Walking is a great way to stay fit and active. Even if you are sedentary, you can take 1,000 to 3,000 steps a day. But if you’re active, watch out. You can take more than 10,000 steps a day. So what happens when the sacroiliac joint doesn’t move freely and the hip joint moves excessively? Can you imagine the damage to the soft tissues of the buttocks, sacroiliac and hip joints with each step taken?
The pelvis is made up of the sacrum, coccyx, and two ilium (wing-shaped hip bones). When you walk and run, as a unit, the sacrum and tailbone rock slightly back and forth. And each wing-shaped hip bone rotates in the opposite direction. So when you walk, one hip bone (ilium) along with the sacroiliac joint rotates forward while the opposite one on the other side rotates backward.
If one of the hip bones is stuck in a forward-rotated position, then the sacroiliac joint itself cannot freely and fully rotate backward during the second half of the stride. The restricted gluteal muscles on the same side are forced to compensate by pulling harder on the hip joint to swing the leg back. Normally, the sacroiliac and hip joints rotate simultaneously. But with a dysfunctional sacroiliac joint, the hip joint is forced to rotate more than necessary.
Now do you see the potential for damage, especially if you take 10,000 steps a day? If the hip joint is forced to rotate excessively, it will eventually wear out. The affected hip may click and pop as it needs to create a new axis of rotation. This can lead to premature degeneration of the hip and arthritis. The hip feels stiff in the morning. You will also feel stiff and clumsy when you get up and move around after sitting for a while.
What about the muscles of the buttocks? Let’s say you have a hand crank radio. It is old and has not been cared for; some of the internal gears are rusty. When you start it up, you notice that it doesn’t spin as smoothly as it used to. Internal gears do not move freely and efficiently. More effort is required to turn the handle. Within minutes, your arm muscles tire from turning the rusty gears inside the radio.
The same principle applies to the muscles of the buttocks. Eventually, the compensated buttock muscles will wear out; they become tight and tense. Tight and tense buttock muscles will resist forward rotation of the sacroiliac and hip joints, creating a new problem.
Normally, when you take a step forward like walking and running, your gluteal muscles should loosen up and relax. But these tight and tense muscles prevent normal facilitative relaxation. The groin and hip flexor muscles must then work harder to overcome the increased tension in the buttock muscles. So basically you have a tug of war between the anterior hip/groin flexor muscles and the posterior buttock muscles.
Before you know it, this muscle tug-of-war causes pain and popping in your hip and muzzle. You will often notice a clicking noise in the muzzle and hip when lifting your thigh, walking up the stairs and hill, or just getting up from a sitting position.
Other signs and symptoms of chronic sacroiliac dysfunction include myofascial pain and stiffness in the lower back, buttocks, and hip. The thigh and leg itself may be weak from standing for a time; and one leg may appear longer than the other leg. As you walk, you will feel that one hip and one leg do not seem to be swinging and moving as smoothly and easily as the other side.
The most appropriate treatment for sacroiliac joint dysfunction is chiropractic treatment. And you’ll notice immediate improvement after just one treatment.
The fundamental problem here is biomechanical. If the sacroiliac and hip joints don’t move freely and correctly, they’re not happy. Therefore, there is no point in stretching or doing rehabilitation exercises. Why? Because when you stretch or exercise, you’re forcing unhappy joints to move against their will.
And don’t forget the muscle tug-of-war. They are not happy either. When all soft tissue is treated and biomechanical issues are corrected, selective rehabilitative exercise and stretching are welcome and should be part of the treatment plan.
Therefore, if you continue to feel pain and clicking in your hip and groin despite all previous treatment attempts, consult a chiropractor. It will save you a lot of stress and frustration. A thorough and competent chiropractor will evaluate and treat you appropriately.
Thank you for taking an interest in your health. I hope you learn something new.