HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

How to Recover from Sacroiliitis Flare Up

Support Forums
>
Ulcerative Colitis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 4/20/2011 12:50 PM (GMT 0)
Just looking for advice as it's frustrating, not to mention painful.  My stomach is ok (don't have active UC as I have jpouch from colitis surgery), but I went on the eliptical the other week and caused a flare up with my joints...and I know there are many on here who also suff from sacroilitiis.

The pain changes.  At the moment, it is pinching pain...either on my SI joints down my bottom or at the top of the back of my leg where it meets my bottom.  Everytime I cough or go to the bathroom...neither of which I can avoid...the pain shoots down my leg.  So painful.  ALso, I have a nearly 2 year old that I need to lift.  I do take 1 celebrex daily as a strong NSAIDs, but wish I could stop as I'm in fear of causing pouchitis.

Any tips to get over the flare up?  Seems like I get a bit of relief until as mentioned above, I cough, use the bathroom (whcih is often) or lift...and even sitting for awhile as I have a desk job.

Posted 4/20/2011 1:05 PM (GMT 0)
Sounds like your sciatic nerve is being compressed, either way treatment is the same. Try to ice your back 20 mins every hour or so, rest and see if your GI will rx you a Medrol dose pack go quell the inflammation...Do not get an epidural injection as they can be very dangerous to the nerve roots of your spine and cause arachnoiditis. When you need to have a BM try not to push as it will make things worse, also blow out through your mouth when going to take pressure off. When lifting your child use your legs not your back. Also you can have your doc rx Flector patches, these are NSAIDs that are topical and are much less likely to cause GI troubles. When you start to feel better centle stretching should be done but not the first thing after getting out of bed, yourself a chance to limber up a little first by moving around. Do not sleep on your stomach. Hope this helps you. Feel well
Posted 4/20/2011 1:16 PM (GMT 0)
Ice can be your best friend, however my doc recommended 10 minutes on, 15 off, 10 on etc for a couple of days. Also physical therapy can help strengthen the back muscles which will help support the SI joint. They also make a belt that can worn around the hips - this holds the hips in a tighter position which in turn doesn't let the SI joint move too freely.

I feel your pain...I truly do. I have suffered from Sacroiilitis for at least 4 years now. I find that if I avoid things that involve a lot of bending such as cleaning the bathtub/toilet that it prevents flare ups. I know that it's not possible to avoid bending when you have a child, but like Bbc said, use your legs to lift.
Posted 4/20/2011 2:29 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you both for your suggestions. Ice is a bit awkward as the current pinching pain is mostly where my leg meets my bottom, but can otherwise put it on my SI joints.
Posted 4/20/2011 3:52 PM (GMT 0)
Lu, are you able to tolerate NSAIDs?  The suggestions you've gotten to relieve inflammation (in the area around the sciatic nerve, which is not your SI), to help relax the lower back through physical therapy - these are key in managing pain due to sacroilietis.  In my experience the dysfunction of the SI causes problems in OTHER areas - muscle spasms in your glutes (sciatica!), muscle spasms in your lumbar spine (back ache) - for me, a torn hamstring.

Developing a habit of maintaining core strength and lumbar spine flexibility, including stretching your hamstrings (gently!!!) and your iliopsoas (gently!!!!) will help keep you out of pain most of the time.

I've had friends who successfully addressed sciatica with chiropracty (using the "stretcher").  Maybe you can get referrals to a good, reputable chiro to work on this.

Ice is a terrific antiinflammatory, but to get to the bundle that's probably sparking your sciatic nerve is hard, like you say. The piriformis is deep in the glute.  My experience is taking NSAIDs (I use Aleve) is most helpful in times like this.  HOWEVER, as a person with IBD, please be careful with NSAIDs!

