Question
A little over three months ago I fell going down my hill on ice three times on the same side, one right after the other on the same day. I hit my lower part of my back and my butt. For about 3 weeks I had a sharp pain in my lower back/butt area it hurt when i walked, bent over, or turned too quickly. It went away after awhile and now it's back again. It randomly comes and will usually go away after a few hours. But it seems like whatever I do it irritates it. When I have the pain I stop what I'm doing becuase the pain is so bad I don't want to move. What could this be ?

Answer
Dear Ashley,

Simply put this is most likely joint irritation.  Falling on the hip or buttocks creates increased stress and compression on the cartilage which lines the joint spaces.  Additionally, the joint capsule which surrounds the joint spaces can easily become stretched and torn.  Now the lower joints of the lumbar spine (facet joints) could be affected or the sacroilliac (SI) joints in the pelvis.  

The best way to determine which joints are the problematic ones is with a functional examination.  This would include active and passive range of motion of the joints and stressing them with orthopedic tests designed to pinpoint pressure in those joints and see if they result in characteristic pain patterns.  I would opine that there is also some associated muscle spasm or myofascial strain as well.  All of this results in improper motion of the joint space or actual fixation of the joint space, and this should be addressed not only to eliminate the pain but to re-establish correct spinal motion.

I would recommend that you have the low back and pelvis examined by a good local chiropractic physician so that it can be addressed appropriately with a functional examination, spinal adjustments and that you can be given specific rehab exercises to correct any improper movement patterns or imbalances which are found after injury!

Respectfully,
Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman
www.suncoasthealthcare.net