By in Joints & Muscles

Sacroiliac Joint Pain

The sacroiliac joint is the link from the lower back (lumbar region) to the pelvis. It is formed of the sacrum which is a bone made up of 5 fused vertebrae that sit beneath the lumbar vertebra, and the ilium which is the posterior part of the pelvis. There are 2 sacroiliac joints, the left and right. They are about the size and shape of your ear and one of the joint surfaces is actually known as the auricular surface.

These joints have very little movement as the range of motion is limited to less than 2 degrees and are mostly fused when we reach old age. Yet is still thought of as a joint that can become out of alignment and cause pain through misalignment.

Medical research has mostly busted this myth so if you hear anyone tell you that your back pain is due to a misalignment of your pelvis then please understand that it would take a significant trauma such as a high impact car accident to cause the sacroiliac joints to move out of position.

They have to be sturdy and the anatomy has evolved to be extremely rigid. It is the role of the sacroiliac joints to be the stiff buffer between the flexible hip joints and a flexible lumbar spine. If the bit in the middle was also mobile then we would be rather floppy.

That doesn’t mean the joints cannot cause pain. They are highly innervated with nerve endings so any irritation in the joint can become extremely sensitive. But that doesn’t mean that all pelvic pain is Sacroiliac joint-related and there are lots of different types of pain that are unfairly blamed on the Sacroiliac joint.

Lower back pain can refer to the sacroiliac region and people often point to the area when explaining where they feel it. There are a series of tests that can be done to see if they can provoke the pain by isolating the area and seeing what does or doesn’t reproduce symptoms.

If you feel your pain could be sacroiliac related, or if you are suffering from any type of joint pain or nerve pain, then do not hesitate to get in touch with us and we can organise an assessment to rule in or out the sacroiliac joints as a cause of your lower back pain.

If you are concerned about Sacroiliac joint pain and need help with strategies to improve your quality of life then contact The Body Matters on 01702 714968, where we can direct you to Matthew Oliver.

Louise
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