Posted 4/20/2011 5:02 PM (GMT 0)
kazbern, I  actually have a prescription for celebrex, which is a stronger NSAID than the ones off the shelf.  Only thing is I can only take 1 a day because of my stomach.  In another thread you've mentioned the piriformis syndrome/muscle and I've since looked it up.  Makes perfect sense for describing the shooting and pinching pain that I get during flare ups.   Would muscle relaxants be helpful in this case?  I've always avoided them as I just assumed my issue was joint inflammation.

Chiropracters totally scare me as I'm scared of shuffling things around for the worse...esp with sudden movements, but I have decided after reading up on here to try PT.  Will book something in a few weeks once this flare up subsides (hopefully!)  and have a free moment to book something. 

Thank you.  This site has been very helpful

Posted 4/20/2011 5:18 PM (GMT 0)
Lu, I've never taken celebrex - but I do find that more than 2 doses of Aleve will give me gastric pain, so I don't do more than that. I had a bout with sciatica a couple of weeks ago, and one Aleve plus a sit in a hot tub with the jet pushing on my hip/back/glute was enough to relieve the worst of it. YMMV.

Muscle relaxants might help....but don't you have young children? I took a muscle relaxant with my first back pain when I was young and not knowledgable about the SI issue - it probably helped but what it did mostly was make me silly and sleepy.

Good luck with the PT. For now you might take a look at the stretches and exercises you've found while reading about piriformis syndrome and try them at home. Do them gently and every day. It won't hurt and will probably help.
Posted 4/20/2011 5:24 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the warning about the muscle relaxants. Guess if I tried them, would onl be at night before bed. Have seen the piriformis stretches with right leg being pulle to the left while on back, etc.

It's all so confusing as I thought heat was bad for inflammation, but yet if it's also muscle, then would help. Can't win.
Posted 4/20/2011 6:29 PM (GMT 0)
I also wanted to comment about the muscle relaxants and the grogginess. If you decide to try them, start with the smallest possible dose and take it at bed time, especially with Flexeril. I used to take 10mgs but the next day I couldn't function at all. The grogginess and mental spaciness was unreal. But then I changed down to 5mgs twice a day, I noticed that I wasn't as out of it. I had better luck with Skelaxin. It's an older med but it doesn't cause that grogginess like the Flexeril does.
Posted 4/20/2011 7:05 PM (GMT 0)
Red_34, thanks so much for the warning. Sounds like really powerful stuff if it still affects you in the morning. Did you find that it helped with the pain?
Posted 4/20/2011 7:19 PM (GMT 0)

Lu2011 said...
Thank you both for your suggestions. Ice is a bit awkward as the current pinching pain is mostly where my leg meets my bottom, but can otherwise put it on my SI joints.

You're most welcome. Ice is used exclusively for the first 3 days then you can rotate between ice and moist heat. Please look into the Flector patches as I suggested, these will get the NSAID right over the areas in question without direct GI ingestion. Also never stretch right after using ice as the muscles will be in a contracted state.
Posted 4/21/2011 1:32 AM (GMT 0)
I get SI joint flare-ups, as well (along with my entire spine and left shoulder). The only medicines that I've been able to take that can touch that pain are Humira and Ibuprofen. I don't recommend the Ibuprofen, though. Maybe Tramadol or Percoset?
Posted 4/21/2011 1:53 AM (GMT 0)
Yes, I find that it helps ease the muscle pain. When your joints hurt, the surrounding muscles tend to tighten up - it's the inflammatory response. The muscles tense up to "help" protect the injured area, which in turn can make things feel so much worse. Along with the muscle relaxers and the ice, I find that it brings it down to a dull roar and then afterward, I don't do anything strenuous to aggravate it until the pain goes away.
Posted 4/22/2011 12:32 AM (GMT 0)
runcycle, thank you.  I think percoset just helps iwth pain?  I do take ibuprofen or celebrex (a stronger nsaids) but am careful. 

Red_34, thanks for the info on muscle relaxants.  Makes sense.  Finally after 2 weeks, I can say that the pinching / shooting pain seem to be gone (had it in the morning but afternoon was better) and now it's just (very) painful SI joints....which means it's improving. 

✚ New Topic ✚ Reply