SIJ Dysfunction

Submitted by Christine on July 30, 2009 - 4:28pm
Body: 

I am recovering from dislocating my sacroiliac joint last Sunday. Prior to bending slightly forward and then feeling the Crunch - and the OMG, I can’t stand up!...I had spent many successive days sitting crosslegged at my computer. Crosslegged is a very good position if you are vigilant about pulling up into the posture as much as possible. However, it is also easy after hours of typing to let the lumbar curve straighten. I believe this, followed by a mad and perhaps mindless dash to clean my house, caused the event.

It has given me an opportunity to remain very quiet with my body in order to better “hear” what is going on. There is no doubt that stress placed upon an unstable spine is the problem and also that maintaining support of the curve is the cure.

However, in listening to my sore back I have also discovered something that may be of importance.

I have always maintained that sleeping position does not much matter in prolapse reversal, because it is really only when the torso is properly weight-loaded from above that the organs move forward, the vaginal walls close, etc. Yet, sleeping position may indeed place stress on the SIJ and cause problems.

I sleep most of the time on my left side and it is my right SIJ that is affected. I sleep curled into somewhat of a fetal position with my right leg raised onto a pillow and slightly higher (toward my head) than the underneath leg. This would cause even more counternutating stretch to the right SIJ than the left. The left side would be stabilized by the body weight of my right side.

Anyway, I have been feeling much better throughout the days and my only real difficulty is getting out of bed in the morning. I have experimented with lying flat in bed with a small pillow under my lumbar spine and this seems to be the ticket.

I know at least one prominent back pain specialist who suggests a small pillow under the head and another pillow or two under the knees for optimum back-pain-free sleeping position. This seems very illogical (and it hurts!) because it makes the counternutated SIJ the most gravity-dependent point in the body.

I would love to hear your experiences.

Christine

AnneH

July 30, 2009 - 8:44pm

I have SIJ problems too. The worst was when my right SIJ locked up completely. I was in agony. Neurologists, internists, rheumys, none of them could fix it. (over months!) Finally a chiropractor knocked it loose. Well she says that's not exactly the right terminology, but anyway she fixed it.

Ever since then I've had to be careful. I've never had it dislocated, though I'm not sure I can picture that exactly. But your comments about sleeping position have made a light bulb go on. I have severe pain in my hip after I've been sleeping on my side for several hours, usually the hip opposite the side I'm lying on. I've thought it was piriformis syndrome or sciatica (I've got herniated disks) but now that you mention it I bet the SIJ is involved. The pain shoots down my leg however, but referred pain is always possible.

I HAVE been thinking it may have something to do with stretching ligaments or something connected to the hip/pelvis/SIJ that is on the "top" side when I lie on my side. If I place a pillow (the right size and firmness) into the "hollow" under my waist when I lie on my side, AND the pillow between the knees, it seems to help prevent that pain. Because women's hips are wider, when you lie on the side, the knee and the waist are both pulling "down" farther (than say a man) with the hip at the apex of the pyramid. So the pillows relieve a lot of that stress by supporting the two cantelevered sides if you will. I didn't know which ligaments or what they were connected to, but you may have something with the SIJ - that just might be my problem with the night pain.

P.S. I agree about sleeping on the back, (with or without the pillows), I cannot do that. One of my greatest fears is that I'll be injured or sick and have to remain in that position in a hospital. I think it would kill me.

louiseds

July 30, 2009 - 10:04pm

Yeah, I can relate to that, Christine. I have recently started sleeping in any position that keeps my shoulders and hips in line. Side or back, not front cos I have neck issues, and it is hard to keep shoulders and hips in line on my tummy. I used to wake in pain during the night, but no longer. I still wake, but it is only because of my menopausal thermostat problems.

Getting up in the morning is now easy, but I can feel gravity settling my body into its vertical orientation for the day on my way to the bathrooom, and it is not good. I feel like a bag of rocks. Perhaps I should have been a fish?

Doing some stretches and exercise early in the day greases me up quite well. I am fine by bedtime, then I do it all over again.

L