sacral-iliac joint (joins spine to hip).

i injured my leg while running 9/23, very painful that day and next. i'm seeing a phys. therapist now which is helping.

anyone have experience w/ this kind of injury? how long were out of commission, meaning no hiking/biking?

dottie

Talk to your PT, but you will probably be able to bike sooner than you can hike. Much less stress on the SI joint, and everywhere else for that matter.

The SIJ is difficult to "get to" for physiotherapy, not to mention to visualize and understand how it moves and works, but PTs will have some good advice on how to deal with it, including what I call the "doorway" exercise: you sit between two walls or solid supports that are about 4' apart, bend your knee on the affected side and put your foot up flat on one of the walls, and push firmly but gently until the SIJ pain subsides (temporarily, of course). It's also very difficult to describe this exercise. Ask your PT to demonstrate before you try it. Given the inaccessibility of this joint--for therapeutic exercise, blood supply, etc.--it can be slow to heal but you should be able to get the pain level down and "manage" it while it does heal and you continue with some forms of recreational exercise, probably not running but perhaps biking.

I also swim several times a week, pretty strong. But now I don't have the rotation from my left hip & leg that I should have, makes my kick very weak if anything at all. And I can't do flip turns, as I can't bend, scrunch up to rotate; even open turns must be done very slowly due to pain. Frustrating. I've been back in the pool twice, and can see how slowly I have to go.

As for stairs, my left leg steps up ever-so slowly, the left hip/joint doesn't want to do its job of lifting my leg. Once planted I can bear weight and complete the step up. I go down stairs seemingly normal. Other movements are also slow, sitting/standing, getting into/out of the van.

I will ask my PT about the doorway exercise, almost sounds like something he did last week to me--as I lay on my back, he had me place both me feet on his hands at his chest level & push him away hard. Next, he attempted some slow rotation of the left leg. W/ support, the leg will go, but will not do so under my own attempts w/out pain.

Would massage do anything, I wonder?

dottie

HI Dottie,

offering my sympathies to you, that kind of injury is a tough one.

If your health coverage allows chiropractic ( even on a limited basis), I'd give it a try in addition to the PT. The transitional lumbar/sacral spine ( L4/L5/S1) and the sacro-ileac joint have a complicated relationship with some important nerve pathways to the lower limbs, the sciatic and periformis nerves especially prominent.

Massage can help, good massage therapists can target the periformis through trigger points, and can ease that hitch in the git-along.

A good chiropractor can help with gentle re-alignment treatments and some spine-neutral excercises.

I'm a firm believer in a multi-practice approach.

Breeze

Breeze said:

A good chiropractor can help

Click to expand...

I agree 100%. If it really is an SI problem it should clear within 2-3 visits.