Francis Berger
  • Blog
  • Work

Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction - Small Part; Big Pain

8/4/2019

6 Comments

 
The injury I suffered while running last Thursday, which was initially diagnosed as a pinched nerve or a herniated disc, has been identified as sacroiliac joint dysfunction. Having suffered a few back problems earlier in my life, I was skeptical of the original diagnosis of the injury the second I heard it. I suspected something else was at play, but I had no idea what this something could be. As bad as pain from a herniated disc or pinched nerve can be, it is nothing compared to the sheer agony of an injured sacroiliac joint, let me tell you. In all honesty, I did not even know this part of the body can be injured, let alone how awfully painful it is when it is injured. Well, here's to new experiences. 

Simply put, sacroiliac joint pain is no fun. I have spent a little over a week recovering, but my convalescence will be a long one. Fortunately, I can walk and stand without too much discomfort, but I have not been able to sit for longer than a minute or two at a time since last Thursday. Suffice it to say, my inability to sit has dampened my enthusiasm for working on the computer (I am standing before my laptop as I write these words). The pain also interferes with my sleep patterns, which has not done wonders for my creativity or thinking. Nevertheless, I am not wallowing in self-pity and I certainly do not desire anyone else's pity. I am in high spirits and am actively working toward escaping from the grips of this unexpected injury. It's only a matter of time. 

One thing I have thought about a great deal is pain. Pain ground you, imprisons you, and forces its perspective upon you. If nothing else, it provides uninvited moments of introspection and contemplation. Needless to say, I have spent a large part of the last week looking inward because I do not believe things simply happen "by chance." I have been poking away at the slight misfortune that has befallen me in an effort to discover its essence and meaning. It has not been easy, but looking inside rarely is.

One obvious realization I have had is that my running days are over. Runs With Rabbits is hanging up his running shoes and exchanging them for a good pair of walking shoes. He will also change his name to Walks With Weasels, or something to that effect. 

In the meantime, all I want for Christmas is to be able to sit at a desk again while I write  (and sit down at a table and eat a meal like a human being, not standing up, like a horse)! Here's hoping the coming days will bring some progress in that department. And if you happen to be experiencing any mild symptoms associated with sacroiliac joint dysfunction, do yourself a favor and get them checked out as soon as possible to avoid suffering through the intense pain I felt last week and the annoying discomfort I have been experiencing since.  
6 Comments
S.K. Orr link
8/4/2019 21:44:20

I do wish you a very speedy recovery, Francis. When an injury blindsides us, it can unsettle many things.

You're wise, I think, to use the pain, as it were, as a vehicle for introspection. Bruce Charlton just posted a response to William Wildblood's excellent post on death, and he made the point that many people today simply want a speedy and final obliteration of pain, period.

Are there acupuncturists near you? I have two friends who have had impressive results with acupuncture, both with severe, chronic pain that remained intractable with the use of painkillers yet showed good improvement with the needles.

Again, speedy recovery, sir. And for the record, I believe my Comanche name is Totters With Turtledoves.

Reply
Francis Berger
8/5/2019 17:27:09

@ S.K - Thanks. I hope my recovery is a speedy one. I will certainly acupuncture if this thing doesn't heal quickly on its own. And I like your Comanche name very much, by the way.

Reply
Bruce Charlton
8/5/2019 12:44:03

I get this from time to time, in a waxing and waning pattern; so 'I know what you mean' - worst was when I had it simultaneously with an acute slipped disc, 2 1/2 years ago. I could barely move a muscle for a couple of days - not fun.

Mine is an HLA B27 kind of thing, associated with (rare) episodes of plantar fasciitis, enthesopathy (tendon sheath inflammation, mainly wrists), very mild psoriasis.

The reason I write, is that I (and others) have found that the best position to adopt to minimise SI joint pain is quite different from that with sciatica.

With SI joint pain it is usually best to lie on one's SIDE, with a PILLOW between the knees.

Sometimes, experiment will help find the best position.

As you probably already know, the pain is usually worst on rising in the morning, easing off through the day, with movement.

Obviously, you could experiment with pain killers (e.g. codeine and similar) - but I have not found that they do much more than take off the edge. NSAIDs and full-dose aspirin are probably better but I can't take them.

Good luck. Probably it will ease off in a few more days, but it will probably come back - sooner or later.

As an autoimmune type thing, it may wax and wane in its own inscrutable cycle; although it may get triggered by jarring, wrenching or stretching the short ligaments that bind the sacrum to the pelvis.

Reply
Francis Berger
8/5/2019 17:41:43

Thanks for that. I am sorry to hear you have had similar problems, Bruce. In the end, I guess this is the price we pay for getting older. Your description of the daily cycle of pain is spot on. I began to notice mild symptoms back in January, which were probably brought on by all the sitting I do at my job (incorrect posture is likely the original cause), but I ignored these symptome (mostly pain in the front of my left thigh) because I thought it was just my sciatica acting up again. I use the summers to try to balance out my inactivity the rest of the year, but the running this summer did far more harm than good. And you are right, this is probably going to be a chronic thing going forward.

In all honesty, I have to start considering (and acting) my age when it comes to physical activity. I am 48, yet I work and exercise like someone in their late 20s. I think it's time to dial it back a few notches before I end up doing myself real harm (all, ironically enough, in the name of trying to do myself some good)!

Reply
Bookslinger
8/5/2019 19:59:23

@Dr. Bruce, Do the S-I joints consist of "lubricated" cartilage like other joints such as fingers, toes, shoulders, elbows, hips, knees? Or is it an entirely different thing?

Reply
bruce charlton
8/5/2019 23:38:30

@books - it is different because it is where the spinal column joins the pelvis and is not meant to move - other than a little bit in women during childbirth; it is like bones 'glued' together with solid ligament.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    RSS Feed

    Blog and Comments

    Blog posts tend to be spontaneous, unpolished, first draft entries ranging from the insightful and periodically profound to the poorly-argued and occasionally disparaging.
     

    Comments are moderated. Anonymous comments are never published (please use your name or a pseudonym). 

    Emails welcome:

    f er en c ber g er (at) h otm   ail (dot) co m
    Blogs/Sites I Read
    Bruce Charlton's Notions
    Meeting the Masters
    From The Narrow Desert
    Synlogos ✞ Aggregator
    New World Island  
    New World Island YouTube
    ​Steeple Tea
    Adam Piggott
    Fourth Gospel Blog
    The Orthosphere
    Junior Ganymede
    ​
    GunnerQ

    Archives

    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    June 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012

    Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.