The Things You Should Know About Sacroiliac Joint Inflammation

Have you been suffering from piercing pains in your lower back lately? Do you have trouble turning around, bending down, or rolling over in your sleep? If this is the case, you might have a sacroiliac joint inflammation - not exactly when you are waiting for right before the holiday season.

The first thing you want to know about this problem is what the sacroiliac joints actually are. The sacroiliac joints are two 'L-shaped' joints that are located at the bottom of the back, one on either side of the spine. They lie between the wedge-shaped bone at the bottom of your spine (known as the sacrum) and the pelvic ilium, and are held in place by various muscles and ligaments. When you move your lower body, the sacroiliac joints get twisted and stretched along the pelvic girdle, so they help facilitate pelvic movement.

When either of these joints gets inflamed, it can create a sharp pain in the lower back, upper thighs, and sometimes the buttocks. This is either caused by the fact that the joints get stuck, or that one half the pelvis continually glides backwards and forwards, irritating and inflaming the iliolumbar ligament.

Mild inflammations of the sacroiliac joints and the surrounding regions are not uncommon, but the more severe forms of sacroiliitis tend to crop up with old age. The most significant causes of sacroiliitis include pregnancy (because the pelvis is forced to expand during labour); trauma or sudden impact injury to the spine or pelvis; and degenerative arthritis, or osteoarthritis of the spine (which deteriorates the sacroiliac joints). But do not fret: it is possible to treat sacroiliitis, just as long as you visit your osteopath and keep an eye out for any early symptoms of the disease.

The most noticeable symptoms of sacroiliac joint inflammation include: - Restricted hip movement (having difficulty turning around or rolling over in bed) - Stiffness in the lower back after long periods of immobility (such after long car journeys) or when waking up in the morning - Difficulty bending down - Pain during sexual intercourse - Sharp pain the thighs when swinging your legs out of bed or out of the car

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is important that you visit someone who understands the sacroiliac joint well, such as an osteopath. In the meantime, you can try to reduce the pain by doing the following: - When sitting or lying down, place a pillow in between your knees to take some of the pressure of the pelvis - Wrap a damp tea towel around an icepack and place it on the inflamed area for 10-minute intervals for a half hour. You can do this up to three times a day. - At night, sleep on your side instead of your back

Sacroiliac joint inflammation can be a right pain in the back. Osteopaths can help you cope with this pain effectively through a combination of anti-inflammatory medication treatments and physical therapy. So as long as you are patient with yourself and visit an osteopath regularly, there is no reason why you cannot have an enjoyable holiday season.