Hi Everyone
I did a number on my si joint. I was running 2 weeks ago and all of a sudden I got the ache in my SI joint. I drove home and got out of the car and couldn’t walk. I’ve been to chiros, but has not helped. It is a sharp pain just on the medial side of the psis. It hurts to just roll over in bed. Anyone has any si experiences that you would share. I am considering cortisone or prolotherapy. Bumming since Kona is in 3 weeks!!
Let yo backbone sliiiiiide…
Sorry - I’m not usually any help on these types of things. But as soon as I saw the word sacroiliac, I had that line run through my head. Anyway, I’d see a sportsmed doc, FAST. If you’re Kona bound, you don’t have time to dick around.
Ouch, sorry to hear about your back - that really sucks. My point of reference, FWIW, is my wife. We’ve been together seventeen years, married for fifteen. She has had SI joint issues since she was a teenager, exacerbated by a car accident when she was 13. So, over time and thanks to osmosis I have gleaned a very little bit of knowledge specific to her issues.
There are several different specific injury types that can occur to the SI joint. Few of them are very serious, from a “real damage” standpoint, but almost all hurt like Hades. The risk of long-term difficulties is fairly high if you continue to stress the joint. My wife has undergone a myriad of therapies, mostly centered around improving strength or flexibility in the back. Al l of the various plans have had modest effect for her, and about the only thing that has given her long-term success was when she decided to start exercising lightly, but regularly, a few years ago. Still, she keeps the painkillers close at hand.
Another friend of mine, a regular marathoner, one day started having SI pain and his doctor discovered a pencil-wide stress fracture in his sacrum that sidelined him for three months.
Because of the different possible specific injuries, you should see your doctor ASAP. Could be nothin’, could be somethin’.
Best of luck,
Tom
I had a problem with my SI 2 years ago. I found the chiropractic adustments made it worse. Too much jarring and left me pretty sore for a few days. I just left it alone and I was better in 2 weeks. I see a sports med and see if it is a stress fracture, if not, than hang onto hope and go for Kona. Or do teh swim and bike and experience the party and do IMFL! Good Luck.
I have bad SI issues since a bike crash at IM Canada. For 1 year I couldn’t even sleep in a bed, just a recliner. The one thing that helped was prolo therapy but it is more of a long term process, haven’t had an issue for a long time that now can’t be treated w/ ART. If you are that close to Kona, I would consider ART and possibly a cortisone injection and then after the race look for a more perminent solution. Unfortunately, you will now always have to be careful. In planes you really need to get up and move and try to get an aisle seat.
My wife has had SI issues for several years from unintentionally dismounting her horse. The joint injections made it better for short periods (a few weeks at a time) but the most success has been working with a Rolfer. The deep tissue work allowed her back to reposition enough to relieve the pressure on the joint.
I injured my SI joint skiing 2 years ago and have had to manage it ever since. It especially hurts when I am in aero for extended periods. I finally got it under control this year with a combination of ART / chiro / massage. ART was probably the most effective. I know many other cyclists who have SI issues and it truly needs to be managed not necessarliy “cured”.
Thanks everyone,
What kind of injections cortisone or prolotherapy?
I guess my first step will be to get an MRI to rule out stress fracture. Coming off a running background, I find it hard to believe I would get a SF off 70 mpw, but throw the bike in the mix and i guess anything is possible!!
If anyone has any prolo experience, I would love to hear
Thanks again
Cortisone.
Thanks
I may do that today!!
I was actually thinking about a rolfer. I never have back problems although I knew for a long time that I am twisted. I did however hurt the left SI 7 years ago, took 12 weeks to heal, but that was a deep ache feeling and this really feels like the bones and joints. The pain is sharp this time. Well, thanks again. Appreciate your time to help
I had sacro-iliac problems and my Osteopath (specializing in manual manipulation) told me the absolute worse thing you can do is go to a Chiropractor. I didn’t listen and ended up in bed for 3 days, unable to move.
Then I went back to him and had a series of treatments. My problem was the result of being very tight in the pelvic area. If I played sports like squash ( a lot of lunging and lateral movements) I would really struggle with pain. He worked on various movements to stablize the pelvic area. I find certain Tai Chi exercises that focus on the pelvic area to be very good.
If you get pain in the area (for me it was a very tight feeling) DO NOT stretch. My problem was my muscles would go into spasm to protect the joint, and if I stretched, I would make it far worse, to the point of not being able to stand up straight.
I would recommend going to see an Osteopath, particularly if trained in traditional Osteopathy, not ones who are the same as medical doctors. You need to work on the source of the problem and avoid any quick movements to fix you (ie. Chiropractor).
