How To Sit With Si Joint Pain
Sitting With SI Joint Pain – You may notice SI joint pain when sitting. Maybe you only notice it when sitting, or perhaps your symptoms just become more noticeable in a seated position. It may get worse if you sit for a long period of time, or if you move from a sitting to a standing position.
- Get a little lumbar support. An easy way to do this is to roll up a towel and prop up the sore side of your body with it, says Dr. Broach. Another option is to use a lumbar pillow which supports your low back and can help prevent and alleviate pain.
- Adjust the height of your chair. If you work at a desk, it may help to adjust the height of your chair so that your hips sit level with or just slightly higher than your knees. This can reduce back discomfort for many people.
- Use a footstool. This allows your feet to rest on something, so they don’t dangle which may increase strain on the SI joints. It also makes it easier to switch positions while you sit. You can alternate between propping your feet up and resting them on the ground, which can give some muscles a break and prevent soreness from setting in.
- Use a cushion, If you like to sit on the floor — or find yourself there frequently — a cushion can help. You could also come to a kneeling position, resting the backs of your thighs on your calves with a cushion between the two. This helps you sink back and rest on your sit bones (bottom of the pelvis) and lengthen your spine for a good stretch.
- Keep it moving, Sore joints love movement since it helps prevent pain from setting in, and it alleviates joint aches if you get sore from being in the same position for a long time. Try to get up periodically to stand or stretch. (Note: It helps to distribute your weight evenly across both feet when standing up or sitting down to avoid irritating an already inflamed SI joint.) If possible, a standing desk can help a lot, or you can prop a laptop on a cabinet for a few hours of your day. Even shifting how you’re sitting can make a big difference.
Contents
- 0.1 How do you relieve sacroiliac pain when sitting?
- 0.2 Should I rest my SI joint?
- 0.3 Is crossing your legs bad for SI joint pain?
- 1 Is sacroiliitis life long?
- 2 Does sacroiliitis get worse over time?
- 3 Can you fully recover from SI joint dysfunction?
- 4 What are some activities that could aggravate the SI joint?
How do you relieve sacroiliac pain when sitting?
Seated hamstring stretch – The seated hamstring stretch helps you loosen your hamstrings and may help alleviate pain from muscle imbalances.
- Sit tall at the edge of your chair with both heels on the ground and your toes facing up.
- Reach forward toward your feet until you feel a gentle stretch in the backs of your legs.
- Hold the position for up to 30 seconds.
If you spend a lot of time sitting at a desk, finding a comfortable office chair may help you reduce SI joint pain. You should look for:
- Comfort. The chair should be comfortable enough that you don’t need to shift your weight constantly.
- Back support. The chair should support your lower back when you’re sitting.
- Height. You should be able to adjust the chair so that your eyes are looking at the center of your computer screen.
- Armrest height. You should be able to comfortably rest your arms on the armrests without adjusting the height of your shoulders.
No matter what chair you’re sitting in, it’s a good idea to take frequent breaks from sitting about every 30 minutes, Many people with SI joint pain find that it gets worse when they stand for extended periods of time. Standing with good posture can help keep your spine in alignment and may help you manage your SI joint pain. When standing:
- Keep a slight bend in your knees.
- Keep your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Distribute your weight equally between your feet.
- Turn your toes out slightly.
- Pull in your abdomen.
- Take frequent breaks from standing.
It’s generally best to avoid sleeping on your stomach if you’re dealing with neck or back pain. Sleeping on your stomach puts more stress on your spine. If you do sleep on your stomach, try putting a pillow beneath your abdomen, If you’re having SI joint pain on one side, you may want to sleep on your opposite side to take your weight off the joint.
- Putting a pillow between your knees and ankles can help put your hips in alignment.
- Another sleeping posture to take the stress off your SI joint is to sleep on your back with one or two pillows under your knees to put your hips in a neutral posture.
- If you’re dealing with SI joint pain, you should aim to sit with your hips neutral and with your lower back relaxed and supported.
If your chair doesn’t provide support, you can put a pillow or cushion behind your lower back. Even if you sit with perfect posture, taking frequent breaks about every 30 minutes is important.
Does sitting make sacroiliac pain worse?
Sacroiliac joint pain – Mayo Clinic Orthopedics & Sports Medicine The sacroiliac joints are the joints where the lower part of the spine (sacrum) connects to the pelvis. There are two sacroiliac joints, one on each side, with ligaments in each joint that hold the bones together.
Sacroiliac joint pain can be difficult to diagnose as other conditions can cause similar symptoms. Sacroiliac joint pain is most commonly felt in the low back and buttock but can also be referred into the thigh and leg. If numbness and tingling or weakness is present, an alternative diagnosis should be considered.
Sacroiliac pain can be aggravated with prolonged sitting or standing, standing on one leg, stair climbing, going from sit to stand, and with running. Potential causes of sacroiliac pain include arthritis, traumatic injury, pregnancy and post-partum, systemic inflammatory conditions, and infection.
