Three exercises for SI Joint Pain
The SI joints are the sacroiliac joints are the junction between the pelvis and the lowest part of the spine. That makes them really important. They’re the junction between the upper body and the lower body. In every case where we have a client who comes into the clinic with SI joint pain the spine and the hip and pelvic girdle are out of position. These three exercises are designed to put them back. Now before we start a few ground rules first these exercises are not designed to be medical advice; it’s always a great idea to consult a medical professional to ensure you don’t have an issue that requires medical attention. Second, pay close attention to the instructions that we give you for each exercise proper form is critical to getting the most benefit out of each exercise, and finally if any of the exercises cause pain stop doing that exercise and move on to the next one.
This exercise is the flexion abdominal position – you’re going to lie on your back with your hips about six inches from the wall, feet on the wall about six inches apart pointing straight up the wall so your knees are gonna be closer towards your head than your hips.
We’re gonna be putting you into some reasonably deep hip flexion. You’re gonna take a six-inch pillow so maybe a bed pillow folded in half and put it between your knees and hold it with medium and constant pressure. You’re gonna be relaxing your upper body, relaxing your stomach muscles and just allow yourself to feel how you engage with the floor. Does the right side and left side feel like they’re even into the floor? You’re gonna feel that you want to let go of the tension on the pillow. Hold the tension on the pillow – keep it constant you’re not straining into the pillow but again medium and constant pressure. Keep your feet even into the wall. I want you to feel a little bit of big toe pressure into the wall.
You’re going to hold this for four minutes, after the four minutes we’re gonna do some pullovers. What you’re gonna do is you’re gonna extend your arms straight up towards the ceiling. You’re gonna interlace your hands and together keep your elbows nice and straight. Keep your shoulders tucked down towards the floor. From that position you’re gonna bring your arms slowly back over your head keeping your elbows perfectly straight. Do not let your elbows bend – if your elbows bend you’re not doing the exercise right. After coming back up to your starting position, you’re gonna do 30 of those.
This exercise is abduction abduction you’re gonna lie on the floor feet on the wall knees bent at 90 degrees. Feet should be about six inches apart and pointing straight up the wall. Arms are about 45 degrees out from your body. Shoulders relaxed, palms up. What you’re now gonna do is take your knees apart from each other, rolling up on the outside edge of your feet but keepingthe feet pointing straight now. You’re going to bring the knees back together so that they lightly touch. You don’t have to press them into each other just touch them – simple motion in and out, but one of the easy ways that people mess this exercise up is they’ll allow the feet to shift on the wall. You don’t want to do that as you go in and out. You can roll up on the inside and outside edge as you do it but keep those feet pointing straight up the wall. I want you to do these thirty times in and out.
This next exercise, air bench, you’re gonna get up on a wall and you’re going to sit in a chair that’s not there. I don’t want you in 90 degrees, what I want is you to get your hips and back on the wall. You’re gonna get your feet about six inches apart and again pointing really straight and you’ve got to get your feet out far enough away from the wall where your ankles are a little bit out in front of your knees. Then I want you to come down the wall until your hips are a little bit above your knees so we don’t have you at 90 degrees. We have you at about a hundred and five degrees now. You are going to roll your pelvis under to really flatten your low back into the wall. That’s a key component of this exercise. I don’t want you to have an arch in your low back. I want you to flatten your low back. You are going to shift a little bit of the weight back into your heels. I want you to feel like you’re driving your low back into the wall from your heels. Keep your shoulders relaxed you don’t have to push your head back into the wall – that way your head stays relaxed. If it feels fine being on the wall that’s great, if it is relaxed a little bit off the wall that’s fine too. I want you to hold this for one minute and build up to holding it for two minutes. Now when it’s time to get out of the air bench the easiest way to do that is lean forward off the wall, put your hands back on the wall and just push and stand right up out of it.