Bad Backs Discussion Forum

Just wondering how you are since surgery to fuse your SI Joints. I have the same problem & am awaiting an appointment with a surgeon to see what can be done. I had 3 prolotherapy injections... first 2 seemed to be making progress in stabilising the pelvis but the 3rd has undon everything bringing me back to where I was before I started the treatment. I feel I have no option but to have the SI joint fused. Suffering exact symptoms you stated below in fact I could have thought that I had written it (only difference is that I am 41 & have 2 teenagers & a 10yr old.
Look forward to your reply.


<br />I have SI joint dysfunction, osteoitis pubis and L5/S1 disc problems.
I have tried pills, injections, massage, chiro, physio....etc.
Not one bit of change. I have great stomach muscles with all the core stabilising exercises but no pain relief.
I am finally at the point where the Pelvis Specialist is recommending fusion of all 3 joints in my pelvis and my back specialist is recommending fusion/joint replacement.
I am in such a bad place right now re pain that I am considering these options in spite of my fears.
I dont know what I will do. The pelvis will require 6 weeks total bed rest with up to 4 months rehab. The back surgery will be 1 to 2 weeks in hospital with upto 6 months rehab. Of course, as luck would have it, I cant do both at the same time.
I am a 37 year old with 2 kids under 4, debt, mortgage and a husband who suffers because I do.
I have low back back, my joints crack/pop, I wake up so stiff I can hardly walk, sitting too long hurts, standing too long hurts, climbing stairs or going up hill kills. I cant play sport, swimming makes my joints move so I cant do that, *beep* hurts, I cant play with my kids....on and on it goes.
I have two problems and defining which one is the cause of my pain is almost impossible. My pelvis specialist says bending and lifting pain is caused by my back, the rest is my SI joints.
My Chiro stopped treating me because she said the manipulations were just inflamming the hypermobility problems I had. She also said it may make me feel better immediately but half an hour later I would be back in the same position, as my SI joints were so loose.
I recently had a discogram (an injection into the L5/S1 joint) which induce extreme pain. This defined the fact that I was having pain from two sources not just one.
Part of the diagnostic tests I had to see if the SI joints were the problem was an anaesthetic block to both SI joints. It relieved my pain to almost zero. My specialist said that, that is what I could expect from having my pelvis fused. Fingers crossed.
I am currently making my descions. If I go ahead I will have the pelvis done in February next year.
Ill post my progress.
Hope my experience helps you.

<br />Does anyone know about Sacroiliac joint problems? My Chiro says mine are "unstable" and that is causing my new low back pain. He has been trying to straighten some of the curve in my lower back (hyperlordosis) and while he says that Im better, I FEEL worse. I have an L6 vertabrae which I believe is causing the pain, but what do I know? Its so hard to know if Im doing the right thing.

Just wondering how you are since surgery. I have same problem with SI joint, same symptoms that you wrote here... could have thought I had written it. I am about to see a surgeon with possibility of fusion of SI joint. Had 3 prolotherapy injections - 1st 2 went well with marked improvement in stability but 3rd went wrong increased pain & pelvis back to displacing most days. Just interested to see how you went with surgery.
<br />I have SI joint dysfunction, osteoitis pubis and L5/S1 disc problems.
I have tried pills, injections, massage, chiro, physio....etc.
Not one bit of change. I have great stomach muscles with all the core stabilising exercises but no pain relief.
I am finally at the point where the Pelvis Specialist is recommending fusion of all 3 joints in my pelvis and my back specialist is recommending fusion/joint replacement.
I am in such a bad place right now re pain that I am considering these options in spite of my fears.
I dont know what I will do. The pelvis will require 6 weeks total bed rest with up to 4 months rehab. The back surgery will be 1 to 2 weeks in hospital with upto 6 months rehab. Of course, as luck would have it, I cant do both at the same time.
I am a 37 year old with 2 kids under 4, debt, mortgage and a husband who suffers because I do.
I have low back back, my joints crack/pop, I wake up so stiff I can hardly walk, sitting too long hurts, standing too long hurts, climbing stairs or going up hill kills. I cant play sport, swimming makes my joints move so I cant do that, *beep* hurts, I cant play with my kids....on and on it goes.
I have two problems and defining which one is the cause of my pain is almost impossible. My pelvis specialist says bending and lifting pain is caused by my back, the rest is my SI joints.
My Chiro stopped treating me because she said the manipulations were just inflamming the hypermobility problems I had. She also said it may make me feel better immediately but half an hour later I would be back in the same position, as my SI joints were so loose.
I recently had a discogram (an injection into the L5/S1 joint) which induce extreme pain. This defined the fact that I was having pain from two sources not just one.
Part of the diagnostic tests I had to see if the SI joints were the problem was an anaesthetic block to both SI joints. It relieved my pain to almost zero. My specialist said that, that is what I could expect from having my pelvis fused. Fingers crossed.
I am currently making my descions. If I go ahead I will have the pelvis done in February next year.
Ill post my progress.
Hope my experience helps you.

