Mr. Rick came to us after having pain in his back for around 8 years! Rick had a back surgery about 6 years ago in an attempt to alleviate the pain that he had been feeling in his back, but after 2 years after the surgery, the pain came back!
Mr. Rick couldn’t drive long distances, sleep, or play with his grandkids without his lower back acting up. He came into our office after finding us online and felt a difference in our clinic.
He told us that everyone was jovial and friendly and the office had a cozy feel to it. After the first few visits, we diagnosed him with SI joint dysfunction, something that we’ve touched on before.
We used our techniques such as dry needling, laser therapy and soft tissue massage to heal his damaged muscle, but it wasn’t until we used PRP Therapy on Mr. Rick that he felt permanent improvement.
HOW CAN YOU TELL IF YOU HAVE SI JOINT DYSFUNCTION?
Dr. Johnston recommends three ways to diagnose SI joint dysfunction at home. SI joint dysfunction is extremely difficult to treat without treatments such as dry needling or trigger point injections, due to it’s location.
1) PALPATING THE AREA
The SI joint lies in the lower back region, on equal and opposite sides of the back. Normally, SI joint pain is centered on the two dimples in the lower back above the buttock, but sometimes the pain radiates up or down to the mid back or buttock.
A great diagnosis you can do at home is finding the SI joint and pressing your fingers on them. If you’re able to replicate the pain in that way, you might have SI joint dysfunction!
2) PAIN ABOVE AND BELOW THE LOWER BACK
Although pain is focused in those dimpled areas of the back, pain traveling above it to the mid back and lower to the buttocks or hips can be a sign of SI joint dysfunction.
3) LIFESTYLE
If you sit down or drive for most of your day, SI joint dysfunction can definitely be the cause of your lower back pain. Pregnant or recently-pregnant mothers are often diagnosed with SI joint dysfunction as well.
If you have one or more of these signs of SI joint pain, give us a call so we can make you better so that Rick’s story can be YOUR story!