The S-I joints or sacro-iliac joints are the joints which transmit the weight of the spine into the legs. The joints are also major shock absorbers for lessening the effects of jarring and bumping on the spine. The joints are smaller than the palm of the hand and located just at or below the beltline. The sacro-iliac joints are unique in that they are moveable yet have strong ligaments inside the joint. In children the joints are smooth and more freely moveable. As we age the joints generally become rougher and permit less motioin. Some older individuals may have very little if any movement in the sacro-iliac joints.
The sacro-iliac joints are commonly the cause of back pain treated by Chiropractors. The pain from a sacro-iliac joint problem may be felt in the groin, back of the leg or down the leg. The pain may be hard to differentiate from the pain caused by a herniated disc.
S-I joints that are causing pain are often aggrevated by lying with the painful side down. For this reason it is often helpful to lie with the painful side up and a pillow between the knees if suffering from lower back pain caused by a sacro-iliac joint problem.
Chiropractic adjustments are often very helpful in treating lower back pain caused by sacro-iliac joint problems.
Dr. Tom Etter is a Chiropractor with over ten years of practice experience treating back pain, neck pain, and sports injuries. Dr. Etter’s Chiropractic practice serves Olathe, Kansas, Overland Park, Kansas and Lenexa, Kansas.
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Tagged back ache, back injury, back pain, back spasms, chiropractic, chiropractor, hip pain, lenexa chiropractor, olathe chiropractor, pinched nerve, sacro-iliac joints, sciatica, slipped disc
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The spine has a series of curves which are normal and help the spine to move and bear the weight of the body. The curve in the lower back is towards the front of the body or anteriorly convex. The sacrum or pelvis also has a curve which is in the opposite direction of the curve of the lumbar spine. The weight of the spine is transmitted into the pelvis via the sacro-iliac joints. The sacro-iliac joints (SI joints) are slightly moveable joints that may be responsible for as much as 40% of cases of back pain seen by Chiropractors. The SI joints however may often show rapid recovery with Chiropractic adjustments. One of the ket features of pain in the sacro-iliac joints is that such pain is not directly related to the discs and does not typically cause pain that radiates beyond the knee. The pain caused by an inflammed sacro-iliac joint is often a deep, dull pain on rest and a sharp pain on motion.
One key area of the pelvis which may cause sciatic pain is the piriformis muscle. In about 10% of persons the sciatic nerve runs through the piriformis muscle. These people are susceptible to sciatica due to nerve impingement by the piriformis muscle. Such sciatica usually presents over a period of days to weeks and may start with a dull ache in the buttocks.
Dr. Tom Etter is a Chiropractor with over ten years of practice experience treating back pain, neck pain, sciatica, and sports injuries. Dr. Etter’s Chiropractic practice serves Olathe, Kansas, Lenexa, Kansas and Overland Park, Kansas.
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Tagged back ache, back pain, back pain treatment, back spasms, chiropractic, chiropractor, lenexa chiropractor, olathe chiropractor, pinched nerve, sciatica, slipped disc
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The S-I or sacro-iliac joint is the joint of the tail bone (or sacrum) and the hip bones (or ilium). There are two S-I joints and they are about 3-4 inches long and located just below the beltline. The S-I joints are a common cause of lower back pain and it is estimated they are a factor in about 40% of cases of lower back pain treated by Chiropractors.
The S-I joints are very strong joints with limited movement. They transmit the weight of the spine and upper body into the pelvis. In the event of injury to the S-I joints there will be pain localized to the area of the S-I joint as well as pain that may be referred into the groin, hamstrings or back of the thigh. Generally the pain from an S-I problem does not extend below the knee which is a factor that differentiates this type of pain from disc pain (which may extend below the knee).
Lifting, bending and back bending may be motions that may overstress the S-I joint. One common scenario is straightening up from a stooped position and experiencing immediate pain over the joints. Some of the factors that may predispose someone to an S-I injury are pregnancy, prolonged bending and sitting, or degenerative arthritis.