<br />Does anyone know about Sacroiliac joint problems? My Chiro says mine are "unstable" and that is causing my new low back pain. He has been trying to straighten some of the curve in my lower back (hyperlordosis) and while he says that Im better, I FEEL worse. I have an L6 vertabrae which I believe is causing the pain, but what do I know? Its so hard to know if Im doing the right thing.

YES!!!!! I cant believe Ive finally found people with the same problem I have. My pain started in my legs when I was 16 and pregnant. The doctors pretty much ignored it because they figured it would go away after the baby was born. I complained to so many different doctors and none of them really cared. Finally, at age 22, a neurologist hospitalized me for tests. His diagnosis was a bulging disc and a degenerative disease. He continued to treat me with various medications and $1000 cortisone shots to my lower back that never helped. The pain had been in my back more than my legs for a while and could point to exactly where the pain was (in the SI area), but still got shots in my lumbar back. When I finally was unable to work, I went to another doctor who sent me for physical therapy. They found my hips to be out of line and said it was SI joint pain. They worked on getting my hips back in place but I finally went to a chiropractor to do it. It gave me some relief but I still cant stand or sit for long periods of time. I wake up in the middle of the night in pain. Only those of you other sufferers can realize how BAD it hurts!! My doctor will only give me enough Darvoset for one a day and it is not enough. Im still trying stretching and strenghening exercises but it doesnt help. I know I need SI joint injections, but I have no insurance because Im going back to school to be an occupational therapist. I hope that career wont cause me as much pain. My doctor thinks Im too young for arthritis at 40, but they need to treat me more for the pain. I Cant Stand It!! My stomach is probably near rotted out because of all the under the counter pain medications I take. I was also diagnosed with depression and am on medication for that. I know it is because of 24 years with this pain!!

Hi to all those out there. I have recently been diagnosed with a forward tilting pelvis, and mobile sacroiliac joints. This happened to me ag the beginning of july (lifting a heavy box). It started with a groin pain (Psoas muscle spasm), and then on examination (lying on my stomach and having my legs pulled back very quickly), the sacroiliac pain started. Things have been going down hill fast since then. I have seen a rheumatologist & an orthopaedic consultant who say nothing can be done.

I have done hours and hours of research, seen about four osteopaths & my main symtpoms are:

- Iliopsoas muscle tightness (can mobilise sacroiliac joints)
- erector spinae muscle spasms
- forward tilted pelvis & sacroiliac movement

I have also noticed that I have completely <b>flat feet</b> on standing with no arch at all, which affects the whole posture of the body, especially the pelvis. I am now off to see a Podiatrist after having read his published article today, where he highlights all of the above problems occuring due to flat feet.

