When you tell us you have pain in your low back, hip, buttocks, or leg, the first thing we do is examine the position of your sacral bone. Why? If this bone is not properly positioned, the mechanics of your lumbar spine and hip are adversely affected. The sacrum is a large, triangular bone at the base of the spine It forms the upper and back part of the pelvic cavity.
Muscle problems often adversely affect the position and movement of the sacrum. Some of the strongest muscles in your body directly act upon this keystone bone. If your sacrum isn’t correctly situated, sheering forces are placed upon the lumbar spine (lower back). Also, compressive forces can be placed upon the large sciatic nerve. The performance of your hip can be adversely affected. The result can be extreme pain!
Your sacral bone is the most important link between the weight-bearing ability of your spine and the weight-bearing ability of your legs. It also links your spine’s movement with your legs’ movement.
Position and movement of the sacrum directly affect position and movement of the lumbar spine. That’s why low back pain frequently results from sacral problems. In addition, leg and hip action depend upon proper function of the sacral bone. Again, if the sacral bone is not correctly positioned with its adjoining bones, hip and low back pain results.
Sports injuries, accidents, falls, poor posture, and other factors often cause a problem with one of the four joints formed by the sacrum. Dysfunctional position and dysfunctional movement of the sacral bone require correction. As the first line of therapy, we’ll provide manual therapy to the muscles, ligaments and fascia that surround the sacral bone. This can quickly release a stuck or wedged sacral bone by balancing the soft tissue forces acting upon the bone and the total pelvic ring.
If you regularly drive a vehicle, you likely have a sacral bone sheer. The frequent forward reaching of your right leg toward the gas and brake pedals pulls the sacrum to the right. Approximately 90% of people who come to our clinic with spine, buttock, hip, or leg pain show a sacral bone sheer. We playfully refer to this as “car butt syndrome” and usually correct this in one or two treatments by balancing the muscle action.
We’ll show you simple daily exercises to keep your sacral bone in its neutral and correct position. If you are experiencing pain in your low back, buttock, hip, or leg, we’ll carefully evaluate your entire body, head to toe, to determine the musculo-skeletal causes of your discomfort. And we’ll help you heal as quickly as possible.
