Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction and Back Pain
With 33 vertebrae in the human spine, it’s no wonder that so many things can affect them and cause pain to your body. In your body, there are 24 presacral vertebrae, followed by 5 fused sacral vertebrae and finally the 4 coccygeal vertebrae. While this sounds quite complicated, you can generally place these into upper, middle and lower back categories. When it comes to your sacroiliac joints, these are located in the lower portion of the spine, below your lumbar spine. Even though most of the joints in your spine are mobile and flexible, the sacrum is fused together and does not move.
Like many other joints in your body, your sacroiliac joints are fused and covered with a layer of cartilage, which allows some relaxation and movement and also acts as a shock absorber. With time, injury or other common causes, this cartilage can sometimes wear away, allowing the bones to rub together. While this is the most common form of this type of dysfunction, another common cause can be pregnancy. When a woman’s body becomes pregnant, hormones are released that causes the relaxation of ligaments within the body, preparing it for birth. An unfortunate result of this can sometimes lead to SI dysfunction, as well as undue pain and stress on the mother-to-be.
While there are injections, muscle relaxers and certain painkillers that can be helpful for the treatment of sacroiliac joint dysfunction, one of the most helpful therapies has been found to be gentle stretching, physiotherapy and even yoga to help relax and stimulate the muscles around the joints. If you are experiencing this type of pain, it’s important that you speak to a specialist clinic such as the Integrated Spine & Sports group. By learning stabilizing techniques, you can help prevent the symptoms of pain and discomfort naturally. Massage and chiropractic therapy have also been found to be extremely helpful for this type of disorder.
Source: https://www.medicinenet.com/sacroiliac_joint_pain/article.htm
Our approach to treating back pain
By visiting a back pain specialist clinic such as Integrated Spine & Sports, the professionals there can help individually tailor a program to help both manage your symptoms and work on your recovery.
We offer non-surgical options for the treatment of injuries and medical conditions affecting the back, with an integrative approach that may include:
Back Pain Specialists
Our back pain specialists in Manhattan create custom treatments designed to meet the needs of people suffering from acute pain due to injury, as well as those experiencing chronic conditions affecting the muscles, discs, soft tissue and nerves within the back, cervical spine, and neck.
Our integrative team, consisting of a board-certified physiatrist, chiropractors, and physical therapists, offers comprehensive treatment for acute and chronic back pain treatment in NYC.
Back Pain FAQs
Some of the common symptoms of COVID-19 are “aches and pains”. Some patients do experience back pain, especially in the lower back. In some cases, the pain is subtle but constant. In others, it is an intense, pulsating pain, which can radiate down to the legs. If the back pain persists, consult your doctor.
Generally, the best position to sleep is on your back. Sleeping on one’s back ensures that the spine is in a neutral position, which can help with back pain. You can also put a pillow under your knees, legs, and/or lower back to support the natural curve of the spine. This can minimize lumbar pressure and relieve back pain.
If doing gentle back stretches doesn’t do the trick, then try strengthening your core so your spine isn’t struggling to stay upright. Heat therapy and cold therapy can also work well for pain relief. If your back pain is a result of poor posture or a bad workstation setup, make the necessary changes to avoid back pain in the future.
Your back pain is likely serious if it occurs with any of the following symptoms: numbness in lower body, loss of bladder/bowel control, fever, unexplained weight loss, swelling. In such cases, please consult a physiatrist immediately.
Short-term (or acute) back pain lasts a few days to a few weeks. This is often the case with back pain, and patients usually recover without medical treatment. Sometimes, it lasts for 12 weeks or longer. This is called chronic back pain, and it can take a while to go away. Medical treatment often helps relieve chronic backpain, so we recommend consulting a physiatrist.
Acupuncture provides short-term relief for chronic back pain. Back pain is actually the number 1 reported reason people seek acupuncture. By stimulating the various acupuncture points associated with back pain, parts of the nervous system are also stimulated, which can help provide pain relief.
