Sacroiliac joint pain is the true cause of a significant number of those who suffer with low back pain. The SI joint is located at the base of the spine where the pelvis where the ilium and sacrum meet. Several factors can cause this joint to misalign. They can be from imbalances in the
spine, leg length discrepancy, trauma or accidents, dysfunction of the ankle, feet, knees or hips and pregnancy. Pregnancy is a common cause for women because when the hormones in the body change to help ligament laxity to allow for delivery thru the pelvic region, it can cause excessive movement in the joints irritating the muscles, tendons and ligaments.
The dysfunction in the sacroiliac joint leads to low back pain and eventually sciatica radiating into the hip, thigh and possibly down to the feet.
People who suffer with sacroiliac joint pain are searching for the best option in treating their pain. New studies are confirming chiropractic as the effective and safe way to correct the underlying cause of SI joint pain.
In a new study a single chiropractic treatment was performed on 32 women with SI joint pain. They reported immediate relief and experienced significant reduction in pain after 48 hours and 1 month after treatment.
In another study, researchers were trying to determine what is the best treatment option for patients suffering with sacroiliac joint related back and leg pain. 51 patients with SI joint related leg pain were treated with physiotherapy, chiropractic adjustments, and intra-articular injections of corticosteroids. The effects of treatment were analyzed after 6 weeks and again after 12 weeks.
The findings of the study for sacroiliac joint pain were significant in favor of chiropractic manual therapy in treating the leg pain. Chiropractic manual therapy had a 72% success rate, followed by the intra-articular injections at 50% and the physiotherapy group having the lowest success at just 20%. The researchers also found the patients treated with manual therapy resulted in significant improvement in their follow up pain scores where neither of the other 2 groups showed significant improvement.
The conclusion of the researchers was that the chiropractic manual therapy to be the best choice in treating sacroiliac joint pain. This was a small sample study and more larger studies are sure to further confirm the benefits of chiropractic adjustments.
Not only does chiropractic have higher success rates, but it is a drug free approach without all the side effects that are likely with corticosteroid injections and other medical intervention.
Dr. Russell Brokstein at Hometown Family Wellness Center in Freehold NJ uses chiropractic adjustments in the treatment of sacroiliac joint pain and other musculoskeletal conditions. If you are in the Freehold area seeking help for your pain find out more about our office: click here