Are you experiencing persistent discomfort in your hip, lower back or buttock area?
You may have even asked yourself at this point: is it my SI joint or tight muscles? Sometimes (more often than not) they are related and can affect your body at the same time.
If stretching, resting, or even pushing through the pain doesn’t help, it may be confusing regarding what to do next…
Let’s explore what your SI joint is, how tight muscles can be part of the puzzle and what steps you can take to make progress with this issue!
What is the SI Joint?
Your sacroiliac (SI) joint is the connecting joint between your sacrum bone (the triangle shaped bone at the bottom of your spine) and your pelvis. There are two (one on each side) with the purpose of stabilizing your body
Think of your body’s flow of movement when walking, standing up from sitting position, or climbing stairs - your SI joint is working for you as your movements are transferred between your upper and lower body.
Chronically imbalanced movements can take place after traumatic events (falls/accidents), pregnancy and also due to imbalanced strengthening routines.
SI joint pain can look like:
- one-sided low back or buttock pain
- pain when climbing stairs
- discomfort with changing from sitting to standing position
- sharp pain when rolling over in bed
See our page on How to tell if your back pain is caused by SI for a deeper dive!
Muscles Around the Pelvis
The pelvis area is made of a complex system of muscles that synergize to provide support and stability. It’s important to note that muscle tightness happens over time due to factors such as sedentary lifestyle, poor body mechanics, training imbalances, and repeated stress. Muscles also tend to compensate if there is a perceived imbalance from surrounding muscles.
Some key muscles that often contribute to pain:
- Glutes
- Piriformis
- Hip flexors
- Quadratus Lumborum
- Hamstrings
With symptoms such as sharp pain, pulling sensations, or deep aches, muscle tension and joint pain can feel quite similar. Let’s unwrap what differences in these conditions you may encounter.
SI Joint vs Tight Muscles: Main Differences
While you may experience these conditions simultaneously, there are some ways to distinguish them from one another.
Pain originating in your SI joint is known to be more specific (pinpoint) and deeper, usually at the lower back or towards one side of your sacrum. It can even be sudden or sharp.
If your pain is from your SI joint, you’ll also likely feel it when changing positions - when climbing up stairs or moving from sitting to standing, for example. On the other hand, muscle tightness can occur when holding positions for too long.
On the other hand, muscle tightness tends to be more diffuse, feeling broader and spread out across the muscle area - sometimes described as heavy or fatigued and can change depending on your activity/position.
A significant indicator of tight muscles is that you should see improvement with stretching or similar activities such as foam rolling or even massage. SI joint pain, however, may worsen or see little progress from
Why It’s Rarely Just One or the Other
With the intricate connectedness of our body’s muscles and joints, having only SI joint pain or muscle tightness rarely happens in isolation.
What this means is, even if you may have joint pain, the muscles working in that particular area may have limited movement because of this (to prevent discomfort) - thus causing further imbalance and muscle weakness.
Your body essentially creates a feedback loop where joint pain can lead to muscles compensating to prevent pain, which then leads to more stress to that joint.
What You Can Do Next
As with most discomfort, begin by doing easy stretches and mobility work. Try some stretches for your surrounding muscles, particularly your glutes and of course your lower back/core.
We have plenty of resources so you can start incorporating stretches that work best for you. I’d suggest learning how to do a deep glute release using the QL claw. Your glutes are the largest muscle group in your body so it’s a great place to start!
Want to learn more awesome stretches? Check out our page on How to unlock SI joint by yourself!
We also have a resource for SI joint exercises - because our philosophy here is fix the muscles, fix the pain! Aim to strengthen the muscles around the joint and hopefully you’ll have some relief and prevent future injury.
It may also go without saying, modifying your activity and knowing when to rest is also essential.
With pain or symptoms that persist or worsen, don’t hesitate to get professional help. Guesswork won’t do you any good and can prolong your recovery time. Your medical provider can conduct a thorough assessment and physical therapy can help guide you in the right direction.
Key Takeaway
Tight muscles and SI joint pain are frequently confused for a good reason - they’re significantly connected! Check out the patterns of your discomfort and see what interventions help improve them.
If you’re able to address the root cause and find a strategy that works for you, hopefully you can build on a routine that leads to continued strength and lifelong vitality!