Lower back pain is one of the more common, yet most frustrating medical problems out there. It negatively affects all aspects of your life – your sleep, your work day, your exercise routine, and even your relaxing time.
Many of us are experiencing that back pain due to problems with our SI joints. The good news is there is something we can do to provide great relief: we can practice yoga for Si joint pain relief.
I’m here to explain more about the SI joint and why it causes you pain. Then I’m going to give you some of the best yoga moves that can relieve your SI joint pain and get you back to feeling like yourself again soon.
What Is the Sacroiliac Joint?
The sacroiliac joint (SI for short) is the joint connecting your sacrum to your hip bones. You have two of them; one on each side of your sacrum. It’s essentially a shock absorber between your upper and lower body. A lot of weight bears down on this joint. Any time you walk and any time you lift anything – your SI joint comes into play.
A series of ligaments and muscles support the SI joints.
What Is Sacroiliac Joint Pain?
Like any other joint, your SI joints can inflame and cause you pain.
The SI joint is a common cause of lower back, buttocks pain, and upper leg pain. In fact, somewhere between 15% to 30% of all back pain cases have to do with the SI joint. Sometimes people confuse the pain they feel from their SI joint with sciatica or a herniated disk (and vice versa!). If you’re not sure which condition is causing your pain, a visit to the doctor should help clear it up.
SI pain can come from both moving too much and moving too little. It can come with age as some of your supporting cartilage wears down over time. Most often it’s women dealing with SI joint pain – both pregnancy and childbirth lead to SI issues.
You may hear people refer to this pain as “SI joint dysfunction/syndrome.”
Can You Exercise with SI Joint Pain?
If you’ve injured your SI joint, you will need to take a break from some of your usual activities, especially if they caused the problem. If you were an avid runner or sportsperson, you will need to take things easy while you recover.
However, after you’ve healed sufficiently, getting active will help to relieve further pain. Not only can you exercise but you should.
Yoga Moves to Relieve Sacroiliac Joint Pain
There are lots of ways you can begin to lower the painful symptoms in your Sacroiliac Joint – one of them is stretching exercises.
Yoga has been shown time and time again to be a fabulous way to deal with inflammation and help heal the body’s joints, muscles, ligaments, etc. Not only do you stretch the body so well, but you also strengthen all the necessary supporting muscles in a gentle way that feels good on the joints.
Is There a Yoga Trick to Realign Your SI Joint & Relieve Lower Back Pain?
Yoga poses which focus on pelvic alignment have been shown to bring relief from SI joint pain. Twists and forward bends, in particular, make the discomfort go away. You will need to be gentle but if you pay lots of attention to your pelvic area, you should start to see improvement. Not only do these yoga poses help you heal but they can also prevent future injury.
I’ve gathered a few of the best poses to help you strengthen and stretch the area around the SI joint, so you can feel relief.
1. Back Bends for Strengthening
The below poses are excellent at gently strengthening the muscles in your back to provide better support. They are all back bends that never go too deep. The key here is to never compress your lower back while you’re doing them. The second it feels achy is the time to stop or to stop going as deep.
Bow Pose
Locust Pose
Cobra Pose
2. Standing Yoga Poses for Strengthening
These next two poses will strengthen the muscles surrounding the SI joint. This helps bring stabilization to the area.
Triangle Pose
Extended Side Angle
3. Yoga Poses for Pelvis Stretching
These are two seated poses that will help you stretch the back of your pelvis area. When that area is tight, it may be causing extra pressure on your SI joint.
King Pigeon Pose
Cow Face Pose
4. Yoga Pose for Gentle Stretching
This final pose is one of the most calming, gentle stretches for the back body available to you. Not only will this improve the way your back feels, but it can also help calm the anxiety and tension your joint pain brings to your whole body.
Child’s Pose
How to Practice Yoga for Lower Back Pain
Here’s the important thing to understand: though yoga can be a great healer, doing it wrong can lead to even more problems. That’s why it is a great idea to invest in at least a few classes at an actual yoga studio.
Choose a beginner’s, gentle, hatha, restorative, or yin class. A vinyasa or power yoga class may be too aggressive if you are in pain.
Then tell the yoga instructor before the class begins about your SI pain so he or she can instruct you on any modifications throughout the class and/or can help adjust you if you are doing any of the poses incorrectly.
Once you’re comfortable with the flows, you can try doing some practice at home – though you may love the class experience and want to continue that way.
If you ever feel pain at any point, stop what you are doing. Rest in child’s pose for a few minutes and try the next exercise. If the pain persists, your yoga class should be done for the day.
How Do You Sit To Relieve Sacroiliac Joint Pain?
If you spend most of your day sitting, you need to ensure you don’t sit in positions which will cause further pain or injury. Try the following tips.
- Sit with your knees away from each other and turned out slightly.
- Allow your lower back to relax while keeping it supported with a rolled towel or a cushion. If you don’t have anything to support your back, make sure you sit upright.
- Sit high enough that your hips are above your needs so you can stretch your hips.
- Sit on a ball cushion or therapy ball so you can strengthen your back and stomach muscles.
Other Natural Solutions for SI Joint Pain
Yoga is not the only natural way you can start to find relief from SI joint pain. You can also:
- Go to Physical Therapy: While your therapist may suggest some of these yoga moves, your overall therapy will probably be more holistic.
- Go to a Chiropractor: Realigning bones and ligaments can potentially help re-support the SI joint.
- Take a Natural Anti-Inflammatory: All-natural and safe ingredients like turmeric, boswellia, and essential fatty acids can do wonders with any joint inflammation in your body – especially the SI joint.
- Take NSAIDs: Some people can’t take NSAIDs and nobody should take them long-term, but short-term use of medications like ibuprofen can provide some relief until you get further into your other treatment methods.
- Talk to your Doctor about Joint Injections: Sometimes doctors will need to inject steroids directly into the area. This process can be repeated multiple times throughout the year – though you should focus on fixing the problem as much as possible through physical therapy and yoga first.
How Long Does It Take for Sacroiliac Joint Pain to Go Away?
Every case is different and a lot depends on what is causing your pain and how long you’ve been dealing with the problem.
If your pelvic joint was out of alignment, successful realignment may bring instantaneous relief from pain as well as improved function. Returning stability to your core area can also ensure very good results. The type of treatment you seek and your ability to exercise consistently also play a role.
Start with the safer, less invasive solutions. Sign up for your yoga class today, have a consultation with a physical therapist, and begin your all-natural anti-inflammatory. This may be all you need to find relief from your lower back pain!
Sources
Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction (Sacroiliac Joint Pain)
6 Best Sacroiliac Joint Pain Exercises, and 5 to Avoid
The Best Yoga Poses for Sacroiliac Joint Pain and Joint Problems
Q&A: What Are the Best Yoha Poses for Sacroiliac Joint Pain?
