How to Treat a SI Joint & a Bulging Disk
Lower back pain can be a detrimental diagnosis for any man or woman, regardless of activity level. The sacroiliac joint is part of your lower back. It is made up of the sacrum, which is above your tailbone and below your lower vertebrae, and the top part (iliac) of your pelvis. When your pain involves both the sacroiliac joint as well as bulging discs within the spinal column, immediate steps need to be taken. The pain can bring you to your knees and prevent you from both work and play. If not treated properly, by certified therapists, this pain can quickly switch from acute to chronic.
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Things You'll Need
- Frozen gel pack; bag of frozen vegetables; or bag of crushed ice
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine (non-prescription)
- Anti-inflammatory or muscle relaxants (use only as prescribed)
Instructions
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Sacroiliac Pain
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Treat the area with ice for the first two or three days, in 20-30 minute bouts every 4-6 hours. Use a bag of frozen vegetables, a zippered plastic bag full of ice, or a frozen gel pack to apply both cold and compression to the afflicted area.
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See your general physician about the pain. Your physician might prescribe some anti-inflammatory medication or muscle relaxant; or advise you to purchase some over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication from your local drug store.
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Visit a physical therapist if the pain persists. The therapist will prescribe exercises to help balance out your SI joint, or even have a certified massage therapist to work on the afflicted joint and lower back in general.
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Return to your daily activities and athletics when the therapist says you're ready to do so. Failure to heed any information that your health care provider gives might result in setbacks, which can place you back to where you began, if not further behind in your rehabilitation.
Bulging Disc
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Manage your pain initially with ice or heat, as well as ultrasound, electric stimulation and even massage therapy. The last three modalities should be performed by a licensed physical therapist or massage therapist and should not be self-administered.
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Perform specific exercises, as prescribed by your physical therapist. According to Doug Wallace, a physical therapist and athletic trainer at Richard Stockton College, "The treatment focus is on centralizing the bulging nucleus back into the disc..." as well as "specific exercises to assist in centralizing the disc... Together with a calculated stretching regimen, postural management, and core trunk strengthening and stabilization exercises..."
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Continue playing sports or activities per your therapist's recommendation. Wallace mentions that the pain might subside, due to "the stretching of the soft tissue and interruption of the pain/spasm cycle." You will need to treat the problem, or the issue will get worse and symptoms will eventually become disabling.
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Tips & Warnings
Always follow your physical therapist's directions, with regards to rest, ice, heat and exercise. They are training professionals who have a license to treat and return individuals with afflictions back to activities of daily living.
