Specifically for Patients:
- WebPT: Your SI Joint: An Owner’s Manual
- Joint Ventures Physical Therapy: What is the SI Joint? and Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction.
- PhysioWorks/John Miller: Sacroiliac Joint Pain.
- Bodyzone Posture Professionals: Sacroiliac Pain and Nerve Pain
- Madden Physical Therapy: 3 Steps to Permanent Relief for SI Joint and Pelvic Pain and Top Three Exercises for SI Joint Pain
- Tim Highland, Champion Fitness Physical Therapy: Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction Analysis
- Vicki Sims & Gainesville Physical Therapy
- Taylored Training and Fitness: SI Joint Pain: Symptoms, Causes And Treatment
- Coordinated Health: Low Back Pain Part 1: How does the SI joint relate to other causes of low back pain?
- Coordinated Health: Low Back Pain Part 4: A physiatrist explains SI joint dysfunction
Professional Guides
- Dr. Kelly McInnis, DO, Mass General Hospital: Presentation on SI joint given to Eastern Athletic Trainer’s association.
- Back in Business Physiotherapy/Martin Krause (Sydney, Aus): Back, pelvic girdle, and hip pain.
- Dr. Barbara Hungerford and Advanced Manual Therapy Associates — a ton of really great information.
- Sacroiliac Joint Force and Form Closure (PhysioPedia)– great outline of the various factors, passive and active, which contribute to SIJ stability.
- Dutton’s Orthopedic Examination, Evaluation, and Intervention (Textbook with Chapter on Sacroiliac Joint)
- Vaughn, D. (2008). Isolated Knee Pain: A Case Report Highlighting Regional Interdependence. Journal of Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 38(10), pp. 616-623.
- Evidence-Based Examination and Treatment of the Pelvis (fascinating continuing education course for physical therapists, taught by Dr. Alexis Wright for Medbridge)
- Physical Therapist’s Guide to Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction, from the American Physical Therapy Association.
Scientific Articles
- The sacroiliac joint: review of anatomy, mechanics, and function
- The relationship of the sacroiliac joint, stabilization musculature, and lumbo-pelvic instability (also check out this great slideshow for a visual aide).
- Transfer of lumbosacral load to iliac bones and legs Part 1: Biomechanics of self-bracing of the sacroiliac joints and its significance for treatment and exercise.
- The sacroiliac joint in chronic low back pain.
- The sacroiliac joint: anatomy, physiology, and clinical significance.
- Case study: Chronic sacroiliac joint and pelvic girdle dysfunction in a 35-year-old nulliparous woman successfully managed with multimodal and multidisciplinary approach
- Inciting events initiating injection-proven sacroiliac joint syndrome.
- Recognizing specific characteristics of non-specific low back pain.
- The relation between the transversus abdominis muscles, sacroiliac joint mechanics, and low back pain.
- Malalignment Syndrome in Runners
Surgery
- Amazingly Informative Interview with Carter Beck (provides great context on why the medical field has taken so long to address SI joint dysfunction).
- Dr. Carter Beck and the Rialto Implant
Women’s Health
- Powerful female hormones, injuries & back pain
- Pelvic Girdle Pain (BabyCentre.co.uk)
- Pelvic Pain During Pregnancy (What To Expect When You’re Expecting)
Pelvic Floor
- Frequently asked questions about pelvic floor disorders — the University of Chicago Medical Center provides a comprehensive overview.
- Cait’s Day— Blog post from a patient with a hypertonic pelvic floor (she experiences too much muscle tightness)
- Zosia Mamet struggled for six years to have her pelvic floor dysfunction taken seriously
- Courageous and informative blog post from Alexandra Ellen on the “Hidden Realities of Pelvic Pain”
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
- Beyond Basics Physical Therapy has some AMAZING resources. Seriously, the entire site.
- Taylored Training and Fitness:
Prolotherapy
- Article by Dr. Joanne Borg-Stein
- The New York Times: Injections to Kick Start Healing
- The Boston Globe: Targeting sports related injuries with new treatments
- Informative blog: Recover Your Stride by Jim Hansen
Muscle Energy Technique
- Clarifying the Muscle Energy Technique— a response I wrote to some questions from a reader.
- Muscle Energy Technique for Pelvic Rotations — an explanation of the technique that I use, written by a physical therapist in scientific terms.
- History of the Muscle Energy Technique— from Leon Chaitow ND, DO
- Short-Term Effect of Muscle Energy Technique on Pain in Individuals with Non-Specific Lumbopelvic Pain: A Pilot Study. Peer-reviewed study from the Journal of Manual and Manipulative Therapy that demonstrated a benefit to MET for lumbopelvic pain.
- Dr. Pooja Joshi: MET in SI Joint Dysfunction: Outlines MET for all different types of SI misalignments, with illustrations.
- What exactly is manual therapy? MET is one type of this larger type of therapy.
Visual Examples
- Dr. Jo: SI Joint Dysfunction Exercises & Stretches
- Madden PT: Top 3 Exercises for SI Joint Pain