Ever hear a “pop” in your hips…especially while stretching? Chances are–this is your sacroliciac (SI) joint. Many people attribute their back pain to a “locking up” of this joint. And many claim to experience fast relief after “unlocking” or “popping” the SI joint. So, if you’re here today because you suspect back pain from your SI joint, read on. I’ll cover how to unlock your SI joint by yourself using 4 stretches. With of these stretches:
- You can perform from home without a doctor.
- You may experience a satisfying POP and fast back pain relief!
One of our highest values at Back Muscle Solutions is empowering people with back pain to take ownership of their back pain journeys. We’ve seen too often how clinics and doctors take a reactive approach to healing from back pain. Rather than equipping people with the knowledge they need to sustain their own back health.
We take an educational approach here. So, today is all about how to unlock your SI joint by yourself.
We’ll cover:
- How to Unlock Your SI Joint By Yourself: 4 Stretches
- What is Your SI Joint?
- What Does a Locked SI Joint Feel Like?
- Is it Bad to Pop Your SI Joint?
- How to Unlock SI Joint By Yourself: My Personal Experience
- How to Unlock SI Joint By Yourself: Sustained Relief
- More SI Resources
- FAQs: How to Unlock SI Joint By Yourself
How to Unlock Your SI Joint By Yourself: 4 Stretches
You may or may not experience the famous “pop” with these stretches. But my suggestion is not to get too hung up on that.
Whether or not you hear the pop, all of these stretches will help realign your SI joint. So, let’s learn how to unlock your SI joint by yourself.
#1: Iron Cross Stretch
This SI stretch is my personal favorite. And that’s because I can genuinely count on a pop every time I perform this stretch. But remember, if this doesn’t happen for you, that’s fine! Just try it out, and focus on how you feel after.
Here’s how to do it:
1) Lie on your back on a yoga mat.
2) Lift up one leg straight above your body.
3) Next, keeping the leg straight, bring it across your body–over the opposite leg.
4) Hold for a few seconds. (You can wait for the pop here!)
5) Then, bring your leg back up above your body.
6) Finally, slowly lower the leg back to the starting position.
7) Repeat on the other side.
This is the conventional way to perform this SI stretch. Personally, I prefer to bend the top leg at the knee–rather than keeping it straight.
I also like using the opposite hand to help bring the knee down to the floor. These are just my preferences. You can play around with it and find whatever works for you!
#2: Scorpion Stretch
The scorpion provides a great opportunity to pop your SI joint.
The scorpion stretch is slightly more intense than the iron cross stretch. Definitely pay attention to any back pain during this stretch. If you do feel any, pause there. And try a different stretch.
Here’s how to do it:
1) Lie on your stomach on a yoga mat.
2) Extend your arms out like a “T” for support and balance.
3) Lift up one leg slightly above the floor, engaging the same-side glute.
4) Next, bring that leg up and over your body, tapping your foot on the floor near the opposite hip.
5) Repeat on the other side and alternate.
#2: ABduction Stretch
I never typically experience a pop with this stretch personally, but I do feel it help with my overall hip alignment.
Here’s how to do it:
1) Sit in a chair with your legs close together.
2) Place your palms on the outside of your knees.
3) Next, use your palms to provide resistance as you open your legs–pressing out against your palms.
4) Bring your legs back together.
5) Repeat.
#4: ADduction Stretch
Similar to abduction, adducting, which means bringing towards your body, can be a great way to unlock your SI joint.
Here’s how to do it:
1) Sit in a chair with your legs apart.
2) Place a fist on the inside of either knee.
3) Push out with your fists as you bring your legs together.
4) Return to the starting position.
5) Repeat.
What is Your SI Joint?
Just in case you need to catch up on what is your SI joint...your SI joints are located right where your sacrum (the triangular, bottom portion of your spine) meets your ilia (the large, flat hip bones on either side).
This coming together of your spine and pelvis happens on both sides of your body, forming the SI joints.
Unlike other joints, your SI joints don't like to move. In fact, they’re designed mostly to absorb shock and to help as you transfer force from your upper to your lower body.
With the SI joints located at a crucial junction in your body, they’re surrounded by many important muscles in your lower back, hips, and glutes. When these muscles get tight and strained, your SI joint shifts and moves, causing pain in your lower back and upper legs.
In fact, 15-30% of people suffering from lower back pain have their SI joints to thank for it. [1]
What Does a Locked SI Joint Feel Like?
Back pain from an SI joint can be difficult to distinguish from other types of back pain.
Typically, people experience SI joint pain on just one isolated side.
Some potential causes are:
→ Sitting for extended periods of time
→ Walking for long periods of time
→ Pregnancy
→ Childbirth
→ Aging
→ High-impact sports
So, what does a locked SI joint feel like? Typically, you’ll experience dull, achey tightness in your:
→ Lower Back
→ Hips
→ Glutes
→ Groin
→ Thighs
And many people describe just a general feeling of something being “off” in their hips.
Is it Bad to Pop Your SI Joint?
First, let’s get clear on definitions.
Many people use different terms for the popping sound and sensation that happens in your hips during certain SI stretches.
People call it:
→ Popping your SI joint
→ Unlocking your SI joint
→ Or even self-releasing your SI joint
To get technical, “self-release” is often a term used to describe myofascial release of muscles. And the SI joint is not a muscle. It’s…well…a joint.
However, most people use all 3 terms above interchangeably to describe the same phenomenon: When this popping sensation takes place, many people experience some form of temporary SI joint pain relief. The general thought behind this is that it's because the joint is able to “unlock” or realign, allowing the muscles around this joint to set back into place.
