With 33 vertebrae in the human spine, it’s no wonder that so many things can affect them and cause pain to your body. In your body, there are 24 presacral vertebrae, followed by 5 fused sacral vertebrae and finally the 4 coccygeal vertebrae. While this sounds quite complicated, you can generally place these into upper, middle and lower back categories. When it comes to your sacroiliac joints, these are located in the lower portion of the spine, below your lumbar spine. Even though most of the joints in your spine are mobile and flexible, the sacrum is fused together and does not move.
Like many other joints in your body, your sacroiliac joints are fused and covered with a layer of cartilage, which allows some relaxation and movement and also acts as a shock absorber. With time, injury or other common causes, this cartilage can sometimes wear away, allowing the bones to rub together. While this is the most common form of this type of dysfunction, another common cause can be pregnancy. When a woman’s body becomes pregnant, hormones are released that causes the relaxation of ligaments within the body, preparing it for birth. An unfortunate result of this can sometimes lead to SI dysfunction, as well as undue pain and stress on the mother-to-be.
While there are injections, muscle relaxers and certain painkillers that can be helpful for the treatment of sacroiliac joint dysfunction, one of the most helpful therapies has been found to be gentle stretching, physiotherapy and even yoga to help relax and stimulate the muscles around the joints. If you are experiencing this type of pain, it’s important that you speak to a specialist clinic such as the Integrated Spine & Sports group. By learning stabilizing techniques, you can help prevent the symptoms of pain and discomfort naturally. Massage and chiropractic therapy have also been found to be extremely helpful for this type of disorder.
Source: https://www.medicinenet.com/sacroiliac_joint_pain/article.htm