I just thought this may be an area of interst to anyone who is suffering the above, and I also appreciate the lack of knowledge on these problems, as I have spent a fortune on treatment and seeing specialists in the last two months. There seems to be no specialists in the UK who deal with this kind of problem, but I have also managed to track down a physiotherapist in london who deals specifically with pelvic problems, but the main area of concern I have had is that everyone has a different diagnosis, and only seem to look at one area of the body, instea of the whole body (head to foot)!.
[:)]

Jayne, I feel fortunate in being treated by physiotherapists who are unbias towards benefits of podiatry. Infact, many PTs work in a practice with an attending Podiatrist. A good even balance to the foot is important when trying to get the spine inshape. One wont work without the other. Our feet get familiar with its wonky spine, and if the spine gets altered by treatment/fix...the balance of the foot frequently needs help as well. That includes advice on making a conscious effort to stand walk in slightly better way..and shoes that balance/support adequately. Yes, often spinal pain is related to feet rolling in at arch...hence, knees roll in and these things add pressure to hips and SIJs, then disc. I see a podiatrist every 8 weeks because of nerve damage (spine) that has altered the growth of two tonails of all things. She also checks suitability of my shoes and gives advice..thank god she has good fashion sense and I dont need to look like Grandma! (hehehe) I admit that finding the right type of shoe impacts on my pocket.

I think we might be lucky down in Oz because Ive come across quite a few specialists who have checked SIJ with me....one sent me for SIJ diagnostic injecting before eliminating SIJ disorder from my scenario. I was also put in a hip belt/brace for 8 weeks for diagnostic testing. I am finding it to be quite a topic amongst the docs around here. They are tuned into SIJ disorder and am hearing more about it. Some are treating SIJ with Prolotherapy but I dont know enough about results. Fusion is of course the surgical option but would think its the last port of call.

Thanks for raising the Podiatry issue because I believe its an important one that often gets overlooked.

Hi,

I know its a while since you posted your message re treatment in Melbourne but I wanted to let you know that after two years of problems & lots of treatment at Olympic Park Sports Medicine Centre in Richmend ( physios & doctors)I've recently been referred by OPSMC to Brian Lovell at the Metropolitan Spinal Clinic at Glenferrie Private Hospital moved recently from Malvern)across the road from Hawthorn Football Ground. He is the first doctor I've seen who I felt absolutely found the major source of my main pain so I've started on a treatment program with him and feel very confident I'll get somewhere. He also showed me some exercises that reduced my pain imediately. I was amazed.

Good luck with the search for treatment! I hope this helps.

Hi. I am new to this forum. I also happen to have a rotated pelvis or twisted hip. My left side hip i can feel a bone protruding in the back. My chiropractor said my left side hip is closer to the surface and that the right side has tilted forward. When i walk with my 2 legs, and the left leg extends forward to take the step i can feel tension and some pain at times. When that happens, i usually try to do a piriformis stretch to relieve some pain. Also when i sit down, there is tension on the left side of the pelvis bone that seems to be closer to the surface. I've been to the chiropractor and he realigns me all the time but i feel that it isn't helping. What can i do to place my left side hip back to normal position so that the bone isn't prodtruding in the back. I can literally feel a lump. There is tenderness around there and muscle spasm at times. I try to do core exercises everyday because that seems to relieve some spasm and pain but sometimes i can't keep up with it and it comes back. Has anyone experienced such problem? Also, the chiro said my left leg is shorter than the right due to the rotated hip. Otherwise, my legs are normal to begin with. I believe i had a trauma while i was exercising 3 years ago. After that, the back pain has been going down hill and there is hip pain deep within the hip that's hard to locate. If anyone know what i could do, please email me at [email protected]. I greatly appreciate that you take the time to read this.

Hi I just joined up and was going through everyone's posts. Just thought I'd share my case and see if I could get any ideas to help my situation.

