Oh hey everybody.
It's doctor Jo and Doctor Jen.
And today we're gonna talk about SI Belts and Maternity Belts.
So let's get started.
So I've got Dr. Jen with me, and she specializes in the pelvic floor, AND she's got a baby
on the way.
SO she's my special assistant in talking about a maternity belt.
But actually a maternity belt and an SI belt are the same thing.
So tell me a little bit about the pelvic floor stuff first and what you do.
Wonderful.
So I am a pelvic floor physical therapist.
Just like Jo I treat people who have pain, weakness, or sort of difficulty moving in
their daily life, but I specialize in people who are having problems with bowel, bladder,
and sexual disfunction.
This can be men, women, kids, and it often includes the pre and postpartum population.
So we're here today to talk about how you can get a little bit of relief from your day-to-day
life without having to add a ton of exercise or limiting yourself in any particular way.
Yeah.
And what's great about the SI Belts is you don't have to be pregnant.
You might have some issues with alignment and your SI joint or just in the pelvic floor
in general.
Yes.
So I can use it, you can use it.
So tell me a little about when you would use it.
Yes.
So I first want to show you where the SI is.
So do you mind turning around for just a second?
So the SI is different than your low back.
Traditionally this is low back.
Right?
Where we kind of get that little curve at the base of our spine.
A little bit lower is our sacrum or the triangle shaped bone, and it connects the two sides
of the pelvis together.
Where the pelvis connects to the sacrum is called your sacroiliac joint.
And what happens is whether you're like Jo and maybe you've been in a car accident or
have some sort of trauma and you're not pregnant, you can start to experience pain right at
the SI joint.
Or if you're like me (you can go ahead and turn around, tadah!), whose had a little bit
of weight gain from the baby.
Maybe some postural changes just from some heaviness in the front.
Then all of the sudden you might be experiencing so SI pain, and this SI belt is perfect for
you.
It is very very different than a low back brace.
I think we've all see those braces that you kind of just throw on here.
Strap it on.
You might have seen a big guy in the gym using it.
Or workers at Costco using it because their on their feet for long periods of time.
That may be appropriate for low back pain, but this is specific to the SI joints themselves.
And so a lot of time with SI joint pain like DR Jen was saying, it kind of goes down into
the butt.
It's a very sharp, sometimes point tender pain right there, but it can radiate down
just a little bit.
Absolutely.
So for someone like Jo or myself who may want to try and SI belt, the whole point is to
give you some external stability while you're primarily standing and doing things maybe
around the home or at work.
It's not really beneficial if you're sitting for long periods of time and it might actually
be a little uncomfortable, but if you have to run to the grocery store or you're working
as a cashier for several hours, it really is perfect for you.
So the whole point is to get some external stability around your pelvic girdle.
And so what's happening basically is that the SI belt is hugging the pelvic girdle.
You want to make sure that you find the top of the pelvis.
Which is kind of right where those bones are and you can rest you hands on the top of the
hips or pelvis.
Ok.
And then you want to find the pubic bone which is down a little bit lower in the front.
And you want to find a place right in between.
Ok?
Again, not way up here in the low back, right?
Go ahead and pull that down for me a little bit, Jo.
And I'm gonna find the top of the hip bones, the pubic bone, and I'm gonna find right in
the middle.
Ok?
Go ahead and turn around.
You want to make sure the sacrum, not the low back, is supported.
So my triangle shaped bone is supported.
I may pull that down just a hair.
And then from there you tighten to your comfort.
So most SI belts have some sort of velcro strap, where you can tighten and give yourself
that support.
So go ahead and try that Jo.
Alright.
I like to make sure it's nice firm and tight.
Yeah, absolutely.
And that's all there is to it.
So we're showing you over our clothing, but you could put this under your shirt, that
way no body would have to see it.
If you don't care (cause it's stylish), it doesn't matter.
Look how cool they are.
So same rules apply for the pregnant woman.
The only difference is that my belly's a little bit closer to my pubic bone, so you may have
a little bit more difficulty fitting it in the front, but same rules apply.
So finding the top of my hip bones or the top of my pelvis.
Finding the pubic bone in the front or the bottom of my pelvis.
Somewhere in between.
And then making sure that that triangle shaped bone is covered by my brace.
Ok?
Yep.
From there this is a little bit different belt, this is called the SI lock.
I have two opportunities to tighten up.
I really like this one for pregnant women, just because it does give you support side
to side.
This is a perfect SI belt for somebody who maybe isn't pregnant and doesn't need a ton
of stability, but for a woman who's really feeling some pressure or heaviness here, getting
a little bit more support on each side can be more beneficial.
And it feels like a hug.
You don't want it to be cutting off circulation in there.
So make sure you can stick a finger through on the sides there.
But you do want it to be really snug like a hug.
Yep.
Exactly.
And it's being your external muscles.
So the next thing that you need to do after you have an SI belt that fits and feels good.
It tells you you need to get your muscles a little bit stronger.
So hop on Dr. Jo's YouTube channel and find some safe, pain free exercises to do to strengthen
your core, your hips, and your pelvis.
Awesome.
And you do recommend sometimes if it's really out of alignment, causing pain, to do the
exercises with this belt on.
Absolutely.
Really, really great point It will give you that stability.
And then you can strengthen in an appropriate, pain free range.
Absolutely.
Awesome.
So there you have it.
Those are the SI belts.
The maternity belts.
Kind of sexy, kind of not, who's to say.
If you'd like to help support my channel, make sure and click on the link over by Dr.
Jen.
And don't forget to subscribe by clicking down there.
Somewhere down there.
And remember, be safe, have fun, and I hope you feel better soon.