Chiropractic your best bet

One of the most frequent causes of back pain is called sacro-iliac joint dysfunction (SIJD). The sacrum is the triangular bone that your spine rests on and is situated between your two hip bones, more specifically between that portion of the hip bones known as the ilia hence the name saro-iliac.

Together these bones form the bony portion of the pelvis. The large hip bones join each other in the front just below the belly button and join to the sacrum at the back at the sacro-iliac joints (SIJ)

Clearly the pelvis, being the foundation on which the spine rests, should always be level and the movement at the SIJ’s, although extremely small (about 2 degrees) must nevertheless be present in order to allow for correct gait and general pelvic mobility.

Many of our lifestyle habits interfere with the correct alignment and functioning of the SIJ’s leading to pain symptoms that can range from mild discomfort to extreme back pain and disability that closely mimics lumbar disk pathology and sciatic pain referral. It fortunately seldom involves significant pathology and is relatively easily corrected by Chiropractic techniques.

The lifestyle factors that most often cause this condition are posture and trauma and sometimes a combination of both.

The seated posture is the one most likely to cause this problem, particularly motor vehicle seats which are designed such that your knees are higher than your hips and your right leg is extended whilst the left leg is flexed and periodically applies an eccentric load on the pelvis when changing gears. This leads to a distortion of the pelvis that puts pressure on the SIJ’s causing them to become dysfunctional. Long distance driving in this cramped, trapped position also contributes significantly.

Our modern lifestyle has many of us seated for more than half the day. Poor ergonomics at the workstation and at home (computer station or watching TV) are major contributors to the problem adding little bits of micro trauma daily that sooner or later culminate in a pain episode. This also explains why the condition tends to be recurrent.

The trauma component contributing to the condition is also not obvious, it includes actions like getting in and out of motor vehicles with a twisting motion or sitting at work and twisting and bending to get something out of the bottom drawer of the desk and many more daily activities too numerous to mention here. Direct trauma such as occurs in sports activities is also a contributor.

The pain arising from this condition can be extreme and sometimes co-exist with lumbar disk pathology that convinces you and your practitioner that extreme measures are required. Before you consider any form of invasive treatment for your back pain let a Chiropractor check it out and confirm. It may save you a great deal of pain and suffering as well as money (Chiropractic has been shown by research to be the safest, most effective and most cost effective treatment for such NMS conditions).