Two of the most common structural sources of low back pain — the lumbar spine and the sacroiliac joints — are frequently confused with each other because their symptomatic overlap is significant. Lumbar back pain originates from the vertebral segments of the lower spine, whether from disc pathology, facet joint irritation, or misalignment producing nerve pressure. Sacroiliac joint pain, by contrast, originates from the large joints where the sacrum meets the iliac bones of the pelvis. Both can produce pain in the same general region of the lower back and buttock, and both can refer symptoms into the legs. Determining which structure is the primary contributor requires a clinical assessment that differentiates between them based on movement patterns, palpation findings, and the patient's description of when and how the pain behaves.
At Beacon Clinic of Chiropractic, Dr. Bronstein evaluates both the lumbar spine and the sacroiliac joints as part of the initial back pain assessment for San Luis Obispo patients. The care approach that follows depends on which structures the evaluation identifies as primary contributors. Lumbar misalignment and facet dysfunction are addressed through spinal adjustment and correction. Sacroiliac dysfunction involves evaluation of the pelvic mechanics and adjustment of the SI joint and sacrum. Many patients presenting with low back pain have contributions from both areas, and the evaluation at Beacon Clinic is designed to characterize the full structural picture rather than defaulting to a single-source explanation for the pain.
