Sacroiliac Joint (SIJ) dysfunction

[FitBugs]

I was diagnosed SI joint dysfunction, and this remained undiagnosed for last 10+ years. I am into weights, doing squats with 100 Kgs on my back until last year when I got hurt, and my SI joint pain got excruciatingly bad. It was always there but used to vanish and reappear every year..Anyone who knows or has SIJ pain may kindly comment. Is this the right forum to discuss SIJ or is there a particular forum on low pack pain that I should join as well? Appreciate any answers here. Thanks,

[Bananas5]

Good Morning FitBugs

Yes you are on the right forum for sij pain.

We can offer help, support and advice from our own experiences. You can rant if i makes you feel better. No one judges you.

Your days of doing that level of exercise will have stopped now.

So...how can I help? Are you on meds? Or physio? Been to pain specialist or been offered and other support?

Yes I too have suffered for years. Early days intermittent - then more recent more painful. Mine has been caused by posture which can never change now but care in what I do and meds keep me on even keel.

x

[FitBugs in reply to Bananas5]

Thanks, Paton.

Yes, I have stopped all weights since six months. Now doing stability and back strength exercises. I am doing the following exercises:

Lying on the back

1. and raising one leg at a time; 10 reps for each leg.

2. Glute bridges (hold for 10 seconds x 10 reps);

3. Tucking in the lower back, flat on the floor, for 10 seconds (flattening the back arch); These are tough after 5 to 7 reps: each hold for 10 sec.

4. Pulling and pushing knees while keeping them raised at 90 deg.

On my stomach:

1. raising my head and holding

2. lifting each leg and holding

3. lifting left leg and right hand and vice versa and holding

On my knees and hands.

1. raising left leg backwards and right hand in front and vice versa

2. cat-camel alternating poses.

But my pain keeps recurring when I sit for long or even walk for long or take a brisk walk,

What should I do?

[Bananas5 in reply to FitBugs]

Are these exercises given to you by a physio or are you doing them off your own back?

Be very careful if you haven't seen a physio. You could be doing more damage. Hence the pain

x

[FitBugs in reply to Bananas5]

I got all the above except no. 4 of lying on my back exercises that I saw on Youtube and added them to my list of exercises. I saw it was recommended by a lot of Physio channels for SIJ Pain, hence added it.

[FitBugs in reply to FitBugs]

I meant I got all the above from my Physio. Except the #4.

[Bananas5 in reply to FitBugs]

Good. She should be monitoring you then. Obviously if some leave you in pain then don't do them and tell her.

I couldn't do any without extreme pain so had to find alternatives

x

[johnsmith]

It is time to look at the way you use your muscles. As we get older the ability to control muscles begin to diminish. So an exercise which worked well when 20 could do serious damage when done at 50.

You damaged a joint. This will have some sort of scar tissue associated with it. This will reduce the amount of room for movement error. You need to change the exercise you do in order to reduce the movement error. Experiment with yoga for while in order to lengthen out contracted muscles and learn how the body works as a whole.

Hope this helps.

[FitBugs in reply to johnsmith]

Have been doing Yoga off and on, mixed with my stability exercises I mention above. And I agree on your point that as we grow older the ability to control our muscles diminishes. Let me know your views on the exercises I mentioned.

[Bananas5 in reply to FitBugs]

John Smith is an expert on Alexander technique but sure he will tell you all about it.

And posture too!

x

[johnsmith in reply to FitBugs]

Nothing wrong with the exercises. It is the aftereffects of the exercises. It is important to be able to lengthen out contracted muscles once they have been contracted. In our 20s this is almost an automatic process. The automatic process starts to diminish as we get older. In the mid fifties the ability to lengthen out contracted muscles can become difficult.

In yoga there are poses and counter poses. To contract certain muscles and then to uncontract them.

It is worth while speaking to an experienced yoga teacher about the exercises you do and ask them for advice about the exercise order and how to relax after each particular exercise. You may also need a spotter to notice how you are doing the exercise. Remember the old saying in the New Testament: "It is easier to see the spec of dust in someone else's eye than the plank in your own."

When doing exercise it is important to develop skills to put just the right amount of effect in and work towards doing that and no more. It is also important on continually looking at the question how are doing this exercise and develop sensitivity to how we are doing this exercise.

