Are You Suffering From Sacroiliac Joint Pain?


Where Are the Sacroiliac Joints?

If you look at the word "sacroiliac", you'll see that it describes two areas in the body:

  • "Sacro" sounds a little like "sacrum", which is a triangular-shaped bone in the lower part of the spine, centrally located just below the lumbar spine. The sacrum, unlike most of the spine, is not mobile. It's made up of five vertebrae that are fused together.
  • "Iliac", the second part of the word, refers to the two large bones (ileum) that make up the pelvis.

The target="_blank"sacroiliac joints, or SI, are what connect the spine to the pelvis. The sacrum and the illiac bones are held together by a group of strong ligaments. There is very little motion at these joints. Most of the motion in the area around the pelvis is either facilitated by the hips or the lumbar spine. The joints act primarily as shock absorbing structures.


Causes of Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction

As with most joints in the body, the SI joints are covered by a protective layer of cartilage. When this cartilage is either damaged or worn away, the bones begin to rub against each other, eventually causing degenerative arthritis (sometimes known as "osteoarthritis") to develop.




Other disorders that affect the body's joints can sometimes cause pain in the SI joints. These include:

  • gout
  • rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis
  • reactive arthritis

Symptoms of an SI Disorder


Diagnosing Sacroiliac Dysfunction

The first step in diagnosing a problem with the SI joints, is gathering a medical history and performing a physical exam. The physical therapist will ask questions to try to ascertain whether there are any underlying disorders that could be causing a patient's pain. Because there are other conditions that can produce similar symptoms, it's basically a process of elimination that helps narrow down the diagnosis.

Certain "signs" can also help the doctor differentiate SI pain from pain coming from other sources such as the lumbar spine or the hips. Various tests can be performed during the physical that can help pinpoint or isolate the source of the pain. Putting the hips and legs in certain positions and then applying pressure can move or apply pressure to the SI joints to determine if they're what's causing the pain. In other words, the physical therapist actually tries to "provoke" pain in the SI joints.

Treatment Options


What's even more helpful is a specialty field in physical therapy called manual therapy. It's form of therapy where the physical therapist uses skilled techniques learned through additional training that helps move the pelvis and the spine, and optimize the condition of the muscles surrounding the sacroiliac joints.
