The word physiatrist is always a little awkward. When I say the word in real life, people usually have no idea what I’m talking about, or think I’m talking about a psychiatrist at first. But a physiatrist is different. They are doctors (usually an MD, but also can be a DO– doctor of osteopathy. For our purposesContinue reading “Physiatrists: A great type of specialist to see for SI joint dysfunction”
Category Archives: For Patients
Causes of sacroiliac joint dysfunction: acute and chronic
SI joint dysfunction tends to begin with an injury to the ligaments that are meant to hold the joint in place. This can happen through blunt force, like falling on your butt, or through repetitive motions and sports that subject the ligaments to more force than they are able to handle over time. In general, I’veContinue reading “Causes of sacroiliac joint dysfunction: acute and chronic”
My awesome stretching table
As I mentioned in my post about developing a thorough stretching routine, part of the reason it took me so long to heal is that I didn’t really have a proper space to do my land-based exercises and stretches. A lot of the exercises and stretches I knew I should be doing required me toContinue reading “My awesome stretching table”
What’s the difference between a ligament sprain and a muscle strain?
Hey everyone, Here’s a concept that comes up all the time, so I wanted to take a moment to clarify it. What is a ligament, and what is a tendon? And what happens when we injure each one? A ligament is a very tough band of connective tissue that connects one bone to another. LigamentsContinue reading “What’s the difference between a ligament sprain and a muscle strain?”
Frequently Asked Questions: the Muscle Energy Technique
Hey everyone– these are some Frequently Asked Questions about the Muscle Energy Technique. (I get asked these so often, I decided to put the answers up in their own post!). What is the Muscle Energy Technique? It’s a form of manual therapy, or “hands-on” therapy. To me, the name sounds a little bit more new-ageyContinue reading “Frequently Asked Questions: the Muscle Energy Technique”
What I learned from seeing my third physiatrist
I had a pretty interesting experience yesterday that I thought I’d share with you all– the good and the bad. I saw a physiatrist at Mass General Hospital who was actually familiar with treating the SIJ. (A physiatrist is a type of doctor that treats physical dysfunction, similar to an orthopedist or a pain specialist.Continue reading “What I learned from seeing my third physiatrist”
What’s so awesome about aquatic therapy?
It’s a great way to build muscular strength without negatively impacting your SI joints. Basically, if you have an SI joint injury, you have likely sprained the ligaments that are supposed to hold the joint in place. The only way around this is to build up enough muscle strength around the joint that yourContinue reading “What’s so awesome about aquatic therapy?”
So, it turns out I wasn’t crazy…
Hey everyone, I was just working on revamping the “My Story” page for this blog, and I ended up reflecting on one aspect of this saga which I really haven’t talked about as much: How totally and completely crazy I felt when I was first trying to get help for this problem. The first time one ofContinue reading “So, it turns out I wasn’t crazy…”
Facing one of my worst fears: a potential reinjury
Well, I knew it had to come eventually– the day I slipped and fell on ice, and landed on my butt. Blunt force to the SI joints, particularly if it’s asymmetric, is known to be a potential cause of injury. That’s because it can subject the ligaments to greater force than they can handle, stretchingContinue reading “Facing one of my worst fears: a potential reinjury”
What is Prolotherapy? (and why I didn’t end up having it).
A reader asked me if I’d ever had prolotherapy yesterday, and since I’ve been meaning to write about it for a while, now seems like the right time to put this out there! What is prolotherapy? Prolotherapy is a relatively new form of treatment, meant to speed the healing of sprained ligaments. It involves anContinue reading “What is Prolotherapy? (and why I didn’t end up having it).”
My Sacroiliac Joint Saga 