Sacroiliac Joint Belts - Do They Work?

How To Use A Sacroiliac Joint Belt For Relief

Sacroiliac joint belts can be a helpful tool in the process of pain relief and restoration of function. Belts have been found in studies to reduce laxity of the sacroiliac joints and improve stability.

The SI belt essentially serves a sort of artificial locking function to compress the surfaces of the joints together, which increases friction and reduces shearing forces.

Do These Belts REALLY Work?

In short, YES! In the video I state that the biggest issue is whether you actually HAVE pain coming from the sacroiliac joints or not. Attaining an accurate diagnosis of pain from the SI joints isn’t that easy, simply because there isn’t an established “gold-standard” test.

Some people get significant and immediate reduction in pain once the sacroiliac joint belt is properly used, while others only have a minor reduction in pain, but often times there is some improvement in mobility or strength in the pelvic muscles. These are positive signs that you may benefit from the belt.

Is there a simple test to find out if the belt COULD work for YOU?

Yep! In the video above, I show a test that can be performed while lying on your back. Since the belt’s job is to compress the pelvis, we can mimic this action with a set of hands. Definitely ask someone to do this for you, which will be a much better test than attempting it on yourself.

Lay with your legs straight out. Lift your leg up from the floor in a controlled speed while assessing how it feels, both in terms of muscle strength, coordination, and pain levels. Test the other side as well.

Next, ask someone to gently compress your pelvic bones inward, toward your midline, and hold while you repeat lifting your legs. If there is improvement, then you will likely benefit from wearing the si belt.

Does it matter if you put the belt on standing vs. sitting vs. lying down?

Yes. I recommend only putting on sacroiliac joint belts while lying on your back, AFTER doing your corrective mobilizations. This way it functions as an SI brace to "lock in your work".

SI Belt - How To Wear

There are a few things to know when wearing an SI belt. The video I created for Youtube has received tens of thousands of views and the comments clearly show that most people were not applying the belt correctly.

If you follow the steps I outline, you'll get the most out of the belt and get results if indeed the belt is what you really need.

How tight does the belt need to be?

Its important to understand that the emphasis should be placed on the position of the belt, NOT how tight it is. One study in particular showed that a belt with a tension of 100 N did not significantly differ from one at 50 N in terms of reducing sacroiliac motion.

More is NOT better in this case!

Which belt is the best?

Sacroiliac joint belts all do the same thing so its really a matter of comfort, since most people who benefit from it will wear it often. Nothing is worse than having to deal with a poorly designed belt that is constantly riding upward when you sit or move.

I personally like Serola. Now, I don’t have SI joint pain, so I can’t comment, but many of my clients like this belt.

Does relying on an SI belt make your own muscles weak?

No. Using a sacroiliac joint belt is not the same type of thing as a lumbar spine brace. SI joint instability is a ligamentous/joint problem. Since there are no muscles that directly move those joints, wearing the belt will not weaken anything. You can wear it 24/7 if you want.

That said, it does NOT mean you shouldn’t address the muscles that support the pelvis. In fact, this is the CRITICAL element. Without adequate muscle balance, strength, endurance, and coordination of the core muscles, you are very likely to have ongoing setbacks in your corrective process.

How long should you wear a sacroiliac belt?

There are two aspects of this question. First, you "can" wear a SI joint stabilization belt pretty much throughout the day.

The factors that should be considered include the stress on skin (chafing), and altering your ability to move freely due to any misplacement of the belt. If you wear it properly and not too tight, you should be able to wear it comfortably for longer stretches of time.

The second aspect is how long over time should you commit to using a SI joint belt? This is going to depend on the primary reasoning for wearing it (damage to sacroiliac ligaments, short term pregnancy or post pregnancy, etc).

Generally speaking, the goal ultimately is to not needing the belt and relying on your on musculoskeletal stability improved functioning. So, you should work closely with your therapist for a plan for easing away from it.

This could take as little as a week, to months, again, all depending on the initial reasoning why you're wearing it.

SI joint pain belts are really a relatively short-term crutch. They aren't the "main show"!