Thread by @BadgleyLaurence

Unilateral dominance of chronic pain & disability is something I commonly see in the #fibromyalgia patients I study. My theory is that they injure one side of their low back. The explanation seems to be in the pelvis...

The pelvic girdle is a bony ring & is platform for the spine. When the pelvis is fractured it commonly breaks in two places on the ring. However, forces that are not strong enough to fracture bone can tear ligaments.

When pelvic joint ligaments are injured, it usually occurs to one of the sacroiliac joints (SIJ). My guess is that impact of injury springs one joint first; tearing ligaments here first & this defuses/decompresses force from injuring other SIJ; protecting it.

Once a unilateral SIJ becomes injured, this evokes an unstable pelvic platform & spine assumes a functional scoliosis to maintain a medial body center of gravity. Usually, shoulder on injured SIJ side tilts lower (seen in mirror); evoking a tilted head.

Over time, chronic low back pain becomes accompanied by upper back pain, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, TMJ & associated muscle tension HA, & Migraines.

An injured pelvic bony ring hurts when lying in bed due to mattress ground force transiting around ring to the loose SIJ; stretching ligaments. This does not happen with lumbar spine injury pain, which improves lying down.

Even the knee under a loose SIJ takes a beating (supporting a loose hemi-pelvis) & oft develops a chronic painful knee compartment syndrome on same side. The elbow on the tilted side gets lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow).

Persons with this constellation of aches & pains sleep poorly & non-restoratively; leading to depression & cognitive disarray (fogginess). This constellation of symptoms has been labeled, “Fibromyalgia”.

SUMMARY: if the vector of gravity did not direct from heavens toward center of earth, we would not see predominantly unilateral disabilities in persons with #HSD & #Fibromyalgia.