The most common acute low back pain I see in practice involves the sacroiliac joint (SIJ), where your pelvis joins your spine. The main feature for the patient is a sharp stabbing pain in the SIJ, often extending into the top part of the glute muscles along the back of the pelvis and around to the side of the leg.
It is usually aggravated with activities such as rolling over in bed, getting out of bed, standing up after prolonged sitting and putting on shoes. Sometimes the pain is initially felt during an activity that involves prolonged flexion, such as shovelling dirt, but often the pain isn't felt until the morning after, when getting out of bed.
Home management strategies can include heat packs, your preferred topical heating cream and relative rest - move as much as you can, rest as often as you need.
Other things you can try:
- Sleeping on your side with both legs slightly bent - pop a pillow between your knees. - Get in the car bottom first, then swing both legs around together. - Avoid crossing your legs when sitting. - Use good lifting/bending techniques.
If you do nothing else, typically we see self resolution in 7 to 20 days for mild pain, but it should improve a little each day. If you don’t see improvement after about 2 days, or if you experience this type of pain regularly, it might be worth having it checked out. If you experience weakness, numbness or tingling into the leg, definitely see a health professional for an assessment.
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