Do you experience pain that repeatedly occurs over a long period below your waist? Especially after sitting at a desk all day, when getting up, do you suddenly feel pain between your lower back and buttocks, in this flat area, like a sharp sting? In severe cases, it can even hurt down to the back of your legs. These pains, although they improve with massage or heat application, always tend to reoccur. They are especially noticeable after exercise, and may even cause discomfort that makes it difficult to sit or stand. This kind of pain might originate from a very special joint, the sacroiliac joint. Under normal circumstances, this joint hardly moves significantly. But if it gets stuck, it can cause recurring pain below the waist. In today's video, I want to share with you knowledge about the sacroiliac joint. What movements does it participate in, and how should we normally maintain it? When sacroiliac joint pain occurs, how should it be managed? Let me quickly give you an overview of what the sacroiliac joint is. The bone in the middle of your buttocks is called the sacrum. The sacrum is the foundation of the entire spine, and it's also the main bearing point for the upper body's weight. The two small 'ears' next to the sacrum are the iliac bones. The iliac bones connect to the femur of the thigh through the hip joint. The place where the sacrum and iliac bones meet is the sacroiliac joint. From this structure, you can probably see that the sacroiliac joint is responsible for bearing weight in the body. You can see that the joint surfaces of the sacroiliac joint are almost perpendicular to the floor, to protect the joint from sliding up and down. Around the sacroiliac joint, there are many strong ligaments. These ligaments act like tape, layer by layer, firmly bonding the sacrum and iliac bones together. Thanks to these ligaments, the sacroiliac joint maintains a high level of stability. But because the sacroiliac joint focuses its abilities on stability, its range of movement is not as flexible as that of the knee or shoulder joints. However, this does not mean the sacroiliac joint should be immobile. In fact, when walking, running, or climbing stairs, the sacroiliac joint performs subtle movements to transfer force from the upper to the lower body. It not only serves the function of transferring force and providing cushioning, but also, appropriate movement of the sacroiliac joint can promote the health of surrounding muscles and fascia. And the blood circulation within the ligaments. The last bit of information about the sacroiliac joint is that no single muscle can control its movement by itself. The movement of the sacroiliac joint greatly depends on the coordination of the surrounding muscles. When muscles are too tight or too weak, it decreases their flexibility, which can lead to the sacroiliac joint getting stuck. This can cause the pressure to build up in the ligaments around the buttocks, resulting in symptoms of lower back and buttock pain. After understanding the basic structure of the sacroiliac joint, the next question is, which muscles influence the function of the sacroiliac joint? First, there are the gluteus maximus and the transverse abdominis. When these two muscles contract When these two muscles contract Places direct pressure on the sacroiliac joints Provides dynamic stabilizing power Research has shown that the function of the gluteus maximus affects both the buttocks and the pressure distribution in the sacroiliac joint. Moreover, in patients with sacroiliac joint pain, it is often found that the gluteus maximus has delayed contraction. Therefore, maintaining the normal function of the gluteus maximus and the transverse abdominis is the first crucial step for the health of the sacroiliac joint. Next, there is the multifidus muscle on the posterior side of the lumbar spine above the sacroiliac joint. When the multifidus muscle contracts, it can indirectly cause the sacrum to perform a nodding-like movement. The multifidus muscle not only stabilizes the lumbar spine but also stabilizes the sacroiliac joint. Then, there are the hip adductors and the hip abductor muscle groups around the pelvis. Because pelvic stability directly affects the sacroiliac joint.
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If the strength of adduction and abduction is unbalanced, the pelvis can easily become misaligned. Misalignment can easily cause the sacroiliac joint to be under incorrect pressure for a long time. Finally, muscles like the piriformis, latissimus dorsi, erector spinae, and quadratus lumborum, etc., all need to maintain good elasticity. This ensures that the sacroiliac joint doesn't get stuck. Therefore, the sacroiliac joint is like a guitar string; it needs to be carefully tuned to have just the right amount of elasticity. It needs to move but not too much. So, what behaviors might cause the sacroiliac joint to get stuck or displaced? Firstly, sitting or standing askew for a long time can cause the pelvis to be misaligned for extended periods. This might result in an appearance of having one leg longer than the other. The ligaments on the sacroiliac joint Being pulled continuously by the tilted pelvis causing sacroiliac joint pain Next is overuse Like running a marathon or climbing a mountain Or take a long bike ride If you don't have enough muscle strength There is also no stretching after exercise due to muscle strength imbalance And let the sacroiliac joint get stuck Then there is the over-reliance on the dominant hand For example, always using the same hand to carry heavy objects Or carry a shoulder bag without changing sides Remember the strength of the upper and lower body It's mainly concentrated on the sacroiliac joint. These uneven forces will gradually accumulate on the sacroiliac joints Uneven pressure on both sides will place additional burden on the sacroiliac joints In addition to living habits Falling is another common cause. Accidentally falling and sitting on the ground can easily cause direct displacement of the sacroiliac joint. So, if you start experiencing back pain after a fall, it's advisable to get it checked at a rehabilitation center to see if the sacroiliac joint is injured. The last one is pregnancy. During pregnancy, due to hormonal changes, the body's ligaments become more relaxed, especially those around the pelvis. Added to the weight of the fetus, the sacroiliac joint faces the dual challenge of relaxed ligaments and fetal pressure. This is also a major reason why many mothers experience back and buttock pain during pregnancy. Next, I will share with you how you can mobilize your sacroiliac joint. And teach you how to improve the control of the surrounding muscles to enhance the stability of the sacroiliac joint. Figure-Four Stretch Start by lying down, with knees slightly bent. Position your legs in a figure-four, placing