Suffered too many years with painful sij. Sadly my posture can never change so had to find other ways to ease pain especially when walking or standing gardening.
Back under physio who can do little - exercises make it worse. She did massage this week but that didn't help either. She doesn't think there is any inflammation.
Had acupuncture about 3 years ago - brilliant and now waiting for appt.
Meantime pain meds. Cocodamol doesn't touch and GP can't put me on Tramodal cos reacts with my Citalapram. Not that I want to go down that road anyway.
He is scratching his head - any advice I can take to him! Please.?
Pat x
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I have a terrible time with SIJ pain and it staying in place as well. I'm in the states and my PT showed my husband how to adjust my SI. It is a small maneuver and anyone could learn how to do it. I do take a very small amount of hydrocodone for PN which also helps with the SI J pain. Perhaps that would be an option for you? Thanks for sharing about the acupuncture...haven't tried that yet because of expense, but if it works will definitely consider it. Best wishes.
Has anyone shown you or told you about the broom handle trick for helping with SI K pain?
I'll try to explain.....
Lay on you back on the floor (I know, that can be the first hurdle!!) and bring your knees up to your chest (or thereabouts). With a broom handle or thick handled something, put it behind one knee and in front of the other with your hands holding onto each end.
Then gently get the knee with the handle behind, to pull the handle backwards whilst the knee with the handle in front, to push it forward - you should still hold on tightly with each hand to 'balance' the handle from moving backwards or forwards. Do this for three seconds and release.
Then swap which way the handle is on your knees so both SI joints get a stretch.
Repeat the sequence a couple of times, sticking with 'one way around' for a few then the other.
Apparently, and I find it does help, this stretches & strengthens the joint without our weight being put through it as well. Start really gently though and build up the 'force' slowly; don't injure yourself further!! I got shown this by a physio and it is also on YouTube, although I appreciate that's not much use to you; the guys on there may explain it clearer than me however!!!
I may of course get lambasted for suggesting this without properly 'assessing you' first and I'm no a physio etc but I do find it 'loosens it up a little'.
Also, the most simplistic thing I find; sitting astride something like a chair backwards (got to get your legs apart quite a bit!!) can help or I used to find squatting helped (can't get down there anymore) but if you can find something to sit on that makes your knees higher than your hips, it's almost the same thing!!
Anyway, I hope I've been of some help and really hope I've not suggested anything bad!!
RAYJAYC. I am going to say a finger. SI joint problems are not all the same. Many different causes and only a proper individual assessment can give safe stretches I think. The joints can be over mobile or under mobile as well as having arthritis.
Most of the things you suggest can be great but in the right circumstances. I could do all though successfully and give myself relief a while back. If I tried them now I'd end up not being able to walk or move. And Pat can't afford to be at all disabled .
Pat I'd rely on Pain medication and push for proper assessment. Its such a difficult one though as often nothing shows up on scans for instance. So it's down to a knowledgeable person to assess given the symptoms shown . I didn't think of your posture over the years with the sight problems . of course. Hopefully improving that and reducing inflammation should help.
Icing works well. The old 15 mins on 45 off but it's difficult to keep ice packs on that area.
Had an assessment some years ago and again recently from physio. In agreement with each other. That is encouraging but I am a hopeless case.
There doesn't appear to be any inflamation but more llikely wear on the joints as they grind when I am in a certain position. Walking is bad, standing with slight lean forward when gardening or standing at thee kitchen sink is bad too.
Sight loss has taken its toll on my back and as that can't be changed I have to live with the sij condition.
But i don't need to live with the pain and that's what I'm after. A pain med
I know it only masks the problem but as I said it can not be rectified with conventional treatment...and I need to function reasonable well for David.
So - back to my original post and advice on pain med please.
I'm not one to advise on pain meds Pat having got myself into one hell of a mess with these Fentanyl patches. I am so ill.
But for you surely the pain clinic whom you have a good relationship would be the ones to advise you. Will your GP not refer given as you say that they need to keep you functioning if only to look after David.
