Here is a really important concept about the SI joint: How is an SI joint supposed to stay in place? The body has 2 main systems to maintain stability in the SI joint: Form closure and force closure. 1) Form closure has to do with the shape of the bones that make up the SI joint (the two hip bones and the sacrum). According to Physiopedia, “The sacrum and the … Continue reading SI Joint Concepts: Form Closure vs. Force Closure
Hip labral tears are a condition that can sometimes accompany sacroiliac joint dysfunction. The labrum is a ring of cartilage found within the hip socket. Its main purpose is to absorb shock, as well as to help make sure your leg bone fits snugly inside the hip socket. Cartilage is generally pretty tough, but sometimes it can become injured. There are many different potential causes, according … Continue reading Labral tears
Recently, I was watching this interview with SI joint surgeon Dr. Carter Beck (the same doctor I had mentioned in my previous post). The whole time I was watching, I kept thinking to myself, “Wow, that is a great point…. I really need to remember some of the things he is saying.” So… that means a blog post for you, covering some of his most … Continue reading Why do we know so little about the SI joint? (Amazing Interview with Dr. Carter Beck).
Honestly, as much as I have criticized chiropractors at times on here, I know I would have been completely lost when my SI joint first locked up back in 2011 if my chiropractor hadn’t been able to explain things to me. I’ve flat out never seen a physician that had anything truly helpful to say about the mechanics of this joint. I’ve seen one orthopedist … Continue reading Key Point #1: Identifying the problem
Well, I had a feeling it was inevitable… I knew that, at some point, my SI joints were probably going to lock up again. And, at the end of last week, it happened. As is the case with most things that go wrong with the body, I think a combination of factors came together here to make this part of my body (temporarily) worse again. … Continue reading What made one of my SI joints lock up for the first time in 8 months?
Hey everyone, If you’re anything like me, you had never even heard of the SI joint before you injured it. What is the SI joint, and what does it do? Basically, what I tell people is that the SI joint is where the pelvis and the spine connect. The SI joint doesn’t really move in the way you think of when you picture a stereotypical … Continue reading Main functions of the SI Joint
Looking back, I can see that part of the reason it took me so long to get information on the SI joint is that I simply didn’t know where to start looking. Since I first injured my SI joints back in 2011, it does seem as though there’s a lot more information available now (and I’m doing my best to contribute to that effort!). However, … Continue reading SI Joint Concepts: Useful Terminology
If you have SI joint dysfunction, this is a really important concept for you to understand. There are different types of issues that can affect the SI joint, but this was the main problem for me, during the entire five years I struggled with this problem. *** The sacroiliac joint is made up by the meeting of the sacrum and the two hip bones, or … Continue reading What happens when an SI joint gets stuck?
The SI joint is mainly held together by bands of connective tissue known as ligaments. These ligaments hold the sacrum (base of the spine) and the ilia (hip bones) together to make up the two sacroiliac joints. Here are some diagrams which give you a general view of what the ligaments look like: An injury to the SI joint will generally involve an injury … Continue reading The ligaments of the SI joint
So I tested my SI joints today in a way that I haven’t since I injured them: I went for a hike, not in my regular shoes, but in my actual winter boots. They were still relatively new and had that just-out-of-the-box feeling– in other words, they were kind of stiff. And I pushed myself. I charged up hills, I gingerly balanced my way down … Continue reading In the Woods
My Sacroiliac Joint Saga 