Diagnose your back pain-- Sciatica or Sacroiliac Joint,?

Sacroiliac Joint Issue: Sacroiliac joints connect the sacrum to the illium at the base of your spine.  When we were 4 leggeds these were not weight bearing joints and likely caused fewer issues.  Now that we walk upright they are key players in translation weight from upper body to lower and lower body to upper.  They hold the sacrum in balance and the sacrum is the foundation of the spine.  When one sacroiliac joint is either stuck (fixated) or hypermobile (too loose, excessive movement) there are problems.

Signs:  People have one sided pain below the spine in the upper sacral area.  They can usually point to it (called Fortin’s finger test), tight psoas muscle, numbness in front of thigh/lateral thigh, when picking up leg to put on pants, etc.  Usually dull achey pain.  Can be sharp if stand on injured side and lift other foot up.

It refers to upper gluts, piriformis muscle, into groin and down front and side of thigh (not in back of thigh)

Worse with movement, by the end of the day, stairs, sex (if female), biking, hills, prolonged sitting, lift and twist, excessive yoga stretching

Better after rest, appropriate body work

To make better:  Watch my video!

Disc Issue:
Intervertebral discs are the pillows between the spine bones (vertebrae).  They can become injured and will respond with a bulge or a herniation.  A herniation is when the jelly in the middle of the disc comes out and irritated a nerve.  This causes sciatica.  Sciatica is a pain that runs down the back of the bum and can travel down the back of the leg all the way to the foot.  

Disc Bulge:

Signs:  Midline pain in low back, muscles spasm and tighten (painful) all around the area of the bulge to decrease movement and protect the disc.  

Worse with movement, in the morning (discs rehydrate and swell at night so can increase bulge/herniation), worse with flexion positions (forward bending)

Better with rest, laying on back with legs on a chair in a 90/90 position.  Back bending, extension, leaning back, leaning to the side away from the bulge.

Worse with lift and twist, prolonged sitting, carrying things

Herniation:
Sciatica down back of bum down back of leg.  Depending on severity can go all the way to the foot.  

VIDEO COMING!