SI JOINTVoltex Physical Therapy · North Austin
Pain low in your back, in the buttock or at the front of your pelvis? A Doctor of Physical Therapy at our North Austin clinic finds the cause and treats it one-on-one.
Most clients feel a difference within the first few visits.
The short answer
The SI joint is the pain source for roughly 15 to 25% of people with low back pain. It links your spine to your pelvis and carries load every time you walk, run, lift or stand on one leg.
At our North Austin clinic, physical therapy confirms whether your SI joint is the problem, calms it with hands-on care, then builds hip, core and breathing control so your pelvis stays stable under load.
Understand your pain
The 6 most common causes we treat at our North Austin clinic, and the signs of each one.
Feels like: sharp or dull pain on one side, just below the dimples of your low back, sometimes into the buttock.
Often caused by: a joint that is irritated, too stiff or not well supported, often after a fall, lift or long run.
Feels like: one-sided low back or hip pain and feeling unstable on one leg.
Often caused by: uneven movement or habits that load one side of the pelvis more than the other.
Feels like: pain that builds with lifting, running or standing, and a back that tires quickly.
Often caused by: underactive deep stabilizers like the deep abdominals and pelvic floor, which leave the SI joint taking more load.
Feels like: pain at the back of the pelvis or front at the pubic bone, worse rolling in bed, on stairs or standing on one leg.
Often caused by: hormone changes, ligament laxity and changing load on the pelvis during and after pregnancy.
Feels like: SI or buttock pain that comes with stiff hips or a stiff low back.
Often caused by: limited hip or spine motion that pushes extra stress onto the SI joint.
Feels like: pain at the front of the pelvis or groin when walking, getting out of a car or shifting weight.
Often caused by: irritation or instability at the front joint of the pelvis, common in pregnancy and in athletes who cut and kick.
Sound familiar?
Pain spreading down the leg? See back pain & sciatica treatment in Austin. Pain in the hip or groin? See hip & knee pain treatment.
What the research says
The SI joint is the pain source for roughly 15 to 25% of people with low back pain, so it’s worth testing for, not guessing.
When 2 or more of 4 hands-on tests are positive, the exam picks up SI joint pain 88% of the time, with no imaging needed.
Nearly half of pregnant women have pelvic girdle or low back pain, and about half of those cases are pelvic girdle pain. It’s common, and it’s treatable.
Your plan at Voltex
Every visit is one-on-one with a Doctor of Physical Therapy for the full session at our North Austin clinic.
A 75-minute evaluation of your pelvis, hips and low back, including the SI joint test cluster.
Manual therapy, joint mobilization and dry needling to ease pain and restore motion.
Hip, glute and deep core strength with breathing work so your pelvis stays stable under load.
A home plan plus training, running and daily habit changes that last.
