Sacroiliac Joint Disease

[Epicurean]

My doctor thinks I have sacroiliac joint disease. I'm in a lot of pain. At my worst, I couldn't get out of bed without crying, dress myself or walk without a cane. I'm doing a lot better now that I'm on muscle relaxers, but it's still pretty life altering.

 

Does anyone here have experience with this condition? Did you find the steroid shots to be effective? Anything I should know about?

[scholastica]

How long has it been going on? Have you tried physical therapy? Been to a chiropractor? My si likes to lock up. I have found great improvement through strengthening my entire back. Stretching my hamstrings and glutes helps as well. More movement = less pain for me.

[aaplank]

My sister has suffered with this for years. She finds temporary relief from nerve blocks, but she has found the most relief through traction and therapeutic massage that includes manual traction.

A TENS unit has also been helpful.

[Liz CA]

I was going to suggest chiro and therapeutic massage as well. Especially, the massage relaxes my muscles and the chiro aligns the bones.

I have a congenital issue where two bones are grown together - so perhaps not the same thing.

[ktgrok]

I get issues when pregnant, or at least worse while pregnant. Massage, chiropractic, and exercise that strengthens the gluten and thighs helps me. So think squats and lunges. Which I hate. 

[desertstrawberry5]

I do, but it's part of a larger condition that effects most of my joints. I just use stretching, rest, and nsaids like I do for everything else. Comparatively this is not my worst pain.

[Pawz4me]

I developed issues when pregnant and they revisit me periodically. It can be an incredibly painful issue! As others have said -- strengthening, stretching and NSAIDs usually work for me. I try to stretch regularly to prevent a problem, but when it flares doing a few stretches (you can find them on YouTube) often gives at least temporary immediate relief.

[MBM]

My doctor thinks I have sacroiliac joint disease. I'm in a lot of pain. At my worst, I couldn't get out of bed without crying, dress myself or walk without a cane. I'm doing a lot better now that I'm on muscle relaxers, but it's still pretty life altering.

 

Does anyone here have experience with this condition? Did you find the steroid shots to be effective? Anything I should know about?

I used a pulsed electromagnetic frequency (pemf) device, the SOTA, to get rid of my pain. A PEMF device sends a magnetic pulse through tissue which helps your body heal through several pathways. It took several weeks using the device as often as possible but worked very well. Today I'm pain free but use it for other problems that crop up. The SOTA would be a good choice for problems in deeper areas.

 

https://www.drpawluk.com/health/back-pain-lumbar-disc/

[Lady Florida.]

Mine started when I was pregnant with the one who will be 20 in a few weeks. There's very little I can do for it. Sometimes PT exercises help, sometimes rest and ice helps. My home TENS  unit helps a little. About once a year I get a steroid injection. NSAIDS barely touch it. Everything that does give me relief is temporary. Sorry to sound pessimistic (I'm usually accused of being the opposite) but IME at least, there's not much to be done.

 

Oh, and I had a spinal cord stimulator implanted but it doesn't help. It did for the first year but not anymore. I plan to get it removed because as long as it's in me I can't get any MRI's in that area.

Edited August 20, 2017 by Lady Florida.