- Other potential contributors include spinal scoliosis, leg length discrepancy, and previous lumbar spine fusion.
- Sometimes, there is no clear cause for sacroiliac pain.
- The diagnosis of sacroiliac pain starts with a careful history and physical examination, which helps to distinguish sacroiliac pain from other potential etiologies.
Imaging is often recommended, starting with plain radiographs (X-rays). Sometimes your provider will recommend more advanced imaging, including a CT scan or MRI. If the diagnosis is not clear, a diagnostic (anesthetic) injection into the sacroiliac joint can provide valuable diagnostic information.
Should I rest my SI joint?
Symptom Relief – Your provider may recommend these steps for the first few days or weeks after your injury or when starting treatment for SIJ pain:
Rest. Keep activity to a minimum and stop movements or activity that worsen the pain.Ice your lower back or upper buttocks for about 20 minutes 2 to 3 times a day. Do not apply ice directly to the skin.Use a heating pad on the low setting to help loosen tight muscles and relieve soreness.Massage the muscles in the lower back, buttocks, and thigh.Take pain medicines as instructed.
For pain, you can use ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), or acetaminophen (Tylenol). You can buy these medicines at the store without a prescription.
Talk with your provider before using these medicines if you have heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, or have had stomach ulcers or internal bleeding in the past.Do not take more than the amount recommended on the bottle or by your provider.
If this is a chronic problem, your provider may prescribe an injection to help with pain and inflammation. The injection can be repeated over time if needed.
Is stretching bad for SI joint?
To do this exercise: –
- Lie on your back with your knees bent to about 90 degrees and your feet flat on the floor. Put a band around your knees.
- Push your knees apart and pause for a moment.
- Repeat for 10 repetitions.
In addition to regular stretches, the following habits may also help reduce or prevent SI joint pain.
- Limit prolonged sitting. Long periods of sitting can cause tightness and stiffness in your back which, in turn, can aggravate SI joint pain. Try to get up and move around, stretch, or take a short walk at least once every 50-60 minutes.
- Change your sitting position. The best way to sit with SI joint pain is by keeping your hips level with each other and your “sit bones” in contact with your chair. This can prevent straining of the ligaments around your SI joint. Keep your knees slightly apart and avoid crossing your legs. Many times, it may be more comfortable for the SI joint if your hips are above your knees so as to maintain the normal curve in your back.
- Strengthen your glutes. Research has found that glute strengthening may be helpful for people with persistent SI joint pain and weak glutes.
- Alternate heat and cold. Try alternating heat and ice for 15 to 20 minutes at a time to help manage pain and stimulate blood flow.
- See a physical therapist if your pain doesn’t improve. A physical therapist can design a custom program to help you manage your SI joint pain.
Stretching the muscles around your SI joint may help reduce pain by relieving tension in your lower back. When stretching, it’s better to be too gentle than too aggressive. Stretching too vigorously may cause your muscles to become tighter and worsen your symptoms.
Is crossing your legs bad for SI joint pain?
Posture 101- Cross Out This Sitting Habit Many patients come to see a chiropractor with lower back pain but have no mechanism of injury. They didn’t fall, slip, trip or lift something heavy. They exercise daily, have low stress and work at a desk job all job.
- Does this sound like you? Well here is one thing we all do that needs to be corrected.it’s sitting cross-legged.
- This has been one thing I found that has helped many patients.
- It’s such an easy change, but such a difficult habit to change.
- So how does this sitting position cause lower back pain? Let’s break this down into a simple anatomy lesson to start with and build form there.
Your spine has a foundation that is built from the floor up. A change to any part of that foundation will also cause changes further up the chain to help correct that foundation and get things balanced again. The spines foundation is the feet, legs and hips.
- Each piece is built on top of the other.
- As one moves out of place it affects the one above and below it.
- The spine itself sits on the sacrum, which rest between the right and left ileum.
- Your hips) These 3 pieces together form the SI joint, which is located roughly at the two dimples just above your rear.
We now know the foundation but how does this all fit together? Unlike a house’s foundation our foundation moves. The hip joint is a ball and socket joint that moves forwards and backwards as we walk, but it is a little more complicated than that. The motion of walking includes the ileum, the sacrum as well as the hip joint.
- As the leg moves forward the ileum (hip) tilts backwards.
- You can fill this motion in your hips.
- Put your hands on your hips and move one leg forward and up.
- Should feel the hip on the same side tilt back as you do this.
- Move the leg backwards and you should feel the hip tilt forward.
- The sacrum, like I said before, is the middle and both ileum rub up against the sacrum.
The ileum, more or less, pivot around or rub next to a stationary sacrum. This area of contact is a joint, called the SI joint. As with any joint in the body, it can get stuck and move in an improper motion there after. At the SI joint, one ileum can get stuck in either a forward of backwards tilt.
- The place it gets stuck is at the SI joint.
- Remember when the hip is tilted backwards the leg was coming off the ground in a forwards motion.
- If the right ileum is stuck at the SI joint at a backwards tilt, then this raises the whole leg up slightly.
