My friend Paul briefly dated a chiropractor once, a few years ago. We all went out to dinner one night and I basically asked her as many questions as I could about what it was like to be a chiropractor without crossing the line into being annoying. (At least, I hope I didn’t cross the line!). I was just so curious– after all the chiropractors I’ve … Continue reading What I think chiropractic has to offer
Here’s another concept which I wish someone had explained to me differently back in the beginning. As I’ve mentioned in previously, when I first began experiencing SI joint dysfunction, the only people who really seemed to be able to understand my problem were chiropractors. I had one main chiropractor that I went to – Dr. K. – but as time went on I saw a … Continue reading The goal of strengthening is to maximize your body’s own support system.
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?
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
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
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’ve found these factors can be grouped into two main categories: … Continue reading Causes of sacroiliac joint dysfunction: acute and chronic
Hello, everyone. I’ve noticed that my page on the Muscle Energy Technique is one of my pages that gets the most traffic from search engines. It seems like a topic people are really searching for answers on, so I figured I’d try to explain some more of the specifics. I use the Muscle Energy Technique, or MET for short, to realign my SI joints. … Continue reading How exactly does the Muscle Energy Technique work?
Hey everyone, One of the biggest challenges I faced during my healing journey was being able to perform basic movements without pain. A lot of the exercises and stretches I knew I should be doing required me to get down onto the floor, but even the simple act of getting down onto the floor would put too much strain on my ligaments, causing my SI … Continue reading My awesome stretching table
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. Ligaments are what stabilize the SI joint (along with our muscles). … Continue reading What’s the difference between a ligament sprain and a muscle strain?
Hey everyone, I realized yesterday that everything I’ve written about my own road to healing really comes down to two factors: These two factors make up two equally important sides of the same coin. You need both for healing. The key is to balance one against the other. Why? Let’s look in more detail. 1) Letting sprained ligaments heal Basically, SI joint injuries occur when … Continue reading How I healed my SI joints without surgery
My Sacroiliac Joint Saga 