Here is the low down on your sacro-iliac joint (SI joint for short). It is basically the joint that connects your pelvis to your spine. We have one on our left and right side, very low in your back, and it is meant to be a very stable joint with very little movement. Many strong ligaments and muscles attach around the SI joint and keep it stable. It is, however, supposed to absorb forces and therefore allow for a little bit of movement, in order to protect our spine.
Problems with your SI joint usually arise when the joint is too mobile or not mobile enough. This can be due to muscle imbalances or due to a direct injury.
We can assess your SI joint and determine muscle imbalances that are leading to your pain and dysfunction. We can then suggest and teach exercises to fix the problem.
I injured my SI joint last winter, tobogganing with my boys. Apparently hitting an icy snow bank was enough to jar my SI joint a little too much. However, with a little bit of structured exercises, I was able to add more stability to my joint quickly. Good news for me right? Except when it was feeling better, I forgot about it and stopped focusing exercises in that area during my workouts. This past summer I injured it again and this time it was a bigger deal. It still only took about a month to get better, but it’s reminded me that I need to “practice what I preach” and keep up with some exercises for my weaker areas.
So in memory of my SI joint injury from last winter, I’ve decided to share a video from just last week. It’s a pretty tiny snow bank right now so less DANGER.