Yes, breathe a sigh of relief because there is a reason to celebrate the demise of sacroiliac joint pain. We’d like to tell you that there is a relief for this acute form of joint pain.
In this article, we’ll be telling you where you can find relief and go through two or three treatment possibilities. But most of you will want to know what exactly sacroiliac joint pain is.
We’ll explain this too. In this explanation, we’ll also note the typical symptoms of this form of joint pain.
There is sacroiliac joint pain relief
Readily and widely available therapies for sacroiliac joint pain relief do not require surgery nor is it dangerous if treatment is carried out correctly.
Where laymen and homemakers are concerned, the popular and still effective remedy (if the joint pain is not acute or extreme) is the application of heat or ice packs along with lots of welcome rest.
Also non-surgical, chiropractic methods directed at the treatment of joint pain can work too, however, patients are usually first referred by their general practitioners after a first diagnosis is carried out.
Those who care treat and cure you
The homemaker, particularly if she just might be your mother, may well be (or was) the most gifted caregiver on the planet where you are concerned, but she does not have all the necessary medical specialties required to treat acute bouts of sacroiliac joint pain. That’s where the GP comes in.
But in extreme cases, he will be prescribing scheduled visits to specialists, such as the aforementioned chiropractor.
The chiropractor (also known as an osteopath) will then plan the way forward towards full recovery once he has completed his tests and made his prognosis.
What is sacroiliac joint pain?
But long before you seek out medical treatment it will be helpful to know what exactly sacroiliac joint pain is. The earliest and easiest way to define this is by way of practice and experience.
Some of you may have encountered these pains before; it is your lower back that is suddenly quite sore or tender after you’ve just stood up from your chair, particularly after remaining seated for long periods of time.
If indeed it is your sacroiliac joint/s that is giving you pain, you could also define this by using its clinical definition, “sacroiliac joint dysfunction” or by its acronym SI.
What are the symptoms of SI?
The above scenario has already alluded to the pain you are likely to feel in your lower back. There are other symptoms too, of course.
In severe instances, visible inflammation of the joints, known clinically as sacroiliitis, can occur.
In extreme cases, particularly when the pain has become so severe, the symptoms are complex and debilitating.
For instance, pain may stretch to the legs. The pain felt can sometimes be quite sharp, lasting anything from a couple of days to a couple of weeks, if not, more, particularly when not treated.
Most widely used treatments
Time and space do not allow us to describe in full every single treatment possibility, so we’ll be giving you a general overview in the meantime.
There’s more than enough information herein to step up your interest in treating sacroiliac joint pain (or joint dysfunction).
Earlier, we mentioned the use of ice and/or heat. Let’s start with that. We also mention chiropractic treatment and physiotherapy, two important professional treatment options prescribed by doctors.
In the most extreme cases, the door to surgery will always remain open.
First comes ice
Most of you may already know the procedure of icing. Early treatment here begins with ice packs applied over twenty minute periods in order to lessen inflammation in and around the affected areas. Then comes rest.
Also, it depends on how serious the injury or joint pain is; because ice pack treatment can last up to two weeks.
After sufficient rest and the inflammation has been substantially reduced, gradually returning to a normal, active life is cautiously advised.
Applying heat does help but it is advised that heat treatment not is applied when pain is at its most severe.
The use of drugs, prescribed or not
When treating chronic joint pain, the use of prescribed or non-prescribed medicines (drugs) is inevitable, particularly when the sacroiliac joint pain is bad and difficult to endure.
Anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen and naproxen remain popular and do at least bring some relief in general cases.
Chiropractic manipulations
Chiropractic treatment is also clinically and more sturdily referred to as chiropractic manipulations. The treatment here is useful for when joints become ‘stuck’ or if the sacroiliac joint becomes ‘hypermobile’.
Several methods can be used, depending on the patient’s joint position, including treatments with the patient situated on their side and using various instruments.
How serious is the pain, and what follows afterward?
We often simply refer to pain as being minor or pretty severe (or acute) as we’ve done throughout this article.
To finish, we’ll talk about the distinction between the serious and not so serious and how it is approached clinically.
During the course of treatment (after the sacroiliac joint pain is diagnosed) a period of up to ten days is regarded as the acute phase.
If sacroiliac symptoms are not resolved within these ten days and more seriously up to one-eighty days, the treatment process must enter a sub-acute phase.
But when pain endures for more than six months it has entered a chronic phase.
How effective treatment is during the earlier acute phase also relies on the patient and how quickly he responds to the pain, from coming to terms with it and then seeking medical treatment, particularly if the pain is severe and ongoing.
So the next time you feel such a pain, do not panic or procrastinate.
After breathing a sigh of relief, because, yes, treatment is available for sacroiliac joint pain or SI, take action, whether getting your ice pack ready, putting your feet up or going straight to your doctor.
Resources:
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/96054-treatment
http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/sacroiliac-joint-dysfunction/treatment-options-sacroiliac-joint-dysfunction
