Is My Lower Back Pain Also Causing My Pelvic Pain?

When you enter the ring with pain, it’s common to get hit below the belt – specifically in your lower back. Low back pain is one of the most common conditions people experience, shared by more than 500 million during their lifetime.

While some cases of lower back pain just require some much-needed relaxation, what happens when the pain radiates from your lower back to your pelvic area? Could the stabbing pain in the pelvic area be connected to the pain in your back?

Keep reading to learn more about the connection between your lower back and pelvic area, and how a pain management physician can help alleviate your discomfort!

Lower Back Pain and Pelvic Discomfort: What’s the Connection?

It’s not unheard of for lower back pain to radiate to the pelvic area. The back and pelvis share many common structures, including nerves, ligaments, joints, and muscles.

The connection between the pelvic floor and lower back pain extends past the physical to include various experiential and psychosocial factors. Psychosocial factors that could influence ongoing pain could include:

Sleep
Supportive social network
Stress management
Health-related beliefs
Prior experiences

Symptoms of Pelvic Lower Back Pain

Recognizing the symptoms of pelvic lower back pain is the first step before addressing any underlying causes.

Symptoms may vary from person to person, but the most common symptoms to look out for include:

Varying degrees of pain and discomfort
Radiating pain from lower back to buttocks or toes
Numbness
Tingling
Burning sensation

Pelvic lower back pain can vary from short-term, only lasting between a few days to a few weeks, to chronic lower back and pelvic pain, which can last for months and even years.

Any form of pain can be a hindrance to your daily routine, so don’t waste your day worrying about your pain! Visit a pain management clinic near you for help in managing and alleviating short-term or chronic pain.

Causes of Lower Back and Pelvic Pain

Just like in traveling from one city to another, there are many different ways for pain to get from point A to point B. Before we begin the process of treating your pain, we need to understand the root cause of the problem.

Injury

One of the more obvious causes of lower back and pelvic pain is injury or trauma. Repetitive movements in physical activities like weightlifting or sports can cause stress fractures, resulting in intense pelvic lower back pain.

A recent traumatic event, such as a car accident, can also result in a fracture, leading to pain in the lower back and radiating to the pelvic area.

Sacroiliac (SI) Joint Pain

The SI joints are one of the largest in the body, connecting the spine to the group of bones in your pelvis. The purpose of the SI joints is to support the weight of the upper body and act as a shock absorber as the body transfers its weight.

Arthritis, pregnancy, or an injury can lead to pain ranging from stabbing and sharp to a dull ache. Despite being overlooked as a cause of low back pain, SI joint pain may contribute to up to 25% of cases.

Herniated Disc

Your spine is comprised of 33 vertically stacked bones, or vertebrae. Each vertebra is cushioned between a disc. A dislodged or herniated disc occurs when its center pushes against the outer ring, resulting in increased pressure and pain.

Degenerative Diseases

A degenerative disease occurs when certain structures in the body begin to deteriorate. Common examples of these diseases include scoliosis, degenerative disc disease, and facet joint syndrome.

The deterioration within each of these diseases occurs in areas of the back or pelvis, resulting in inflammation and pain.

Pregnancy

During pregnancy, your muscles and joints change and work to support a growing baby. As the baby grows, your posture shifts forward, putting strain and tension on the lower back muscles. This tension can not only result in lower back pain but also travel to the pelvis.

Pelvic Floor Muscle Imbalance

Like any muscle, the pelvic floor can experience fatigue. Pain in the lower back may result from weak, tight, or stretched pelvic floor muscles. If the pelvic floor muscles experience any strain, the muscles in the back will overcompensate and tighten to provide support.

The result? Pain in the lower back and pelvic area.

How Can a Pain Management Physician Help Me?

Chronic pelvis low back pain will not be solved by simple changes to your diet and lifestyle (although it may help)! Developing a treatment plan for your pain management starts with consulting someone you can trust – like our staff at Pain Specialists of Charleston.

We develop a treatment plan based on your specific condition and needs, relying heavily on interventional pain management techniques that don’t require surgery or habit-forming medications.

Here are some of the common treatment methods we may use to target your chronic lower back pain and discomfort:

Physical therapy
Injection-based treatments (epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, etc.)
Acupuncture
Electrical nerve stimulation
Dietary and lifestyle adjustments

There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to treatment–each plan is designed for you depending on the root cause of your pain. Consult one of our physicians before making any adjustments to your diet or lifestyle or attempting treatment at home.

Don’t Take Pain Below the Belt–Visit Pain Specialists of Charleston!

Understanding your pain is challenging, but trying to understand the pain while you are suffering can be an almost impossible task–but you don’t have to do it alone.

Our mission at Pain Specialists of Charleston is to help you say goodbye to pain without undergoing surgery or relying on medications to ease your symptoms. We offer the most up-to-date interventional treatment options and are here to help you reclaim your quality of life.

Schedule an appointment today!