Can physical therapy help with si joint pain?

Physical therapy is one of the best ways to control pain associated with the sacroiliac joint. Practical (manual) therapy, such as massage, can help correct SIJ dysfunction. Your physical therapist will choose which techniques work best to improve your condition. If the anesthetic temporarily relieves the patient's pain, it confirms that the sacroiliac joint is the source of the pain.

Sacroiliac and lumbar joint manipulation was more effective in improving functional disability than sacroiliac joint manipulation alone in patients with sacroiliac joint syndrome. Sacroiliac joint pain is a difficult diagnosis to diagnose and is best treated by an interprofessional team that includes a physical therapist, a pain specialist, a specialized nurse, a primary care provider, and an orthopedic surgeon. The sacral joints connect the triangular bone in the lower part of the spine (the sacrum) to both bones of the hip. If this treatment does not help resolve the pain, other diagnostic tools may be considered, such as radiography and possible ultrasound-guided injection or fluoroscopy into the sacroiliac joint.

Physical therapy and exercise are often an essential part of the treatment plan for sacroiliac joint dysfunction, pain relief, and recovery. Sacroiliac joint syndrome is a major source of pain in 15 to 30% of people with mechanical low back pain. For example, the sacroiliac joint helps absorb the impact that is exerted on the lower part of the body with movements such as walking, running, or jumping to reduce the pressure felt on the lower part of the spine. It is common to combine rehabilitation exercise with other therapies and pain management methods for optimal pain relief.

A series of stretching and strengthening exercises may be prescribed to help reduce sacroiliac joint pain. Sacroiliitis is specific to an inflammatory process present in the sacroiliac joint and the pain detected is the direct result of these inflammatory processes, while sacroiliac joint dysfunction is a condition caused by abnormal movement or a slight malposition of the sacroiliac joint. The symptoms of sacroiliac joint syndrome are often difficult to distinguish from other types of low back pain.