“How do you loosen the sacroiliac joint?”
I am a 34 year old female. I want to know how do you loosen the sacroiliac joint?
7 Answers
Ice and stretching and go to your chiropractor!!!!! Muscles have memory and may need to stretch to change!
Work activating glute muscles (butt muscles). If your sacrum is not mobile it is typically locked because of excessive curve in the lumbar spine. Just like a bicep and tricep- if I flex my bicep completely then the tricep is forced to relax. Your spinal extensors are tightened to protect something usually due to pain. This is shutting down your actual stabilizing muscles- the glutes.
The best way to loosen up your sacroiliac joint is by focusing on stretching the muscles of your pelvis, hips and lower extremity (typically muscles of the thigh).
You don't want to. You can stretch associated musculature, but 'loosen' the SI joint is not recommended. It is a joint that is meant for stability, not flexibility.
In general SI problems either involve excess motion that requires stabilization fixation or fixation at an extreme of their limited motion. I use a gentle procedure using wedges placed strategically under a prone or supine patient. This comes from a technique called SOT. Biomechanical imbalances must be addressed as they may be contributing factors to pelvic dysfunction.
The vertebrae of the spine which includes the SI joint should move in conjunction with each other. If one is moving too little the others adapt and move extra. If you "crack" joints or any other part of the body improperly you will make the problem worse. The cracking may give temporary relief due to the release of endorphins, but that is not beneficial. It is an art to manipulate the joints and individuals who practice manipulation have to be carefully trained. See a professional
I do not recommend loosening the SI joint. They need to be stable but they also need to be aligned properly. I recommend seeing a Chiropractor to assess if the SI joint is already too loose or if it needs to be aligned.
