Have had back pain/stiffness/problems for a few years – can be quite sore. I find that workdays (office) cause most aggro, whereas a reasonably active weekend (bike ride, dog walks, being up and about) seem to help. Years ago had a bad motorbike crash which crushed my shoulder/ribs and had sig shoulder surgery/reconstruction which may/may not have something to do with it.

Have done years of pilates/physio/daily stretching/swimming/osteopath/acupuncture/NHS support/denervation/steroid injections … some helps a bit, but I’ve come to the idea that being up and about is good, static is bad!

Saw a back specialist chiropractor/physio and he identified Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction with a fixated joint. He identified this quite quickly and confidently and wants me to go back for a course of treatment (manipulation and physio). Is it surprising he identified this and no one else has? A bit of googling suggests it’s not too common. Anyone experienced it? And treatment for it?

Cheers

I had a sacro-illiac thingy which a nice osteopath worked on. ISTR something gets stuck, it should slide back to normal but doesn’t, leaves a discernable lump one side. Osteo worked on it, massage and bending me, it went back. Several times. She was amazingly gentle about it, I guess being relaxed helped.

Many years since and it’s ok now.

Suffered with it for ages before getting a proper diagnosis. Got a general set of exercises to keep it moving. Similar to pelvic floor stuff women do after babies. It get worse with lack of activity, funnily enough.

This made my 20s a misery. A good Physio, followed by a good Chiro managed to sort me out, but no one else had a clue.

Had it and a host of other back issues about 13 – 14 years ago. Very uncomfortable and lots of serious painkillers.

Physio, chiropractic, osteo and fit-ball to do daily core exercises.

Ultimately, what made all of the back issues I had experienced since around 1988-ish, disappear and become a memory was me taking responsibility for how my dis-ease of attitude towards life was manifesting physically in my back. Generally, over the years since, I discovered many new and different ways and means of viewing life, me and giving me alternative ways to react to stuff. There were obviously a good many other changes I made during those years of healing, for which I took charge of and responsibility for myself.

The back generally represents as to how well supported we feel in and by life. For example, issues of the Sacrum tend to suggest a feeling of no power and holding on to old stubborn anger. In other words, the mental causes for physical illness. I chose to follow this as the standard and complimentary medical practices were controlling and maintaining the status quo, rather than healing. Which is the Pharma industry philosophy of course, but that’s a whole other thread! 😉

Good luck and fine health in whichever path you choose.

This very day I have just had my S.I joint realinged , knocked out on friday by taking my jumper off 😳

It’s been a fairly regular thing with me over the last three years , before that & after seeing gp’s I thought back pain was something I just had to suffer.

Luckily occupational health sent me to see their lady with skills, who after a good massage then clicks it back into alignment ,works a charm.

This time it really bloody hurt , not helped by the fact I did 4 runs on the Nevis red on saturday. The drive home sucked.

Would I do it again? Bloody right 😉

You need to understand the underlying reason for your SI issues – someone I know suffers pretty badly at times, which has resulted in a diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis.

Diagnosis came from various tests, including X-rays and an MRI scan.

Before heading off to get treated, it might be worth getting the full suite of tests done first….

As per the post above, make sure the reason for the pain is understood, although the original cause may be impossible to determine unless something more sinister is going on.

I am recovering from Sacroiliac joint fusion right now but only took the decision after years on ineffective physio, a guided diagnostic injection into the joint, nerve blocking diagnostic injections and CT, MRI scans.

The operation was quite a thought but despite background discomfort I think it’s done the trick. Long recovery period but equally suffered a very long period of not knowing what the problem was. As I think you say my pain got better with exercise up to a point, woke me up in the mornings, sitting and getting up off the floor/chair very painful.

As above, I was checked for inflammation and chose to fix it mechanically.

CJK

thanks all – really appreciated.

I’ve had a pretty full suite of tests/MRIs etc and there’s little clear suggestion of a pathological reason for the pain – usual wear and tear, a higher level of cartilage wear. But the SI joint wasn’t flagged up until now. From my own personal history, beyond my motorbike crash 16 years back, there’s little to suggest why my back has started causing aggro in the last few years (albeit the bike crash has undoubtedly altered my body!).

I find it reassuring to read of a couple of experiences of you who’ve had SI treatment – I’m positively working on the basis that if it’s not too intrusive or severe, then treatment is unlikely to cause more problems, and fingers crossed, does solve some. And to alice, agree with your thoughts – have tried CBT plus associated support to help my positivity..

A bit of frustration is that the treatment I’ve had via the NHS has got to the point now where they’re insistent I go on strong meds to mask the pain and try that for the medium term – they’ve been pretty good and helpful, but their process apparently means I need to trial meds before they’ll look at other alternatives. So I’m largely pursuing this myself.

But again, thanks for the responses.

Nice one Aus, glad to hear you’re looking at this holistically, ingrained patterns of thoughts and behaviours have a huge effect on our well-being.

Furthermore, don’t forget that the medical industry need you to stay unwell, otherwise they make no dividends for their shareholders…

I had it and the key exercises were ‘Superman’ exercises – both a static hold and dynamic. Also Pelvic floor type stuff – pelvic ‘grinds’ whilst in the cat position and then in different positions getting my bum closer to the floor.

I had SI joint problems a few years ago, was told it is quite common in cyclists owing to shortened quads and hamstrings pulling the pelvis forward and causing misalignment of the SI joint. Falls onto the hips are another cause, very common problem for goalkeepers apparently and clumsy old blokes who fall off bikes a lot. Two years of daily back/core exercises and leg/back stretching seems to have done the trick. I still keep up with the stretching to be on the safe side.

One of the most common things I treat.

I’m not a million miles from you Aus.Drop me a line if you would like to figure out the underlying cause (it can vary tremendously) and would like a long term solution and I’ll forward my website details.