Helping Seniors Live Healthier Lives

Managing Sacroiliac Back Pain In Stay-At-Home Moms

As a stay-at-home mom, you put your body through a lot of physical work. As a result, you may be hurting a joint in your back called the sacroiliac. This can cause a wide range of pain that can make your job more difficult. Here's what you need to know about this problem and how you can get back on your feet.

What Is The Sacroiliac And How Is It Injured?

The sacroiliac is a joint near the bottom of the spine. It is a very small, but strong, joint that has to manage a great deal of physical pressure every day. Studies have shown that weight lifters can put nearly 1,500 pounds of pressure on the joint when lifting, which the joint can withstand.

Of course, as a stay-at-home mom you won't be putting that much excessive weight on your sacroiliac. However, your busy duties (playing with children, taking care of their needs, cleaning the house, lifting heavy items, etc.) is likely to put more consistent strain on it. As a result, you might be injuring it without even realizing it.

Have You Over Or Underworked It?

There are two different types of sacroiliac joint injuries that can affect your back: hypermobility and hypomobility. The former is typical if you've overworked your joint and the latter occurs if you've underworked it. The ways that you may cause either of these injuries as a stay-at-home mom varies.

For example, hypermobile joints are those that have been overstretched and have a difficult time stabilizing your back. Typically, this happens if you've been spending a lot of time performing difficult housework, lifting your children, or getting involved in a lot of fun (but physically strenuous) games with them.

Hypomobile sacroiliac joints have become too tight and have a decreased range of motion. This is typically a result of a lack of physical activity. For example, if your children are in school during the cold winter months and you aren't lifting and holding them as often, your sacroiliac joint might tighten up a little.

Can You Manage This Problem?

Thankfully, it is possible to manage both instances of sacroiliac-caused back pain. For hypomobility, you need to perform a series of back stretches, including the tensor fascia lata stretch. This requires standing with one side of your body to a wall, resting the hand of that side on it for support, lifting the leg closest to the wall in the air, tilting your upper back to the other side, and holding for 30 seconds.

Other exercises, like the lumbar rotation and the cow face pose can also help. Try to perform these exercises before your children wake up and after they go to bed to work the over burdened sacroiliac.

Hypermobility is a more serious problem and will require visiting a chiropractor for subtle manipulations of your sacroiliac joint. Hire a babysitter if this is necessary or get your partner to help out, whenever possible, to help relieve yourself of sacroiliac pain. It might be necessary for your partner to pick up the children until your joint is healed.

Managing your sacroiliac joint pain is crucial to help maximize your skills as a stay-at-home mom. Make sure that you follow any medical advice given to you by your doctors, such as avoiding lifting excessive weight, in order to keep your back in great shape. For more information, visit websites like http://www.wildingchiropractic.com.


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