Road to SI Joint Strengthening

I booked myself into the physiotherapist for a check-up.

After Peaks & Trails, I noticed that my hip was sore.  Putting it down to training load I didn’t think it was anything too serious. In peak training mode and prepping for my next event at Surf Coast Century, I decided if things didn’t improve I would visit my physio.

The week after Surf Coast we went on holiday.  Holidays soon came and went, and my hip was still sore.  Some days were better than others, it would all depend on what type of activity I had done the day prior.

Some days it was a dull ache, and other times the pain would be more intense. It was more so waking up in the middle of the night and trying to get out of bed where the pain would be at its highest.

As I deemed it was a non-urgent issue (just annoying), I was placed on the waiting list to see the physio.

In the meantime I backed off on my weights and HIIT exercises, as I found these aggravated it the most, and made a list of what and where the pain was.

My symptoms

• Pain in my hip/coccyx area
• Pain in my bum cheek
• Pain when sitting for long periods
• Pain when rolling over in bed
• Pain while doing exercises like cobra, cat/cow pose, burpees
• Tightness when doing anything that involved bending at the hips.

Appointment day arrived, and I spoke with my physio about my issues.  I figured I would rather get this niggle sorted out now than ignore it and end up with another injury.

She got me to do some simple exercises, and then she did some muscle testing.

The good news it wasn’t bursitis or tendonitis. These were ruled out as my pain was sporadic and not all the time.

What I do have is inflammation of the Sacroiliac Joint aka SI Joint.

Basically where the hip meets the spine on my left side was not function the way that it should.  It was inflamed and I had lost flexibility.

The cause of it is unknown, but unfortunately, it’s more common in women.

Knowing that it had a name meant I could work on strengthening and improving the mobility of the SI Joint.

My treatment on the day was muscle manipulation, dry needling, and single-leg squats.

By the end of the session, I was armed with a new app called PhysiApp, with a custom workout created by my physio that I could access on my phone.

One thing is for sure I will have a love-hate relationship with some of the exercises she has me doing.

• Resisted clam shells
• Dynamic gluteal active with a balance ball
• Resisted hip extension (scooter squat)

These are just some of the exercises to help improve the mobility of the SI joint.

In a few week’s time, I will go back to visit her for reassessment.

Injury prevention is key, which is why I decided to seek early intervention before obtaining another injury.

I will keep you posted on how things progress.