Now, it’s important to note that there are not many studies on this sensation and its effectiveness. So, this article is based on other people’s claimed experiences. And my own!
It’s also important to note that most people affirm that popping your SI joint provides a form of temporary relief. And if you truly want sustained relief from the lower back pain caused by your SI joint, there are other steps to take. I’ll cover that later, but I wanted to make that clear.
So, now to answer the question: Is it bad to pop your SI joint?
No, not in most cases. If popping your SI joint provides you temporary relief, then this could be a great option for getting quick SI joint pain relief.
If, however, you experience pain when popping your SI joint, that is not normal, and you should pause where you are.
As always, I recommend checking with your doctor about getting relief for your SI joint.
How to Unlock SI Joint By Yourself: My Personal Experience
Funnily enough, I was popping my SI joint way before I even knew what it was.
In fact, every night before bed, I would perform the iron cross stretch…wait for the POP…followed by immediate relief to my lower back pain!
At the time, I wasn’t knowledgeable about back muscles or joints that cause back pain, but I just knew inherently that this would cause relief.
To this day, performing an iron cross stretch almost always results in that satisfying pop for me, so I use this stretch:
→ Before bed
→ Before a run
→ Or even if I notice some back pain developing while I’m lifting.
And it helps.
Many people have this same experience, which is why it is so important to learn how to unlock your SI joint by yourself.
How to Unlock SI Joint By Yourself: Sustained Relief
As we’ve already established, when you learn how to unlock your SI joint by yourself, this can lead to temporary SI joint pain relief.
But I don’t recommend this as a technique for sustained relief.
If you truly have an issue with your SI joint causing you pain, there are more permanent ways you can get relief.
At Back Muscle Solutions, we teach a 4-step approach to healing from back pain:
1) Massage
2) Stretching
3) Strengthening
4) Habit Correction
So, for getting long-term relief from SI joint pain, I recommend:
→ SI joint massage (for surrounding muscles)
→ SI joint stretches & exercises
SI Joint Massage (for Surrounding Muscles): How to Release SI Joint
Most people who have back pain just show up at their doctor or chiropractor and ask for help. Not understanding what muscles are actually causing them pain.
At Back Muscle Solutions, we take a more educational approach. So, here goes. There are 5 muscles responsible for most back pain around the globe:
2) Iliacus
3) Psoas
4) Glute Medius
5) Piriformis
You may not be surprised to learn that all 5 of these muscles surround your SI joints.
When loose, stretched, and strengthened, these muscles are capable of amazing feats–enabling your lower back, glutes, and hips to work together seamlessly. Keeping you active and energized.
When tight, inflamed, angry, and irritated, these muscles tug and pull in all the wrong directions.
Remember how the SI joint doesn't want to move?
Well, when these muscles move even just slightly, your SI joint can easily become misaligned, leading to pain in your lower back, hips, thighs, and groin.
When you learn how to unlock your SI joint by yourself, this “unlocking” can help create temporary relief by realigning your SI joint. However, if your muscles are ignored in that equation, they’ll literally just continue to be agitated and tight–pulling the SI joint out of line all over again.
That’s why one of the most essential steps for sustained SI joint pain relief is massage.
How to Release SI Joint Using the QL Claw
For this, I recommend the QL Claw.
Our founder, Ben, got sold on trigger point therapy after 4 years of back pain with seemingly no solution. But once he discovered massage, he became frustrated all over again when he found that no massage device out there could effectively provide therapeutic massage for all 5 of these muscles.
So, he tapped into his biomedical engineering degree and made the QL Claw.
It’s the only device on the market to target all 5 muscles that cause lower back pain. And it’s what I recommend for most forms of back pain, including SI joint pain.
Here’s what people have to say about the QL Claw
Learn more about the QL Claw by clicking below:
SI Joint Stretches & Exercises
Once your muscles are loose, lengthened, and massaged–your next step is stretching and strengthening the muscles surrounding your SI joint.
I’ve got a whole article on the best SI joint exercises below. And what’s great about this article is that I even categorized it by muscle. So, you know exactly which muscle you’re exercising.
“9 Best SI Joint Exercises for Quick Pain Relief”
More SI Resources
If you’re interested in learning some practical steps to help with SI joint pain relief, I recommend checking out our resources below:
“The BEST Sleeping Positions for Sacroiliac Joint Pain Relief”
“3 Tests to Tell You If Your Back Pain is Caused By SI”
FAQs: How to Unlock SI Joint By Yourself
How do you release a pinched nerve in the SI joint?
If you suspect a pinched nerve in your SI joint, I recommend gentle stretching and exercises to help the muscles in the surrounding area calm down.
How to fix SI joint pain in 30 seconds?
In this article, we’ve learned how to unlock SI joint by yourself. All of the stretches in this article can be performed in approximately 30 seconds, so try them out for quick pain relief.
How do I unstick my SI joint?
To unstick your SI joint, learn how to unlock SI joint by yourself with some basic stretches, such as the iron cross stretch or the scroption stretch.
What not to do with SI joint pain?
If you have SI joint pain, avoid running or high-impact sports that will place additional strain on the joint.
How do you stretch to unlock the SI joint?
To stretch to unlock the SI joint, try out the stretches in this article. Some of my favorites are the iron cross stretch, the scorpion stretch, and the aBduction and aDduction stretches.
What does a locked SI joint feel like?
A locked SI joint can feel like tightness in your lower back, hips, or groin area.
Sources:
[1] [1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0268003305002135
[2] https://www.painphysicianjournal.com/current/pdf?article=NzIzNw%3D%3D&journal=135
[3] https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=9684154