Low back pain is incredibly common, but in most cases it’s what’s referred to as acute pain, which means it lasts for six weeks or less. Sometimes, though, low back pain can be stubborn, and worse, the cause isn’t always clear.
Patients come to Apex Medical Center in Las Vegas for help managing pain from a variety of issues. Our providers help people who have been injured, have chronic conditions that cause pain, and people who really aren’t sure why they have pain. With stubborn low back pain, the problem is sometimes caused by the sacroiliac (SI) joint.
At the bottom of your spine, there’s a triangular bone called the sacrum that sits at the back of your pelvis. Your sacrum is connected to your spine, and also to your hips on each side. The joints where your sacrum and your pelvis come together are called your sacroiliac, or SI, joints.
When you think of joints, you probably think about movement. Most joints allow you to move, but your SI joints are designed primarily for stability and only move a few millimeters.
If you think about the force that your body absorbs when you jump, walk, or climb down stairs, you can begin to understand the role your SI joints play. They keep your pelvis stable and help to transfer force between your upper and lower body.
You might imagine that because the SI joints don’t move much, there’s less likelihood of problems. But, like all the other parts of your body, time, injury, and illness can lead to problems. Even the extra weight of pregnancy can lead to issues with your SI joints.
One of the most common reasons people have pain due to their SI joints is simple wear and tear. Osteoarthritis can affect SI joints and cause pain.
Another type of arthritis is called ankylosing spondylitis, which affects the spine, and can also cause SI joint pain. Similarly, rheumatoid arthritis can affect your SI joints.
Injury, especially a sudden hit such as might happen during an auto accident, can lead to SI joint pain.
Even lack of exercise can be a culprit because not moving enough can lead to tension and tight muscles around your SI joints. At the other end of the spectrum, repetitive stress injury from making the same movement over and over—like when you run—can irritate the SI joint.
If you have persistent low back pain that radiates down your leg and gets worse when you’re active, what you probably want to know is how to make it stop hurting. In the case of SI joint inflammation, the answer is, it depends.
For example, if your SI joint is irritated because you’re pregnant, the solution is fairly obvious—though your doctor may be able to suggest ways to manage the pain until the baby is born and your joints recover.
But if your SI joints hurt because you have arthritis, the solution isn’t quite so clear. You may be able to learn some exercises that help, or corticosteroid injections could be a more appropriate course of action.
For people who have an inflammatory type of arthritis, like psoriatic or rheumatoid arthritis, newer medications called biologics could be the best way to manage your pain.
Even though “it depends” can be a frustrating answer, talking to a skilled, trained healthcare professional is a good way to begin understanding the underlying cause of your pain, and that can help pinpoint the most effective treatment.
Don’t live with ongoing back pain. Schedule your appointment at Apex Medical Center and let’s start finding out why you hurt and what you can do about it.
