The most common cause of low back and sacro iliac joint (the middle to top portion of the buttocks) pain is due to misalignment of the hip and/ or low back vertebrae. Almost every South Austin chiropractor will lie you down on the table and check the leg length. If one leg is shorter than the other he knows there is an imbalance in the spinal column and the hip bones. After the chiropractic adjustment the leg length will be checked again. One of the goals of that visit will be to even out the leg length and try to get it to “hold” or stay that way until the next visit.
The Pelvic Balancer
At my office I employ many different means of creating greater balance in the spine and pelvis. Sometimes I will place you on your side and manually move the vertebrae and/or hip bones. A less traumatic and gentle way of accomplishing the goal is to use The Pelvic Balancer, which I invented in 2009. It is based on the principles of an old technique known as Sacro Occipital Technique (SOT) and utilizes wedges or blocks.
Treatment at Home
One of the problems patients face is recurring subluxations (spinal misalignments). It is easy to move the spine towards the right position but after months or years of misalignment it is not so easy to get it to stay that way. The old pattern has become ingrained. When I find after 4 or 5 visits that the hips are not holding I will suggest that the patient purchase The Pelvic Balancer and do the treatment that I would do in the office, at home themselves. Once they have been instructed in how to use it properly and which is the short leg, it is quite easy to use and saves them the time and expense of coming into the office so often. I have had patients buy them for relatives and parents after they learned how to use it, with exciting results.