As promised, here is the last and final piece of my SI joint recovery posts (part 3). Part 1 was release, stretch, stabilize and activate. Part 2 was core work. And part 3 is a progressive glute strengthening program.
Strong glutes are essential to provide stability in the sacroiliac joint. If you are like me when I first started out, I was nervous because everything seemed to cause me MORE pain. Obviously you don’t want to do exercises that make pain worse (strain on the joint or contributing to excess movement in the joint), this is exactly how my physical therapist had me begin. A progressive routine is important to have in place, as the gradual increase will help you make strength gains and help avoid re-injury. It’s important to note, that if anything causes pain, stop immediately and go back to the week before when you were “pain free”. Perform 3-4 times a week in conjunction with the other two videos I’ve posted. Again, this is just a guideline as everyone will progress differently.
Click here to see the video.
Week one: Hip thrust (banded knees only) 3 x 50-100
Week two: Banded hip thrust (band at hips) 3 x 50-100
Week 3-5: Dumbbell hip thrust 3 x 50-100 (increase weight each week)
Week 5-7: Banded + Dumbbell hip thrust 3 x 50-100
Week 8: Begin introducing barbell hip thrust/glute bridge (increase weight weekly)
Good luck! I hope this helps. As always, feel free to message me if you have any questions.