Sacroiliac Pain and EDS/HSD

As we know, EDS and hypermobility can affect every single joint in your body, including your SI joints (sacroiliac). There are two SI joints, one on the left of your pelvis and one on your right. Both of these connect the bottom of your spine (the sacrum) to your pelvis (the hips).

If these joints become unstable (which they often do with EDS/HSD), this can cause a cascade of misalignments, in turn causing pain, most often in the lower back and legs. This then can cause SI joint dysfunction. Today it is estimated that the sacroiliac joint is responsible for 15% to 30% of lower back pain cases for non EDS patients, so just think of the effect on EDS/HSD patients.

Symptoms of SIJ dysfunction include low back pain that feels dull or achy, and that ranges from mild to severe. The low back pain will typically be felt only on one side, but in some cases can be felt on both sides. In addition, pain that radiates to the hips, buttocks, and/or groin. One of the most frequent areas to feel SI joint pain is in the buttocks, upper back, or side of the thigh. In addition, patients have reported stiffness, instability, and sciatica-like pain.

The ligaments in your SI are some of the strongest ligaments and act as shock absorbers between your bones, but in hypermobility, these ligaments are a bit more loose, which allows the surrounding joints move more, causing them to hurt. The sacroiliac joint is typically supposed to have little motion, so excess motion is keen to cause discomfort.

As our Pilates instructor Alice likes to say — Your upper body is basically made up of 3 balancing balls: your pelvis, your rib cage, and your head. If one of them is out of alignment, there is no way to achieve a comfortable posture. This is a good trick to make sure that you are not putting any extra pressure on your SI joints.

SI pain can definitely be debilitating, but with the proper diagnosis and physical therapy treatment plan it can be subdued and even prevented. Click the link in our bio to contact us.

Be sure to consult with your primary care physician or other medical professionals in regards to your medical concerns. This text cannot and should not replace advice from the patient's healthcare professionals. Any person who experiences symptoms or feels that something may be wrong should seek individual professional help for evaluation and/or treatment. This information is for guidance only.