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Low Back Pain May Be Sacroiliac Joint Inflammation, Special Treatment
Low Back Pain May Be Sacroiliac Joint Inflammation, Needing Special Treatment The new Mayo health letter's lead article is two years too late for me, but corroborates my advice to friends with low back pain. Based on my experience, I urge them to press their spinal surgeons to put down their scalpel and do the hard work needed to confirm or rule out inflammation of the sacroiliac joints, which join our spine to our pelvis. My doctor failed to check for the condition, and as a result, my physical therapy was exactly wrong and almost ruined me for life. A standard PT treatment is to stretch the spine by strapping your upper body to an unmovable table and your legs to a movable table, then turn on the power to a motor that pulls the legs slowly downward. In my case, that simply widened the already inflamed joints between my spine and my pelvis, intensifying and extending the duration of the sacroiliac pain. An internist later confirmed the inflammation by injecting a pain killer directly into one sacroiliac joint, relieving the pain on one side and thus proving the diagnosis of a condition that rarely is fixed surgically. My point is: Be sure your low back pain is thoroughly diagnosed before allowing yourself to be talked into spinal fusion surgery of any kind.
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The latter is what I am doing now. Thank you for your input.
( I have addressed the condition medically the best I can. Unfortunately piriformis flared-up after having a serious MS relapse after death of my mother and subsequent stress. It’s spring. Enjoying time with husband, friends and family. Thankful for God protecting me as He has in the past. I can not be consumed with things I cannot control and be patient, calm and let if go. So I relinquish it to Him.)
I have had SI joint problems for 13 years. Different doctors gave me certain exercises to do. I finally went to a chiropractor, one of four or five over the years. I asked him after my third visit what exercises I should be doing. He asked, where has that gotten you? It opened my eyes! I was asked not to do any exercise except for walking. After a reasonable number of visits my pain was going away. I used ice and heat, occasionally ibuprofen. When I felt it was time I went back to my Ortho to get a referral to a PT. I asked the PT to please show me what exercises I could now do and equally important what not to do, including exercises and just daily living. We are always given exercises to do but never specifically what not to do. I am now pain free, unless I manage to do something I shouldn't, then I can reign the pain back in with a few simple movements. I owe this to my chiropractor... Thank you, thank you, thank you!
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