Hi all, I’d like your advice about ongoing pain in and around my right SI joint. This has persisted for a year, and I am reaching the limit of my ability to train through it. I’m 34, male, 5’10”, 195 lbs.
I read the Blue Book and began lifting last May. Squatting and deadlifting do not make it feel immediately worse. The pain and inflammation ramp up beginning 24 hours after each workout. The pain is in my right posterior hip, in the visible “dimple” where my low back and pelvis meet. It spreads up into the low back and down into the right buttock. I can feel it getting puffy and hot, and it keeps me up at night. It hurts when walking, bending over, and twisting. I have looked through this forum for solutions. Here are some things I have tried to deal with this issue:
- Form coaching. I attended a squat and deadlift camp last August with Grant and Pete. They gave me advice in lifting more efficiently, but did not say I was doing anything harmful. They told me to train through the injury. I also submitted videos to the Strength Club show with Rusty and Alex K. They told me my squat was fine, and to train through it. Then I hired an online SSC who gave me video feedback on every top set for four months. Again, the feedback was helpful, but did not yield any form adjustments that lessened the pain.
- Deep tissue massage. Per Rip’s suggestion here, I used a lacrosse ball to release the piriformis muscle and other deep external rotators of the hip. It felt better for a day or so, but the pain came back. I also got a professional massage to the same effect.
- Chiropractic adjustment. This gave immediate relief, but the pain came back the next time I deadlifted a few days later. Subsequent adjustments showed no benefit.
- Leg length discrepancy. I got X-rays of my legs and found that my left femur is slightly short by 5 mm. The tibias are dead-even. I now wear a 5 mm lift in all my left shoes. This has had no effect as far as I can tell.
- Not squatting or deadlifting. This is the only one that works. The pain subsides within two weeks, and goes completely back to normal. I have done this twice in the past year, then gone back to squatting, and the pain quickly came back. Obviously, not lifting is not a satisfying long-term solution.
Any guidance you might have is greatly appreciated.