SI Joint Pain...Frustrated.

[lisathew8lifter]

you will definitely not like the answer that i'm going to give you but the ONLY way to ever fix this is to take the time to heal and to strengthen your core.

on august 21 i went to a sports med doctor in the twin cities that also treats olympic athletes. i was desperate and in massive pain. i mountain bike, i run, i lift weights and i did classes at the fitness center. i couldn't lay down, i couldn't sit, it hurt to do everything. EVERYTHING. i got a new bike, i went back several times to adjust it. i took 4 motrin before every ride...nothing cut it.

when i went to see amy, she could tell immediately what needed to be done just by looking at me stand, sit and walk. i was skeptical...really...you're going to help me after seeing me two minutes? she said women are prone to pelvic instability and she knew it was SI joint. i had never heard of an SI joint much less thought mine hurt. we started with xrays and went from there.

the xrays didn't tell the full story so we went for an mri. stress fracture in right tibia (running) and disc degeneration. the mri was the worst since i had to lay for 1.5 hours...that is soo not right.

she said the degeneration could be causing pain or maybe not, but i proceeded to have two shots of cortisone in each SI joint. i have never been so happy as the relief i immediately felt after each shot. again, i was desperate..not going to live on advil, not going to quit exercising. when the doctor told me i needed to quit, i cried. it was august...summer still...bike season, i had vacation plans and they involved biking. BUT...i wanted to heal and i knew that i needed to treat the condition or i'd be talking about this forever.

soo...my point is that it takes time. this is NOT a quick fix. not even close. if you want to enjoy yourself and become better at the sport, whatever your goal may be, you need to resign yourself to the fact that you need about 6 months of very low impact (or no impact) activity WHILE you do PT. i am lucky, i had the means and the time to do PT but it was a long road. i was fortunate to get in the hands of the best PT in this area...specializing in this type of injury. it was a long time coming, many years of abuse and over use and using the wrong muscles. i had no core strength, was breathing through my back, using my back for everything i did. i started with limited ranges of motion and no strength and now i have stregnth. this is going to be a life time of PT (on my own now) and continuing to build on what i already do an know.

yes august 21 until february 27...that is SIX months. i walked outside and on the treadmill and did my PT. six months. no biking, no running, nothing. if i lived to tell about it, so can you. i am running, haven't yet started biking (mn - still colder here - but soon) and i am so excited to start because i know that i'm going to be pain free when i do.

bottom line, you know what to do, now do it. if i can, anyone can!

[daisylubob]

UPDATE:
Xrays show disc degeneration and bony changes (arthritic type) in the lumbar spine. MRI is next, and I have an appt w/ a neuro DR who is a cyclist on 5/17. I am not liking the sound of this....scared.

[yellow]

UPDATE:
Xrays show disc degeneration and bony changes (arthritic type) in the lumbar spine. MRI is next, and I have an appt w/ a neuro DR who is a cyclist on 5/17. I am not liking the sound of this....scared.

Don't be...EVERYONE has some amount of disc degeneration and, yes, even arthritis. Some people are asymptomatic their whole lives. Others, not so lucky. The xrays probably show narrowing between the vertebrae, which usually indicates degeneration. Only the MRI will tell the extent/level of degeneration. Deep breath, and wait for the MRI results. Talking to a neurosurgeon is not a bad thing, but you also might want to consult a physiatrist (non-surgical).

After years of pain and trying to fix it on my own, I ended up having lumbar fusion. Life is way better now, and I'm still early in recovery. I'm not saying this is the answer for you...I tried just about everything out there you can try and would be happy to go on and on about it all via PM if you'd like.

Above all, you need to have patience. Take your time. Open your mind to solutions that might not be something you ever thought of.

I hope you find relief soon.

[KnottedYet]

UPDATE:
Xrays show disc degeneration and bony changes (arthritic type) in the lumbar spine. MRI is next, and I have an appt w/ a neuro DR who is a cyclist on 5/17. I am not liking the sound of this....scared.

Don't be scared. Your xray sounds perfectly normal. Remember, the "standard" is a 20 year old male. If your spine doesn't look like a 20 year old male, you are degenerated.

Don't pay any attention.