the outer ankle on the outside of the knee. Use both hands to support the lower leg of the bottom foot. If you can't reach your lower leg, grabbing the thigh is fine. Be mindful during this movement, when lifting the thigh, try to extend your buttocks downwards, and don't lift too high. Otherwise, it will put too much pressure on the lumbar spine. Align the knee of the lower leg with the shoulder on the same side, keeping the pelvis straight. Inhale and hold, exhale and extend your buttocks towards the floor. Don't shrug your shoulders. This movement can stretch the piriformis as well as the surrounding deep gluteal muscles. If you have lower back or buttock pain, and you walk with a bit of an outward foot flare, you should stretch more often with this movement. Switch sides after 30 seconds. Latissimus Dorsi Stretch On all fours, pass your right hand between your left hand and left knee, then twist your thoracic spine to the left. It's okay for the left elbow to be on the ground or slightly bent. In this position, you should feel tightness on the right side of your back or under your armpit. If you don't feel it in your back, it means you are not pushing your right hand far enough. Inhale into your back. Exhale and continue to extend your hand forward. Breathe three times and return. Then push your hand upward, initiating a twist in the thoracic spine. Sit back on your heels. It's okay if the left elbow is on the ground or slightly bent. This primarily stretches the lower part of the back. In this position, you should feel tightness in the right side of your back. Finally, push your hand towards the lower left, again twisting the thoracic spine. In this movement, we mainly stretch the upper part of the back. In this position, you should feel tightness in the upper right side of your back. After stretching the upper, middle, and lower parts, switch sides. One set consists of both the left and right sides. Do 3 sets a day. When performing these movements, be sure to coordinate with your breathing. When inhaling, feel the space in your back expand. When exhaling, allow the back muscles to tighten further. This will allow the latissimus dorsi to be stretched more effectively. Baby Pose with a Twist On all fours, bring your navel towards your chest, and your tailbone towards the floor. This is a posterior pelvic tilt motion. Push your body back, until your tailbone touches your heels. Then extend your hands forward, feeling tightness in your lower back. Inhale, trying to inhale into the back. Exhale and expand your belly towards the back. Inhale and exhale, continue for 30 seconds. This movement, in addition to mobilizing the sacroiliac joint, also allows the sacrum to nod backwards. Mobilize the stiff lumbar spine. Then, keep the baby pose as is, slowly crawl your hands to the opposite side. Sit your buttocks down towards the heel on the hand’s opposite side. Feel the tightness on the side of your waist. Hold for 30 seconds. This movement stretches the quadratus lumborum. Inhale to expand the back, exhale and extend your buttocks towards the heel. Switch sides after 30 seconds. Complete all three directions for one set. Do 3 sets a day. Gluteus Maximus and Sacroiliac Joint Start by lying down, with legs bent at 45 degrees. Place your feet directly under your hip joints, with both feet on the ground. Tighten your buttocks and then lift them up. Then lift one leg up. The hand opposite the grounded foot can press against the floor. This activates the posterior myofascial rotational kinetic chain, helping to stabilize the sacroiliac joint. Then, slowly bring the lifted foot towards the floor, approaching the buttocks of the foot on the ground, while lifting it up, like a seesaw, up and down. One up, one down. Throughout the process, try to keep both sides of the pelvis parallel, avoiding one side being higher than the other. At this point, you will feel the buttocks of the grounded foot very sore, which is normal. Do 12 reps, then switch sides. Do 3 sets a day. If you feel that the control of one buttock is very weak, Or if you can't push up the buttocks at all, it indicates a problem with the strength of the gluteus maximus on that side. In that case, you need to train that side more. Be mindful during this movement, not to arch your back when lifting the hips. Imagine expanding your abdomen 360 degrees, bringing your ribs closer to your pelvis, and avoid flaring your ribs. This will effectively engage the gluteal muscles. Sacroiliac Joint Side-to-Side Movement Place your feet on the wall at a 90-degree angle, and place a roller between your thighs. Lift the tailbone towards the knees, but keep the lumbar spine flat on the floor. Then move one knee towards the ceiling, letting the knee drive the pelvis, while the other knee moves towards the floor. One up, one down. Avoid turning your body too much. After 3 seconds, move in the opposite direction. Completing both sides counts as one rep. Do 12 reps per set. Perform 3 sets a day. Hip Adductor and Abductor Training Start by training the abductor muscles. Lie on your side with the bottom hand supporting your head. Place the top hand on the upper edge of the pelvis. Keep your body from leaning to the sides. Bend the leg on the floor forward, and straighten the top leg. Feel the lateral core expanding outward. Use the top hand to stabilize the pelvis towards the heel. Then, lift the entire leg to about a 30-degree angle. Hold for 3 seconds. Then slowly lower it. Do 12 reps per set. Perform 3 sets a day. At this time, try to feel the muscles in your buttocks working. Be mindful not to let the pelvis move upwards. Keep the pelvis firmly in place. Next, straighten the bottom leg, and bend the top leg forward to train the adductor muscles. Training the adductor group. Expand the anterior core outward. Lift the lower leg towards the ceiling, and hold for 3 seconds. Be cautious during the movement, not to tilt the pelvis backwards. Then slowly lower it. Do 12 reps per set. Perform 3 sets a day. This video shows you that recurring back pain may not always be from the back, but could be a sacroiliac issue. The solution to this problem lies in maintaining the flexibility of the muscles around the sacroiliac joint. And stability It's like tuning We find that balance between loose and tight It can make those recurring back pain and butt pain disappear In this fast-paced life We often accidentally ignore Weak signals from our body Until these signals are amplified enough that you can't ignore them you will notice it So I noticed a slight pain in my body. And when it hurts there Pay more attention This could be our body asking for help. Then I hope my video It can help you understand your body better and better If you think the video is helpful to you Don’t forget to share it for me This is of great help to me Then we'll see you in the next video. Goodbye.