Hope this helps.

[FitBugs in reply to johnsmith]

Very helpful johnsmith. I always pay attention to the form and technique of my exercises and constantly try to correct them, but you are right - I need a spotter to be sure about them.

Unfortunately good yoga teachers are difficult to find. The ones who come to your home are more like yoga assistants and would catch obvious mistakes in poses, if at all.

I have sort of mixed my yoga with the physio recommended exercises. The ones I have picked up from Yoga are:

1. Dhanurasan (Bow pose)

yogajournal.com/pose/bow-pose/

2. Marjaryasana (Cat & camel pose)

yogajournal.com/pose/cat-pose/

3. Setubandha asana (bridge pose)

yogajournal.com/pose/bridge...

4. Shalabhas asana (Locust pose)

yogajournal.com/pose/locust...

5. Vriksha asana (Tree pose)

yogajournal.com/pose/tree-p...

5. Bhujanga asana (Cobra pose)

yogajournal.com/pose/cobra-...

6. Ustra asana (Camel pose)

yogajournal.com/pose/camel-...

How would you rate these for SIJ pain? I am usually a stickler to form. But cannot bend so much now - I am 51 years old. Do it as much as I can.

[johnsmith in reply to FitBugs]

Thanks for the information. I cannot comment on how the exercises rate for SIJ pain because I do not know what is the root cause of the pain.

You need a spotter who can feel with their hands what is happening at the SIJ when you partake in the exercises. You need to make sure you are not pulling vertabra structure onto nerve roots or over contracting. The purpose of the yoga poses is to stretch out muscle. However it is possible to over contract muscle if you over do the poses. Less is better than more.

A yoga assistant is better than nothing. We all start are learning somewhere. The right yoga assistant who is willing to help you investigate is a start in the right direction. You try something see what the result is and work out what to try next from the result of your investigation.

If part of your SIJ pain is due to lack of space between structure and nerve than doing the full pose will pull structure onto nerve. Or you could have a bit of hard scar injury which will not yield so the nerve gets compressed and inflamed. This is why the ability to investigate you body at the time of doing the exercises is important. Or you could have a micro cramp which is causes the pain. All three causes need a different exercise approach.

Sorry I cannot be more helpful.

[FitBugs in reply to johnsmith]

Thanks johnsmith I'll be investigating on the over cobtractions you mentioned and find out if someone can feel my pain spot while exercising and also spot me.

[deejames]

Oh this is the right forum. As a sufferer of SI joint pain for 5 years and a previous lifter of heavy weights ( body pump) I can assure you that you are in the right p,ace.

I have recently had a none too successful fusion as the SI pain was unbearable. You don't say how old you are or what treatment you might be getting. How was your SI pain diagnosed ?

My advice is not medical and i would suggezt you see a good chiroppractor or physio. At the moment I would suggest that you stop the weights or reduce them and concentrate on good technique. In my experience doing weights without complimentary stretching is a mistake. Not the 5 minutes token stretching after a workout but a specific session concentrating on core strength. I discovered Pilates too late but while I was doing g it it helped a lot. Tai Chi is also wonderful to keep the body moving in a good way without too much strain.

You need to keep the gluteal muscles well developed to protect those joints. Get some professional advice that is specific to your situation.

Tell us a bit more may

Dee

[FitBugs in reply to deejames]

Thanks deejames. I am a 51 year old man, mostly sedantry life style. The weights were stopped last year summer when I got that tingling pain on my back for the third time doing weights. But I must say the weights regime kept my back very strong & feeling fit and zero pain for a few years till I hurt it by perhaps using a bad form during squat or started without enough warming up - and the SIJ pain came back.

[deejames in reply to FitBugs]

Can you swim ? A great exercise for strengthening guts. And walking. If you think you are sedantary then get moving before you lose fitness.

I can only suggest getting professional advise. SI joint problems come from so many sources and are aggravated in different ways.

John Smith is right about the postural aspect but a teacher is very important for this gs like yoga and Pilates and Alexander technique certainly until you have a programme that is specific you you.

My problems started in my 50s but I got 8 years of almost normal living by constant exercising. It's all gone to he'll now though sadly.

Best of luck

Dee

[FitBugs in reply to deejames]

Thanks, deejames.

Why do you say "It's all gone to hell now though sadly."

What happened?