SI pain

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hello
Back in May, while practising the Gate pose, I forced my left leg to straighten (very very stupid I know). It took me 2 weeks to recover (I was limping). I?ve always felt a tingliness / numbness on my left calf while practising Downward dog but since this incident in May, my calf has been tight most of the day. I had massage done and the therapist told me my muscles had gone into spasm. I felt much better afterwards but because the tightness was not completely gone, and had great difficulty in forward bends, I decided to see a physio who also teaches yoga.
She told me that I have an upslip pelvis (sacroiliac joint) and it is pulling my leg upwards. Also my pelvis was twisted and I have mild scoliosis. She corrected my pelvis although it seems that the scoliosis won?t get much better but a week and a half later I am still in great pain. When I saw the physio I only had tightness on my calf. No back pain although I?ve had back pain in the past. My lower back is really sore, it is very painful to sit, my hips and pelvis are sore too. The tightness on my calf is not gone and my left knee cracks a lot, so does my right hip. I am confused and so is my physio as she is not sure if this is a nerve, muscle or disc problem.
Is it possible to have sacroiliac joint problems but not experiencing lower back pain? When the pelvis is aligned by the physio how long does it roughly take to recover? Since the physio is not 100% sure of the root of the problem, should I ask for a scan?
Please help, this is really affecting me.
Many thanks

Maria

#2

Hello smskar,

Your story is a bit confusing as to symptoms, dates and diagnosis. It does seem that you have been in pain for over 6 months and the pain is not going away on its own. It would therefore be wise to consult your medical doctor to get a proper diagnosis. This may or may not include a scan, depending on your doctor. Depending on the diagnosis, you can jointly decide on treatment options, which could be by an osteopath, chiropractor, physiotherapist or yoga therapist.

#3

Hello Maria.

Bear in mind we do not offer medical advice here and our feedback should not be misconstrued for it.

Some people are served positively by diagnosis while for others it places negative thoughts in their consciousness which ultimately interfere with, rather than facilitate, healing. This would have to be something you determine (or already know) about your self. If a “knowing” is something that allows you to focus and address without any sliver of worry or concern - have it.

I am not familiar with procedures executed by physio or physical therapists which align the pelvis. Such a thing takes a systematic effort over time - just as the dysfunction was manifested over time.

If you were manually manipulated that can cause trauma and I’ve no way to determine your recovery period from such a thing.

Forwards bends are not a sound idea when the student has a history of lower back pain and/or a present or emerging SI issue.

Tingling and numbness tend to indicate issues with circulation. While not always the issue it can originate in the spine, be caused by a subluxated vertebra, which in turn places pressure on the nerves innervating the lower extremities. This would have to be explored by a yoga therapist in person. You would have to be assessed and then a protocol would be developed to direct you toward healing. That protocol should include asana, gentle pranayama, meditation, and nutrition.

gordon

#4

Thank you both for your comments.

Here is a summary of my symptoms:

May: over stretched left leg, limping for 2 weeks. Physio (1): hyperextending knees - strengthen quads
Calf was tight on and off, unable to bend forward.

Sept: did my back while lifting a heavy object above head level. Lower and upper back pain, calf extremely tight throughout the day. Massage therapist said muscles had gone into spasm. Relief when muscles were stripped but massage didn’t clear the problem.

Oct: Calf still tight, physio (2): don’t worry about it

Dec: calf still tight but only when doing forward bends (not throughout the day). Physio (3): upslip ilium, twisted pelvis, mild scoliosis

I had an appointment with my GP today and he referred me to a physio (the 4th one).

Thanks,

Maria

#5

Hello Maria,

Thank you for the extra information, it is becoming more clear now. It looks like you are seeking relief from a tight and painful calf (gate pose accident) and back pain (aggravated by physiotherapist number 3).

You are not telling us if your GP ruled out the possibility that the origin of both of your problems is in your lower back (e.g. slipped disc). Is your mild scoliosis in your lower back? Don’t worry too much about the “scoliosis label”, I have yet to see someone with a perfectly symmetrical back!

You have no idea how difficult it can be to give proper advise on the internet. If you were my yoga student, we would do a yoga therapy assessment and take it from there. You would be doing an individual yoga program at least 3 -4 times per week. It would be aimed at pain reduction first. Then we would work on increasing strength and/or flexibility in certain muscles to find more symmetry in your body. Generally you would find relief in 6 - 8 weeks (2 - 3 visits). Otherwise I would refer you on.

If you were in my town, I would refer you to a friend of mine, who is both osteopath and physiotherapist. The good thing about osteopathy is that it has a good system for diagnosis and treatment. And the frequency of treatments is generally low. I personally have much more confidence in an osteopath than in a physiotherapist when it comes to adjustments.

I don’t want to discourage you from seeing physiotherapist number 4. However, if you find his/her approach unsatisfactory, you may want to look for alternatives (“If you do what you always do, you will get what you always get”.)

You can find a yoga therapist in Scotland who graduated from the Biomedical Trust in London. They combine a medical type of assessment with yoga treatment.

Best wishes for your recovery.

#6

[QUOTE=Willem;26468]Hello Maria,

Thank you for the extra information, it is becoming more clear now. It looks like you are seeking relief from a tight and painful calf (gate pose accident) and back pain (aggravated by physiotherapist number 3).

You are not telling us if your GP ruled out the possibility that the origin of both of your problems is in your lower back (e.g. slipped disc). Is your mild scoliosis in your lower back? Don’t worry too much about the “scoliosis label”, I have yet to see someone with a perfectly symmetrical back!

You have no idea how difficult it can be to give proper advise on the internet. If you were my yoga student, we would do a yoga therapy assessment and take it from there. You would be doing an individual yoga program at least 3 -4 times per week. It would be aimed at pain reduction first. Then we would work on increasing strength and/or flexibility in certain muscles to find more symmetry in your body. Generally you would find relief in 6 - 8 weeks (2 - 3 visits). Otherwise I would refer you on.

If you were in my town, I would refer you to a friend of mine, who is both osteopath and physiotherapist. The good thing about osteopathy is that it has a good system for diagnosis and treatment. And the frequency of treatments is generally low. I personally have much more confidence in an osteopath than in a physiotherapist when it comes to adjustments.

I don’t want to discourage you from seeing physiotherapist number 4. However, if you find his/her approach unsatisfactory, you may want to look for alternatives (“If you do what you always do, you will get what you always get”.)

You can find a yoga therapist in who graduated from the Biomedical Trust in London. They combine a medical type of assessment with yoga treatment.

Best wishes for your recovery.[/QUOTE]

Hello again

The GP didn’t want to know the details, he just referred me to a physio who is based at the practice, then I will be referred to another physio based at the hospital (this is rediculous!).

My yoga teacher knows a good osteopath, I’ll see how I get on at the physio and if I am not happy with the progress I will see an osteopath instead.

Many thanks for the advice

Kind regards

Maria