Strengthening the SI Joint

Discover effective exercises to strengthen your SI joint, enhance stability, and reduce discomfort. Perfect for daily routines!

The SI joint, or sacroiliac joint, plays a crucial role in connecting your spine to your pelvis. It’s responsible for transferring loads from your upper body to your lower body, which means it’s constantly under stress. When this joint isn’t stable, you may experience pain and discomfort in your lower back, hips, or even down your legs. This week, we’re focusing on exercises that can help strengthen the muscles around the SI joint to enhance stability and reduce pain.

Understanding the SI Joint’s Role:

The SI joint is a key player in your body’s kinetic chain, meaning it helps transfer energy through your body during movement. What happens above and below this joint can significantly impact its health. For instance, tightness or weakness in your lower back, hips, or core can pull the SI joint out of alignment, leading to pain or tenderness.

It’s important to address these imbalances to stabilize the SI joint. Before you dive into untwisting or corrective exercises, you need to work on "unlocking" the joint and ensuring it's properly aligned. If you’re unsure whether your SI joint is stable, consider seeking guidance from a physical therapist or through 1:1 coaching.

Core Exercises for SI Joint Stability:

Strengthening the muscles that support the SI joint, particularly the core, glutes, and pelvic floor, can make a significant difference in your overall stability. Here are some key exercises to incorporate into your routine:

1. Deep Breathing:

Why it works: Deep, quality 360 Breathing targets the Transverse Abs (TAs), obliques, and rectus (six pack) equally. As well as helping relax and strengthen the pelvic floor. By targeting the core in this way, it provides more stability at the SI Joint and therefore helps release tenssion elsewhere. Esentially, creating stability in the right areas, frees others from “locking” down.

How to do it: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. As you inhale, think about filling your pelvis and rib cage with air. Your back, sides, and front as well as the pelvis should all fill evenly. Then on your exhale, start by lifting the pelvic floor, follow it with the tightening of the core and finally, by exhaling the ribs back in space. [Watch]

2. Dead Bugs

Why it works: Dead bugs are excellent for engaging the deep core muscles, which help stabilize the spine and pelvis.

How to do it: There are a lot of progressions for this exercises, but a great place to start is by lying on your back with your feet bent and on the floor. Then take a full deep breath and full exhale, finding the core and pelvis stability. Then hold tension there. With each exhale slowly slide one heel out on the floor until the leg is extended. Contiue the exhale as you bring the leg back to center. Inhale and switch legs. Here are some other versions to try. [Watch]

3. Bird Dogs:

Why it works: Bird dogs work on core stability and balance, engaging both the abdominal muscles and the lower back.

How to do it: Start on all fours with your wrists under your shoulders and knees under your hips. Extend one arm forward and the opposite leg back, keeping your core engaged. Return to the starting position and switch sides. Feel free to start with just the arm or the leg, instead of together if you cannot keep from shifting too much. [Watch]

Mobility Work for the SI Joint:

In addition to strengthening exercises, maintaining mobility in the hips and lower back is crucial for preventing stiffness that can exacerbate SI joint pain. Here are a couple of stretches to add to your routine:

1. Hip Shift:

How to do it: Kneel on one knee with the other knee placed on a yoga block or stack of books. Slowly lift the knee that is not on the block toward the ceiling. Thinking about lifting that knee straight up into the hip socket. Do not let your body shift. This movement is truly just the thigh lifting up and down. If you squeeze something like a foam roller between your knees, the goal would be to roll it straight up and down. [Watch]

2. Ball Release:

How to do it: You can sit on a trigger point (or lacrosse ball), shifting your glute (butt) muscle out of the way. Place the ball between your sit bone and the sensitive bits. Relax and breathe. This is best on a harder chair. Also, place the ball between a wall and your back. Roll up, down, side to side, all around. Holding on trigger spots to breathe and let go.

Considerations for Pregnancy and Postpartum:

During pregnancy, your body undergoes significant changes that can impact the SI joint. The hormone relaxin causes your ligaments to become more elastic, which can lead to increased instability in the pelvis. Additionally, the added weight and altered center of gravity can place extra stress on the SI joint.

Postpartum, your body is still adjusting, and the SI joint may continue to be a source of discomfort. It’s crucial to strengthen your core and pelvic floor muscles during this time to regain stability and support your SI joint.

Weekly Focus:

As you incorporate these exercises into your routine, remember that consistency is key. Regular practice will help you see improvements in your SI joint stability, reducing pain and discomfort over time. If you’re pregnant or recently postpartum, pay extra attention to the changes in your body and adjust the exercises as needed.

Live Confidently,

Jen

Categories: : Deep Core, Exercises, Pelvic Floor, SI Joint