My SI Joint Dysfunction started with my pregnancy 7 years ago. It disappeared the minute I delivered my daughter, then in 2004 it started up again and has been sporadic until last month when I came down with a terrible bout of flu that caused the worst body pain I've ever had. I recovered from the flu and the body pain stopped but my hip felt like it had been battered with a baseball bat or something. After a week of riding it out it finally settled in to my left buttock and went all the way down the back of my leg to the bottom of my foot and when I sit I feel like I've been impaled by a knitting needle.

Sitting and standing cause the proverbial "pain in the butt" and to make matters worse I have a cervical problem that affects my right shoulder and arm which is being aggravated as I have to sleep in my right side since sleeping on my left will wake me up for sure plus I'm hypothyroid so I have enough trouble with pain and sleep anyways.

I have been in physiotherapy for a month now but it doesn't seem to be getting better. My treatment includes Heat therapy, TENS, Ultrasound, stretching exercises, some abdominal strengthening exercises and manipulation. All exercises are repeated at home as well. Also took up swimming for a couple of weeks but the pain got worse and extended into the groin so I stoppped. The funny thing is that after my therapist does the manipulation session the pain goes away, but the minute I get into the car to drive home it starts up again. It's a little frustrating because my therapist says the pain is caused by sitting and that I need to move the joint for which I was given a new mobility exercise today.

I've lost 5 kgs since this pain started as I've been avoiding sitting so I'm walking around my house most of the time that is when I get tired of lying down and I only sit for a max of 15-20 minutes at time after which I get up and walk or lie down again. Actually I don't mind losing the weight at all as it will probably help, but I wish there was some way to make it better without taking too much pain medication, even though I have quite a high threshold for pain but it does get to me sometimes. Imagine feeling like you have to go to the loo all the time, or like someone kicked you in the butt... really hard, or then like your leg is dying! I have a 6 year daughter that requires a lot of attention and is really active. I'm a real hands on kinda mom and I'm not very happy with the amount of attention I'm being able to give my daughter.

That's how it is for me so if anyone has any ideas or knows anything in particular that worked for them I'm willing to give it try.

Hi Aisha
Some suggestions to aid your sleeping discomfort.. If laying on your side place a pillow between your legs, this helps to keep the spine & pelvis in correct alignment & reduces the pain. If laying on your back (even just resting) place a pillow under your knees, this reduces the strain on the spine too. Perhaps your physio could supply you with a pelvic brace which will aid in keeping your pelvis aligned. My personal experience was very similar to yours where the physio would re align my SIJ only for it to slip out again as I got into my car for the drive home. Some physios will also strap you with tape after treatment which helps short term to keep the pelvis in place. Alternatively to a brace, you could also try support steppings but they need to be strong support to give benefit.
I also changed my matress to a latex one which was a huge expense but gave great relief. No pressure from innersprings as latex matresses don't have innersprings but do give support all over.
You mentioned swimming caused increase in pain & that is typical of SIJ dys. You could try walking in the pool instead as this is a good way to exercise without impact. I also find this to be great for pain relief.
As you have possibly read, I ended up having SIJ fusion. This should be a last resort but for me is starting to give back a little quality of life. I had tried physio, Pilates, Hydro therapy, Prolotherapy ( injections into the ligaments which should cause scaring & intrn strengthen the ligaments to hold the sij in place, in my case, the 1st 2 injections did give some improvement but the 3rd inj undid the lot by retearing th ligaments.) After Prolo I had de nervations, & at varying times also had cortisone injections. At the end of all this the ligaments were just a bunch of mush so fusion was the only option. My 1st fusion was unsucessfull in such it only fused at the top & bottom of the joint so I was sent back for revision surgery which has been a far greater success.
If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me by email or on the forum. email will give a quicker response as I am not on the forum overy often.
Regards
Jules

Hi Timmyklang
May I suggest that instead of seeing the chiro that you seek out a reputable physio therapist that is familiar with pelvic problems. Try to find one that uses muscle energy techniques rather than bone crunching techniques to manipulate. Also try the suggestions above for sleeping, ie pillows. You may also like to read through many of my previous posts as to treatmetns that can also assist in pain relief.