac joint pain is difficult to diagnose. The symptoms of SI joint pain are similar to those of other conditions. The most common symptom is pain in the lower back. Additional symptoms are:
- Pain in the buttocks, groin, thighs, or legs
- Sharp pain that starts in the hips or pelvis and travels to the lower back or down the thigh
- The feeling that your legs are going to buckle
The pain may feel sharp or tingly, or you might experience a feeling of numbness or weakness. The discomfort can occur in one or both of your SI joints.
The following can aggravate SI joint pain:
-
Standing or sitting for long periods
-
Standing up after sitting
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Running
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Stair climbing.
Causes
Your sacroiliac joint hurts because it’s inflamed. This is known as si joint dysfunction or sacroiliitis. The inflammation may be the result of:
An injury. Injuries that may cause SI joint inflammation are falls, automobile accidents, and sports injuries. Sacroiliitis is common among runners.
Arthritis. Common forms of arthritis that occur in the SI joint are:
- Osteoarthritis. OA occurs when the layer of cartilage covering the joint wears down and the bones rub together. OA is part of the ageing process.
- Gout. Gout is brought on by high levels of uric acid in the blood. The condition most frequently manifests in the big toe but can affect any joint.
- Ankylosing spondylitis. Also called axial spondyloarthritis, AS inflames the spines’ joints and ligaments. In severe cases, the vertebrae fuse.
Pregnancy. The weight gain, the physical trauma of giving birth, and the hormonal changes that take place in the body during pregnancy can put you at risk of SI joint pain. 4)
Leg length discrepancy. 5) LLD is a condition where one of your legs is visibly shorter than the other. Most of us have a slight difference in the length of our legs. However, if the difference in length is more than 2 cm, it can affect how you walk, which may lead to SI joint pain.
Scoliosis. Scoliosis causes the spine to curve sideways.
Back surgery. 6)
Sometimes, what causes sacroiliac joint pain isn’t clear.
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Exercise 1: SI Joint Foam Roll Massage
You’ll need the Midi Massage Ball for this exercise.
- Sit on the floor with your legs straight in front of you. Straighten your arms and place your hands on the floor behind you for support.
- Bend your right leg so your foot is flat on the floor, and place the Midi Massage Ball under your right buttock.
- Slowly make small circular motions on the Midi Massage Ball. When you hit a point that feels painful or sensitive, increase the pressure on the Midi Massage Ball and massage until you feel the tension release.
- Continue making circular motions on your buttock, looking for other sensitive or painful areas. When you find one, repeat the previous step.
- Massage for 2 to 2.5 minutes.
- Finish, and repeat the SI Joint Foam Roll Massage on your left buttock.
Exercise 2: Hip Flexor Stretch
- Stand in a neutral position with your back straight.
- Step back with your right leg and bend your knee slightly. Keep your left leg straight.
- Maintaining a straight back, lean backwards from your hips.
- You’ll feel a stretch inside your thigh and along your hip flexor.
Don’t feel a stretch in your thigh and the front of your hip? Check to make sure your back is straight, and you’re not leaning backwards from your upper back.
- Intensify the stretch by leaning as far back as you can. Flex your abdominals for support, and keep taking deep breaths.
- Hold for 2 to 2.5 minutes.
- Slowly come back up to a neutral position and finish.
- Repeat the stretch on the other side.
Exercise 3: Lower Trunk Rotation
You’ll need a chair for this exercise.
- Sit forward in the chair with your back straight and your feet flat on the floor.
- Cross your right leg over your left.
- Maintaining a straight back, lean forward.
- Move around to target the affected area; shift your upper body to the left, and rotate your torso to the left. Shift your upper body to the right, and rotate your upper body to the right.
- Stop turning and shifting as soon as you feel a stretch directly in the affected area.
- Intensify the stretch by leaning further forward.
- Hold for 2 to 2.5 minutes.
- Slowly bring your upper body centre and finish.
- Repeat on the other side.
Exercise Regularly.
Perform our exercises for SI joint pain 6 days a week, leaving 1 day for rest, for a 3-week sprint. Adjust how often you exercise when the pain begins to disappear.
Sources & Studies
- ↑1,↑3 Chuang, C. W., Hung, S. K., Pan, P. T., & Kao, M. C. (2019). Diagnosis and interventional pain management options for sacroiliac joint pain. Ci ji yi xue za zhi = Tzu-chi medical journal, 31(4), 207–210. https://doi.org/10.4103/tcmj.tcmj_54_19.
- ↑2 Buchanan, P., Vodapally, S., Lee, D. W., Hagedorn, J. M., Bovinet, C., Strand, N., Sayed, D., & Deer, T. (2021). Successful Diagnosis of Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction. Journal of pain research, 14, 3135–3143. https://doi.org/10.2147/JPR.S327351.
- ↑4,↑6 Cohen S. P. (2005). Sacroiliac joint pain: a comprehensive review of anatomy, diagnosis, and treatment. Anesthesia and analgesia, 101(5), 1440–1453. https://doi.org/10.1213/01.ANE.0000180831.60169.EA.
- ↑5 Wu, L., Tafti, D., & Varacallo, M. (2022). Sacroiliac Joint Injection. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.
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