Hi everyone! Here’s a new concept I haven’t written about as much yet. I find it really interesting, and I hope you will too! What I wanted to talk to you about is the SI joint’s role in shock absorption. The SI joint is different from a lot of other joints in the body, in both its form and function. (These are the official terms … Continue reading The SI Joint and Shock Absorption
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?
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
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
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
Hey everyone, These are some common terms relating to the SI joint which, unfortunately, can be very confusing to a lot of people. Let’s clear them up! The words hypermobile and hypomobile can be used in a few different ways to describe the SI joint, or any joint in the body. Let’s start by talking about what these words actually mean. Hypomobility refers to a … Continue reading SI Joint Concepts: Hypomobility and Hypermobility
So, I think I’m finally at the point in my recovery that seemed like a dream when people first described it to me five years ago: The point at which I’d finally develop enough muscle strength to make up for the fact that the ligaments that are supposed to hold my SI joint together have been stretched out, and are no longer doing their job. It’s funny … Continue reading The point I’m at now: When muscle strength finally takes over for weak ligaments
For me, the process of figuring out my SI joints has had to be very intellectual. The movement patterns of the sacroiliac joints are some of the most complex in the body. It wasn’t a matter of simply doing my exercises and getting stronger, because this joint is like a puzzle. The SI joint reminds me of those old metal “tavern puzzles” they made in … Continue reading The SI joint is like a puzzle
My Sacroiliac Joint Saga 