ISG blockage symptoms

An ISG blockage is an unpleasant “dislocation” of the lower back. For a better understanding a short explanation of the term: the so-called sacroiliac joint is called ISG. This joint is composed of the Os Ilium and the Os Sacrum, which are the Latin terms for the ilium and sacrum.

The ilium is a flat bone of the pelvis, the sacrum the lower part of the spine. As with most of our joints, we have two of them: one ISG on each side of the sacrum connects the spine with the pelvis. The joint described is a so-called amphiarthrosis – a true joint, but its mobility is severely limited by tight ligaments.

Causes

How does a blockage occur in this taut and hardly movable joint? If the two joint partners are no longer in their correct physiological position in relation to each other, even if there is only a slight deviation, the joint is blocked. This can, for example, be the result of an elevation, an incorrect movement, a fall, an incorrect kick in a hole (unexpected kick into a void), the result of an existing pregnancy or the consequence of a weakness in the joint-stabilizing structures that has existed for a long time. The joint partners become entangled and the unpleasant symptoms of an ISG blockage occur.

Symptoms

Typical symptoms of ISG blockage are sudden pain in the lower back after a movement, usually unilateral, which can radiate to other parts of the body, such as the groin or along the back of the leg. Leg movement is painfully restricted, especially when bending and turning outwards. Pain is caused not only by the dislocated joint itself, but also by surrounding muscles which tense up as a result of the blockage.

The tense muscles now put painful pressure on nerve branches that pass through the joint, such as the sciatic nerve that runs through this region, which ultimately causes the radiating pain. Due to the similar symptoms, an ISG blockage is often confused with a herniated disc in the lumbar spine or misdiagnosed. The two symptoms can be easily distinguished by manual pressure tests on the affected region as well as movement tests of the sacroiliac joint in side comparison.

For the testing of the ISG there are different tests for pain provocation. If at least three of them are positive, the diagnosis of an ISG blockage is relatively safe. The causes could also lie in pregnancy. Due to the weight gain and the physical change of the woman ISG complaints can occur.