Bummer experience. It sounds like you came across a “good” osteopath, too bad you didn’t come across a “good” chiropractor. Eitherway, you got better and that matters most.
A possible course of action:
- Orthopedist (MD) – sports oriented if possible
- ART practitioner (MT or DC) – if its muscular
- Prolotheraphy – wonderful for loose SI joints from what I’ve seen
- Chiropractor – not an option b/c it didn’t work in the past. Bummer.
You have to figure out if its:
- Stress fracture
- Muscular
- Joint
- Something else
As always, surround yourself with a top health care team and you should find the answer.
Good luck.
Thanks Chiro18
I do have a great chiro here in Boulder so I am still seeing him.
Can you tell me your experience w/ prolotherapy? Should it only be used in cases that are chronic and have lasted for more than 3 months or have you ever heard of it being performed for more of an acute injury?
Thanks
Prolo is great but it may take up to a year of injections so it is more of a long term fix. I would go for the cortisone because it is quicker and then once home begin prolo injections. If you are in Hawaii find Dr. Warren Scott he is part of the med staff. He is one of the first Docs to perform prolo on athletes.
I have limited experience/knowledge with Prolotherapy and prefer that others (MDs here) elaborate on it. If you do some homework, you can probably get some answers. Do a “search” on ST and you can find some more info.
Good luck.
I can’t believe there isn’t more love for …
Can you share your treatment plan/results on your SI joint? I have recently got great results on knee tendinitis from prolo and I too need help for my back…i think more iliolumbar ligaments, but could be some SI too. I have read some research papers, but results vary. Did you use prolo? and if so how many sessions over what period of time and of course the outcome? Thanks for any insight you may provide.
I can’t believe people are going straight for the cortisone.
See a physio first, eventhough its a very painful feeling (I had it years ago, sometimes I couldn’t even walk) its usually related to the glute stabilisers tightening up eg piriformis muscle tightness is usually a big cause for the sac joint locking up. This muscle gets really tight due to other issues mainly related to lack of core strength, muscle imbalances and glute med and associated muscles strength etc. Muscles like the piriformis have to work harder to control due to a weak core and or other associated muscles in the glute area. The muscle imbalance part usually causes one side to tighen up alot and not always the weaker side. Sometimes because the stronger side is stronger you tend to rely on it more and it gets overworked. Problem is, this leads to it getting stronger and making the strength difference worse. Often these muscle imabalances are caused by an injury earlier in life and your body naturally adapted to protect that area, but in doing so caused another whole problem in the long term. Another good arguement not to train injured. Same sorts of problems especially the glute med weakness is highly correlated to ITB issues in runners.
Treat the cause…not the sympton
See you in Kona 
It can be cured, I haven’t had it for years.
Thanks for your post Rocketman. I’m going through excruciating pain that’s been going on and getting progressively worse for months now. (Started as just a morning thing, but it’s becoming more constant.) I had a pretty horrific accident several years ago now that broke my femoral head and fractured my pelvis. This may have started the chain of events that’s led to this. I was in a bad sprint pile-up in March that I think threw things into higher gear. What you described sounds spot on. I feel like the problem is in the Sacroilliac, but at the same time, I feel like muscle issues in the lower back are somehow aggravating it. The pain is pronounced straight across the top of my butt below the belt line. When it’s bad, it’s hard to fully straighten up and every step hurts.
The thing is, I’ve always been a huge believer in core exercises and I do 20 minutes worth every morning followed by 25 minutes or so of brisk walking. I can’t run because of the earlier injuries, but I train an average of about 250 miles per week on the bike … 60% or better in the aero position. I feel fine on the bike … though as this problem seems to be getting progressively worse, my performances on the bike (I TT a lot) have gone in the tank.
In the last week I’ve seen the ortho surgeon who’s worked on me and she seems to agree it’s an S1/S2 issue … but nothing an X-ray can reveal. She wants me to get an MRI, but that’s a really steep price tag on my very high deductible medical plan. Also, on Tuesday I saw a guy who practices something he calls SET … Structural Energetic Therapy. He worked the daylights out of that area, but it’s too soon to tell if there’s much of any benefit. I’ve also started on glucosomine sulfate in the event arthritis is a factor. (It’s in the family history and I’m no spring chicken … but the X-rays didn’t show anything out of the ordinary for someone my age.)
Sorry for the long set-up, but the question here at the end is, what kind of physio work did the trick for you?
(I hope this isn’t a hijack of the OP and that your answer will help them, too.)
Thanks,
.