Category: My Writing

For Patients, ligaments, My Story, My Writing, Resources

SI Joint Injections, Part 3: Will an SI joint injection help you?

Hi everyone! In my recent posts, I’ve been talking about lidocaine and cortisone injections for the SI joints– the various risks and benefits your doctor should tell you up front. However, I wanted to address a larger question I had when I first looked into them, and why I, personally, decided not to proceed. And again– this blog is based mainly on my own experience … Continue reading SI Joint Injections, Part 3: Will an SI joint injection help you?

Unknown's avatarChristy Collins6 Comments
My Writing, Physical Therapy, Resources

How to find a good physical therapist, Part 4: Search tips

1. Online search tips I eventually found my physical therapist Paula, who listed SI joint dysfunction as one of her specialties, through a simple Google search.  I typed in “sacroiliac joint physical therapist” and then the name of the town next to me (which was much larger and busier than the town I actually lived in). Paula’s name popped up, through her company website.  Sounds … Continue reading How to find a good physical therapist, Part 4: Search tips

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For Patients, My Story, My Writing, Physical Therapy

How to find a good physical therapist, Part 2: Thinking creatively

Hi everyone! In my last post, I gave you a run down of the process of all the different physical therapists I saw before I found Paula, the PT who finally helped me. And I just wanted to reiterate one piece from that story in a separate post, which was this: When I found the one person I truly had the strong belief would be … Continue reading How to find a good physical therapist, Part 2: Thinking creatively

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For Patients, My Story, My Writing, Physical Therapy

How to find a good physical therapist, Part 1: Persistence

One of the questions people ask me most frequently is “How do I find a physical therapist who can treat the SI joint?” Unfortunately, the answer to this question is almost as complicated as my answers to any of the more scientific questions people ask me. I thought I’d break everything I’ve learned about this into bite-sized pieces.  So, the first topic is persistence: I … Continue reading How to find a good physical therapist, Part 1: Persistence

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Anatomy, For Patients, My Writing, Resources

What are people talking about when they talk about “balancing the hips?”

Hi everyone! I had a really interesting comment recently from a reader who’d been suffering from low back pain, but wasn’t quite sure what the exact cause was. She’d found relief both from a chiropractic adjustment as well as massage therapy. However, she wasn’t sure what exactly the chiropractor and massage therapist meant when they referred to the problem they were addressing as her “hips being … Continue reading What are people talking about when they talk about “balancing the hips?”

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For Patients, My Writing, Resources, Stretching

Stretching and Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction

Hey everyone! You might have noticed that a theme to my posts recently: how to do the things you need to do to get better, without also re-spraining your ligaments at the same time. In this post, we’re going to talk about stretching, which was another important factor in my recovery. As I mentioned in my last post about massage, every few months throughout my saga, I’d find … Continue reading Stretching and Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction

Unknown's avatarChristy Collins6 Comments
For Patients, ligaments, My Writing, Resources

Massage and Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction

Update, August 2022: A lot has changed for me, since I learned how to stabilize my SI joints. I’m happy to say that I’ve moved past needing regular massages. I wanted to leave this post up so you can see my whole journey, but to see how I’m doing now, go here. *** And now, the original post. *** Okay, so here’s a somewhat tricky … Continue reading Massage and Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction

Unknown's avatarChristy Collins4 Comments
Anatomy, For Patients, My Writing, Resources

Why are there so many doctors who treat “the hip,” but not the SI joint?

Okay, so here’s a post I definitely could have used back in the day, so I’m putting it out there in case it helps! *** When I first began to experience SI joint dysfunction, I thought of it as “hip pain.”  After all, in our day to day lives, we usually refer to the region around our pelvis and waist as “the hips.” However, when … Continue reading Why are there so many doctors who treat “the hip,” but not the SI joint?

Unknown's avatarChristy Collins4 Comments
For Patients, My Writing, Resources

Physiatrists: A great type of specialist to see for SI joint dysfunction

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 purposes right now, we don’t need to get into the distinction). … Continue reading Physiatrists: A great type of specialist to see for SI joint dysfunction

Unknown's avatarChristy Collins5 Comments
My Writing, Resources

Major structures of the pelvis– views from the front

Hi everyone, I often hear from people who are struggling to tell whether their pain is coming from the SI joint, or another potential cause of low back/hip pain. I know from personal experience that it can be really overwhelming to try to wrap your mind around exactly all of the things that could be causing your pain. So here, with illustrations, is a guide … Continue reading Major structures of the pelvis– views from the front

Unknown's avatarChristy Collins3 Comments