You still in a mess Dee? Keep hopig something is working at last for you
All I want is a basic pain med like you might take for a headache or PM pain. But yes I will ring clinic and speak to them.. Or tootle along with David when he goe for his spinal jags next week.
I did say in my original post that I'm not a physio; I was just giving Paton an idea of something different! She also did say that she'd been assessed by a physio and there weren't any contraindications!
sorry RayJay. I didn't see that post where Pat said she had had a physio assessment. I'm in a mess myself so I'm not paying attention. Hope no offense has been taken.
That I don't know, partly because I'm not a physio but mainly because I can't concentrate, picturing a lady whom I have no idea what she looks like, grappling on the floor with the broom!!!!! You know those giggles you try so hard to stifle when it's a serious situation but something you find funny happens??
I was told that my bad posture is one of the possible causes of my SI joint pain which in turn is affecting my posture; unscramble from that what you will but the broom handle trick (oh no, here I go again) certainly helps for a while.
Also, I don't think it matters how high you can get your knees up, just as long as they're close enough for you to reach the wooden handle thingy with your hands when it's under one & in front of t'other. (There, no mental images to guffaw at now!!)
Hi Pat, really sorry to hear you are in so much pain, I can add anything to what has already been mentioned, how is the move coming along, maybe you need that warmer climate at least if it doesnt help the pain it can lift your spirits, hope everything gets sorted and you get more comfort.
thinking og you both sending big hugs and love Sheryl x
Oh I'm fine. Fortinately it doesn't hurt all the time unlike so many others.
Clearing out going well. David has got motivated although I suspect he is packing everything! But happy that he feels well enough to do it. I am ready with the meds and TLC!
All I want is a tablet like well anything that will stop my pain when it starts. I get crabby!
I read your initial post again and see that you take cocodamol. It may be better getting Codeine as a separate drug; I take a 60mg tablet, usually alongside Paracetamol, but have found it better that way.
It may not be any better for you as only a small percentage can metabalise Codeine into its Morphine properties but that's a scientific phenomenon that gets debated & argued about frequently!!!! Could be why you and others don't get any effect from Cocodamol (or will from seperate Codeine obviously) but I'd say it's always worth giving it a try.
Exercises under a physio can make things worse as physios have little if any understanding of how muscle shortening can cause a painful condition. Physio exercises can cause muscle shortening.
There is massage done by healers and there is massage done by physios and the two can be very different.
Have you seen an Alexander Teacher? You cannot change your posture without help as often what you think your are doing can be the very opposite of what you think you are doing when it comes to muscular work on the posture.
Yoga can be useful in getting contracted muscle to lengthen.
Google "muscle trains myers". You may find what he has to say useful.
You can change how you peer very closely at things. Many people peer closely by fixing there eyes and staring. This has repercussions on posture. When looking closely at something keep the eyes moving. This requires thought to undo the old habit and to develop a new one.
When you peer closely at things some people arch the back instead of allowing gravity to take them closer. They also can bend the chest in which results in all sorts of muscle pulls on the pelvis some of which may not be good.
Pain relief med is nice but stops you from focusing on things that you do that cause more pain and enabling you to stop doing them. In the long run pain relief med will cause you more damage and greater pain from the damage.
All I can say is that this is for you to investigate preferably with the help of others.
John Smith clearly the medical profession have failed to grasp what being blind entails. Goodness knows where my eyes go but certainly nowhere i can find.
I must introduce them to you.
I peer in the vain hope that whatever I am doing I will be able to see it. I can't, End of.
I am well aware that pain meds mask pain but for short term relief while waiting ofr acupuncture they are a necessary evil. Acupuncture works as it releases my own body's natural endorphins.
Believe me I wouldn't take any meds unless really needed. As a carer I need to be able to function on full power.
Acupuncture works by doing other things than just releasing natural endorphins. It modifies how the spinal reflexes work which in turn modifies how the brain control system works.
I have studied one of his books on the subject. I have used acupressure on myself a very long time ago for certain things. My experience was that it stopped pain by altering muscle and nerve response.
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