For a few months, especially since my Ironman, I’ve been struggling with sacroiliac pain. If you don’t know what this is, consider yourself lucky! SI joint issues are common among yoga practitioners. Roger Cole and Judith Lasater have both written clearly on the subject for Yoga Journal, and it’s becoming a hot topic in triathlon circles. Mine gets out of whack when I run on trails (which I do as much as possible), in certain poses, and when I do stupid (and fun) things like trying to flip off the diving board.
I’ve gotten a surprising amount of relief from a little wonder called the Sacrowedgy. (This is an unpaid, unsolicited endorsement!) As its name implies, it fits under your sacrum to support it as you lie back and relax, allowing the sacrum and ilium to slip back into proper alignment. Whether the tool itself makes the fix or the time spent lying on the floor does the job, it’s been great, and my plantar fasciitis, knee pain, and shoulder niggle all disappeared after a few days’ diligent relaxation with the wedgy.
My husband’s reaction has been much more exciting. He liked my pink lady wedgy so much that he ordered his own blue male version (the male sacrum is narrower and longer). It’s done wonders for his back issues, most of which stem from a herniated disk (L5-S1, a classic), and he takes it to and from work religiously. In fact, we’ve become evangelists for this little piece of rubber, spreading the good news to anyone who’ll listen. It’s noninvasive, it encourages you to relax and to be still (which I love both as a yoga teacher and as a type-A athlete), and for $30, it’s really worth a try.