You hear it all the time. "My sciatica's killing me," or "My sacroiliac is out again," and the sufferer will put a comforting hand someplace over the back of the hip. most of us only have a general idea of where these two pain makers reside in our body, and how they can cause us such miseries.
The sacrum is the bottom part of your spinal column. It is composed of five vertebrae, which are fused into a solid arrow-shaped bone wedge between our hip bones.
It has large ear-shaped surfaces which join the iliac bones (hip bones.) Many ligaments bind the sacrum to the ilium on each side. The relative immobility of the joint and the abundance of ligaments in the area, combined with over-twisting the sacral area, causes frequent ligament strains and low back pain.
The sciatic nerve is the largest and longest nerve in our body. It comes out of nerve roots in the lumbar (lower) spine and sacrum. The sciatic nerve sends signals through the gluteal (buttocks) region, down the structures of the back thigh, through the entire leg, and into the foot. It receives sensation back along the same route. It is easily affected by strains to the ligaments of the sacroiliac joint.
Sciatic pain is often an example of referred pain, or pain which is not felt at the point where it originates. When a disc in the lower part of the back presses on the sciatic nerve, or when a sacral ligament is sprained, you can feel pain as far away as your big toe.
Listen to the signals from your body. Sciatic pain is a responsible messenger, warning of possible back problems. Signals come in the form of pain, a feeling like "pins and needles," and numbness.
When sciatic pain is caused by strain of the sacroiliac ligaments, or a misalignments of the joint, manipulation of the joint can be of great help. When it is caused by a protruding disc in the lumbar spine, an adjustment can also help.