- The more it’s stuck, the shorter the leg becomes because its being raised up by the stuck ileum.
This is what a chiropractor calls a “short leg.” A short leg changes the foundation of the spine, with a tilt to the side of the short leg. This is most damaging in a weight bearing position, such as standing or walking. The body is off centered now and will correct itself at the first point it can, the Lumbar spine.
- Aka-lower back) The muscles in the spine will contract on the opposite side of the short leg, which in turn tilts and twists the spine at that level.
- This stuck SI joint will cause pain at the SI joint and the lower back.
- Pain will be at the SI joint on the side of the short leg, and low back pain at the opposite side of the short leg.
With this now explained I’ll relate this to the posture of sitting cross-legged and have it make sense. When you sit cross-legged you can cause 3 things to happen. First you tilt that hip backwards, which can cause it to get stuck at the SI joint. Second you are stretching and weakening the glut muscle on that side.
With the SI joint stuck and a weak glut the lumbar spine is affected with self-correction. When you sit with a crossed leg you are bringing that leg up, which tilts the hip backwards. With the raised leg it elongates the glut; stretching it, for a long period of time. This will weaken that muscle. With a prolonged sitting posture like this you are increasing the chances of having lower back pain.
See how this is such a bad habit for the spine, it changes its foundation. A chiropractor can fix both the spine and SI joints with adjustments and get your foundation in balance again. As your care is progressing with adjustments, what can you do to help yourself between appoints to your chiropractor? Here is my advice: 1) Sit all the way back in the chair.
Your rear should be touching the back of the seat cushion and the back pad. This puts the spine in a more natural position.2) Keep both feet on the ground.3) Strengthen your gluts by doing squats. Best results are done with a straight back during the exercise.4) Be conscious of how you are sitting. Catch yourself sitting cross-legged and correct it.
Now that you know the effects on the spine it should be easier.5) Regularly see your chiropractor to fix small things before they become big things. If this habit and aches and pains described above sound like you then today is the day to change. Help yourself by changing your habits, and seek out a chiropractor to help you put these changes in motion.
-Travis Early, DCreference: By 04/18/2017
: Posture 101- Cross Out This Sitting Habit
Is sacroiliitis life long?
Conclusion – The majority of patients with sacroiliitis have an excellent outcome. However, the recovery may take 2-4weeks. Recurrences are common if patients do not change their lifestyle. Some series report a recurrence rate of over 30%, Sacroiliitis is best managed by an interprofessional team that consists of a physical therapist, physician rheumatologist, and dietitian.
- Be informed that the condition is benign and will improve with conservative measures.
- Be encouraged to participate in a regular exercise program, lose weight, eat healthily and if applicable quit smoking,
- Participate in a Home exercise program to help prevent deconditioning.
Does sacroiliitis get worse over time?
What complications are associated with sacroiliitis? – Left untreated, sacroiliitis causes a loss of mobility for some people. Untreated pain also can disrupt your sleep and lead to psychological conditions like depression, Sacroiliitis associated with ankylosing spondylitis can progress over time.
Can you fully recover from SI joint dysfunction?
With appropriate treatment, mild sacroiliac (SI) joint pain may resolve within a few days to weeks, while more severe cases may take several months for complete recovery. If left untreated, SI joint pain can become chronic and increase in severity, affecting your ability to perform daily activities.1 Baronio M, Sadia H, Paolacci S, et al.
Etiopathogenesis of sacroiliitis: implication for assessment and management. Korean J Pain.2022;33(4):294-304. http://doi.org/10.3344/kjp.2020.33.4.294 Recovery from SI joint pain can vary depending on the underlying cause of SI joint dysfunction, Research indicates that up to 95% of patients with SI joint pain respond well to non-surgical treatments with significant pain reduction within 1 to 3 months.2 Zelle BA, Gruen GS, Brown S, George S.
Sacroiliiac joint dysfunction: evaluation and management. Clin J Pain.2005; 21:446-355. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16093751
What are some activities that could aggravate the SI joint?
What aggravates SI joint pain? – It’s caused by standing for long periods of time, putting your weight unevenly on one leg as: snow shoveling, stair climbing, gardening, running, and other activities that are hard on the lower back and pelvis.
What movements affect the SI joint?
Summary – Sexual dimorphism exists in the pelvis with the female sacrum being wider, more uneven, less curved, and more backward tilted. Men tend to have a relatively long and narrow pelvis, with a longer and more conical pelvic cavity than that of women.
Briefly, women have a higher ROMs, thicker sacral cartilage, thinner iliac cortical bone, smaller SIJ surface area, larger interosseous sacroiliac ligaments, and smaller anterior and posterior sacroiliac ligaments. Moreover, women have higher mobility, greater stresses, greater loads, and more pelvis ligament strains compared to men.
Another big difference is the influence of hormones such as relaxin in women, which increases the mobility of the SIJ by providing ligament laxity for giving birth. In summary, women are more prone to the incidences of SIJ and pelvic pain due to high mobility.