Some theories on the cause of S-I sprains focus on an imbalance of strength between the hip flexors and hamstrings. Tight hamstrings are a common finding in persons with S-I joint problems.
In S-I subluxation the surfaces of the joints slip and become locked in an abnormal fashion. The purpose of the Chiropractic adjustment is to unlock the joints and return the joint to a normal alignment and retore normal movement of the joint.
Dr. Tom Etter is a Chiropractor. Etter Chiropractic serves Olathe, Kansas, Lenexa, Kansas, and Overland Park, Kansas. Dr. Etter’s Chiropractic practice focus is back pain, neck pain and sports injuries.
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Tagged achy back, arthritis of the back, back ache, back injury, back pain, bad back, chiropractic, chiropractor, muscle spasms, olathe chiropractor, pinched nerve, sciatica, slipped disc
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Fibromyalgia is a condition known to cause pain in the joints and muscles. Usually the pain is described as effecting joint symetrically on both sides of the body and the pain is often worse after waking up in the morning. Persons suffering with fibromyalgia often complain of stiffness in the joints but often the range of motion of the joint is normal. Swelling of the joints is usually minimal and the joints are often only mildly tender. Most of the tenderness felt in fibromyalgia is felt over tense muscles. The muscles seldom atrophy (shrink) in fibromyalgia. Usually a person suffering fibromyalgia does not have a fever or experience weight loss. One of the key diagnostic aspects of the condition is that persons with fibromyalgia do not test positive for rheumatic factor. X rays of the joints are usually normal. Many persons suffering from fibromyalgia are emotionally tense.
One of the most effective Chiropractic techniques in dealing with fibromyalgia is myofascial release technique. Myofascial release targeted towards the muscle specifically and seeks to reduce the tenderness felt in the muscles due to fibromyalgia.
Dr. Tom Etter is a Chiropractor with over ten years of practice experience. His Chiropractic practice focus is back pain, neck pain, fibromyalgia and sports injuries. Dr. Etter is an approved Chiropractic provider for Blue Cross, medicare, aetna, cigna, human, and others.
The most common injury to the buttocks in sports is from a direct blow such as from a knee or elbow. Usually the skin is not injured due to being padded by the muscle and fat below. The gluteal muscles often undergo contusion in a direct blow scenario but this does not usually cause a lack of function of the muscle in a significant way. In most of the buttocks area there is thick muscle that is not prone to being pinched between a bon structure. Often a blow may produce a tender, painful muscle mass that is uncomfortable but not disabling.
The sciatic nerve is able to be contused by blows to the buttocks. In this type of condition the pain may begin in the buttocks and extend down the back of the thigh and into the calf and foot. The type of pain that results from a sciatic contusion is similar to sciatica from such causes as a disc problem to piriformis entrapment. Raising a straightened leg often causes the pain to increase and numbness may be felt in some areas of the leg or foot. Often a contusion of the sciatic nerve needs no additional treatment but the person should be careful to avoid stretching the nerve any further.
Another area of the buttocks that may become contused is the ischial tuberosity. The hamstrings attach onto the ischial tuberosity and it is also the bony area of the pelvis that we sit on. Falling on the butt may cause irritation of the bones and a localized painful area.
Bursitis of the hip is usually felt at the side of the hip and over the greater trochanter of the femur (the bumps at the side of the hip). In some cases hip bursitis may radiate down the leg but usually causes a localized pain at the side of the hip.
Dr. Tom Etter is a Chiropractor with over ten years of practice experience. His Chiropractic practice serves Olathe, Kansas, Lenexa, Kansas and Overland Park, Kansas. Dr. Etter’s practice focus is back pain, neck pain, sports injuries and acpuncture.
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Tagged back ache, back injury, chiropractic, chiropractor, disc herniation, leg pain, muscle pulls, numb leg, numbness, olathe chiropractor, pinched nerve, sciatica, sports injury
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