If you’re looking for fast, safe treatment for lower back pain, Kosak Chiropractic in Fairfield is here to help. Our expert professionals offer services for whole-body health and can assist with patients’ preventive care, as well as easing symptoms and correcting misalignments. One of the common causes of lower back pain that the public may have less awareness of is sacroiliitis, so this week we want to help shed light on it and how it's best avoided.
The sacrum is a structure made up of fused vertebrae at the base of the spine. It connects to the parts of the pelvis called the iliac crests, with one joint on each side. The sacroiliac joints are shock absorbers but they usually do not move very much, outside of pregnancy. They are held in place by strong ligaments, and deep muscles between the lumbar vertebrae and upper leg pass by them. Prolonged stress on these tissues could contribute to swelling in this area, as could arthritis, and during childbirth, the ligaments supporting the sacroiliac joints weaken and may have difficulty regaining strength. Pain in the sacroiliac joints may radiate to the thighs, and tends to be worse after a long period of standing or of putting pressure on the joint through activities such as climbing stairs. Sacroiliitis is likelier than other forms of lower back pain to only cause pain on one side, and it may result in the sacroiliac joint being too mobile or too rigid.
Diagnosing sacroiliitis is done through a combination of tactile testing and elimination of other potential causes of pain. If the problem is that the joints aren’t mobile enough, chiropractic adjustments may be helpful. If they are too mobile, the patient will need to engage in strengthening exercises that target the deep pelvic muscles. We can also provide treatments to reduce inflammation including hot and cold therapy, therapeutic massage, and electric muscle stimulation. Some patients also find it helpful to temporarily wear a supportive brace when not doing physical therapy. Moving forward, patients will be advised to put more emphasis on work-outs such as swimming and use of a stationary bicycle that won’t put as much force on their lower back joints.
Kosak Chiropractic is located at 1252 Travis Blvd., Suite G, Fairfield, CA, 94533. To schedule an appointment, visit Kosak Chiropractic online or call 707-426-1111.