If your problem required surgery, it would be giving you unremitting agony. As it is, you only have pain on the bike after 20 minutes and if you sit at work too long. If your symptoms are absent some of the time, then you just need to let the body heal so they can be absent all of the time.

(And you need to have someone with a PT background check your bike fit and biking posture.)

[daisylubob]

Don't be scared. Your xray sounds perfectly normal. Remember, the "standard" is a 20 year old male. If your spine doesn't look like a 20 year old male, you are degenerated.

Don't pay any attention.

If your problem required surgery, it would be giving you unremitting agony. As it is, you only have pain on the bike after 20 minutes and if you sit at work too long. If your symptoms are absent some of the time, then you just need to let the body heal so they can be absent all of the time.

(And you need to have someone with a PT background check your bike fit and biking posture.)

That is crazy to compare me to a 20 yo male. What is the point???? Anyway, I am degenerated

The symptoms of pain in the low back seem to be there more now, not just w/ sitting at work and on the bike. Feels like a constant,dull, sometimes crampy-like, annoying ache in the low back. Never sharp or take-your-breath-away stabbing sensation. It is at the spot where you put your hands to do a standing backbend, right where my middle and ring finger are on my back (did that make sense?).It does NOT hurt when I am in my bed sleeping, thankfully. I am so aware of that pain now, it has kind of taken over and I am obsessing about it
I see Sally again on Monday.
DH is going to attempt to modify my bikes a bit. Raise the bars w/ a headset extender on the road bike. Raise the bars w/ 2 more spacers on the mtb, and flip the stem over.
I also started taking Tissue Rejuvenator from Hammer, 4 caps am & 4 caps pm. Figured it would not hurt!

[daisylubob]

Saw Sally today. She thinks it may NOT be a disc now, due to:
1. little to no relief w/ the cobra maneuver.
2. I can walk and stand w/out a lot of increased pain.
3. Forward flex bothers me, whereas a disc problem the patient would get pain relief w/ forward flex.

She gave me a new exercise: Lay on L side, L leg straight, R leg bent up. Pull up on L arm so L shoulder is all twisted around. Lay that way for 5-10 mins.

We may also try oral steroids to see if it takes away the pain, if it does, then there is inflammatory stuff going on. But we still do not know the origin. MRI is Wednesday at 6am.

[nscrbug]

Saw Sally today. She thinks it may NOT be a disc now, due to:
1. little to no relief w/ the cobra maneuver.
2. I can walk and stand w/out a lot of increased pain.
3. Forward flex bothers me, whereas a disc problem the patient would get pain relief w/ forward flex.

She gave me a new exercise: Lay on L side, L leg straight, R leg bent up. Pull up on L arm so L shoulder is all twisted around. Lay that way for 5-10 mins.

We may also try oral steroids to see if it takes away the pain, if it does, then there is inflammatory stuff going on. But we still do not know the origin. MRI is Wednesday at 6am.

Hmmm...that's interesting. I was always under the impression that forward flexion increases pain in those with disc problems present...and that the cobra relieves pain. I have a totally different back condition called spondylolisthesis, which is a forward vertebral slippage. I'm actually NOT supposed to do any kind of back extension exercises (like the cobra) because it can cause further slippage and instability in my lower spine. But bending forward (such as leaning on a table or countertop, brings me instant relief.

Your upcoming MRI will pretty much indicate right away, whether or not your issue is disc-related or something else. Good luck and I hope you find some answers soon!

[KnottedYet]

It depends which way the disc is bulging. (forward, backward, or to the sides)

I have a disc that bulges forward and slightly sideways right now. Bending forward (forward flexion) pushes that darn disc back into place for me.

60% of disc problems are discs that are bulging backwards. Bending forward pushes the disc farther out of place for those folks.

What Sally has given you now is the "million dollar roll". It works for discs that are bulging out at a different angle (not straight back or straight to the side, for example) or that are bulging in multiple directions.

If you run into trouble with it, or if you feel it is making you worse, call Sally.

(ETA: 2 and 3 would be typical of a posterior derangement, 1 would be typical of a posterior-lateral relevant derangement. Lack of lasting relief from a cobra could indicate a disc that is blooping out backward and sideways at the same time. Sally will work you thorugh the steps of various movements until she has exhausted disc behaviour as a cause.)