Chiropractic Healing Works

Chiropractic Healing Works

3 Physical Therapy Exercises To Reduce Sacroiliac Hypermobility

by Charlie Berry

If you have problems with hypermobile sacroiliac (SI) joints, your doctor may suggest physical therapy as a method of reducing pain and improving functioning. There are several types of exercises that can help reduce excessive motion in the SI joints.

Walking

Although it sounds and feels counterintuitive, walking is an important part of rehabilitating your SI joints. Many people with SI joint pain sit down most of the day and try to avoid aggravating their joints by limiting the amount of walking they do. Start with six minutes of continuous walking each day, five days per week. Incorporate two rest days into the week without having your rest days back to back. Every two weeks, increase the amount of walking you do by two minutes until you can walk for 30 minutes continuously. When you are walking, try to maintain good posture and engage your core muscles.

Pelvic Tilt

The goal of pelvic tilts is to increase strength in your lower abdominal and buttocks area. When you perform the exercise, make sure you are squeezing your lower abdominal and buttocks muscles as much as you can, while lifting your pelvis. Start by performing five pelvic tilts twice per day and increase the amount each week as you feel comfortable. To add complexity to your pelvic tilts, try performing them with an exercise band around your knees. Pull your knees apart to feel the resistance from the bands, then lift your pelvis upward. Another way to make this exercise more challenging is to place a ball between your knees. Squeeze the ball with your knees as you tilt your pelvis upward. Not only are you engaging more muscles, but this exercise requires significant coordination between muscle groups.

Use A Backless Chair

This may not sound like an exercise, but sitting in a backless chair will help strengthen the core muscles responsible for maintaining the stability of your SI joints. When you have SI joint pain, you may notice you lean backward or forwards to minimize the direct pressure on your pelvis. You do not have to sit in a backless chair all day, but five to 10 minutes at a time will help. If you do not have an appropriate chair, just be cognizant about your posture while you are sitting. Sit upright without using the back of the chair for support. Squeeze your abdominal muscles to provide support. Try to set up a schedule, such as actively sitting upright for five minutes at the top of each hour throughout your work day. Over time engaging your abdominal muscles while sitting will become more intuitive.

Dealing with SI joint hypermobility can make basic tasks, such as sitting and walking, difficult. Utilizing physical therapy exercises can reduce pain and improve day-to-day functioning.


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About Me

Chiropractic Healing Works

I used to be skeptical about chiropractic healing. However, that was before I tried it for myself. I was in an accident that did serious damage to my back. I followed all of the doctor’s recommendations, did my physical therapy, and still didn’t feel any better. That was when I finally decided to try going to my friend’s chiropractor. It was such a relief when I finally started to feel better thanks to the great chiropractic care I received. That’s when I decided to start researching chiropractic care and how it could be used to treat different conditions. This blog contains the results of that research. If you’re looking for a way to feel better, you too may benefit from chiropractic healing. These articles will help you learn how.

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