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?”

My first Youtube video: Where is the sacroiliac joint?

Hi everyone!  Happy Monday. You may know that I’ve been meaning to make Youtube videos for a while now.  When it comes to certain concepts regarding the SI joint, I’ve come to feel that long, wordy posts aren’t always the best way to convey information. However, it’s taken me a while to actually collect my thoughts (never mind get up the courage!) to actually make … Continue reading My first Youtube video: Where is the sacroiliac joint?

Why do “perfectly good” exercises sometimes not help?

I haven’t written a ton on my multiple physical therapy failures yet, because unfortunately there are so many. For now, let me just say that my physical therapist Paula, who finally helped me, was actually the fifth physical therapist I saw over the course of this journey. The first four offered varying degrees of helpfulness vs. unhelpfulness, but ultimately what it came down to was that they just didn’t … Continue reading Why do “perfectly good” exercises sometimes not help?

Stretches for the hamstrings, and how to protect the SI joints while stretching

Hey everyone! I’ve been getting a ton of requests for info on the stretches that helped me recover from SI joint dysfunction. In this post, I thought I’d focus specifically on the hamstrings. The hamstrings are a pretty major muscle group in the body– they run up and down the back of your thigh, connecting the back of your knee to the bottom of the … Continue reading Stretches for the hamstrings, and how to protect the SI joints while stretching

What I think chiropractic has to offer

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

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?

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

How exactly does the Muscle Energy Technique work?

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?

Start building core strength with exercises that are gentle on the SI joints and lower back

I received a really interesting comment on Sunlight in Winter the other day. It was from Maritza, who suffers from both SI joint dysfunction and lumbar spine issues (the term “lumbar spine” refers to the part of the spine that’s in your lower back). Maritza wrote: Her comment inspired me to share some information with you guys, in a new way that I might not … Continue reading Start building core strength with exercises that are gentle on the SI joints and lower back

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.   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?