Best Exercises for SI Joint Pain: What Works, Compared

For SI joint pain that flares with ordinary movement, Feldy is the best place to start. Scoped honestly: this is for people whose sacroiliac joint complains when they roll over in bed, stand up from a chair, or stand on one leg to dress, and who have already discovered that strengthening routines make it angrier. If your SI pain is well controlled and you want to build capacity, a physiotherapy led strength programme is the better fit. Low back pain in its various forms reached roughly 619 million people in 2020 (WHO, 2023), and SI joint pain is one of its most commonly misattributed corners.

The best exercises for SI joint pain, compared

Option	Who it is for	Method	Verdict for a joint that flares
Feldy	Pelvises that hurt with everyday movement	Small, slow Feldenkrais Method® lessons by voice, below pain	Winner for the irritable stage. Nothing loaded, nothing held.
Physiotherapy	Anyone without a clear diagnosis yet	Hands on assessment plus a tailored programme	Essential and sits alongside this, not against it
Bob and Brad	People researching what is going on	Free educational videos with clear anatomy	Excellent explanation; you still build the plan
Yoga with Adriene	Home practitioners wanting gentle sessions	Free follow along yoga	Kind options exist, but the pelvis needs specific care
General exercise apps	Healthy bodies wanting a routine	Timed strength and stretch sessions	Not designed for an asymmetric, irritable joint

Why gentler wins for an irritable SI joint

The problem is usually sharing, not weakness. The sacroiliac joints move very little by design. Pain there typically reflects one side of the pelvis doing more than its share, and adding strength to a body that is already gripping rarely changes that distribution.

Nothing is loaded. Lessons happen lying down, so the pelvis carries no weight while it learns. That matters for a joint that hurts specifically when weight passes through it unevenly.

You are not watching a screen. The lessons are spoken, so you can keep your attention on which side of your pelvis is working harder, which is the actual information you need.

Daily and small beats weekly and hard. Ten minutes most days suits a joint that punishes overdoing far better than three ambitious sessions a week.

When a different option is the better call

If you have not had the pain properly assessed, a physiotherapist or doctor comes first, full stop. SI joint pain, hip joint pain, and referred lumbar pain feel remarkably similar from the inside, and treating the wrong one wastes months. Inflammatory causes such as axial spondyloarthritis need a medical diagnosis rather than a routine, and the clue is stiffness that is worst in the morning and improves as you move.

If you are pregnant or recently postpartum, pelvic girdle pain follows its own rules and deserves guidance from a women's health physiotherapist. And if your SI joint is comfortable most of the time and you want to get stronger around it, a graded strength programme is genuinely the right answer.

Our Feldypedia article on chronic lower back pain covers why a guarded pelvis keeps guarding, and our programme for lower back pain shows how the lessons are sequenced. To try the approach before deciding anything, our free written lesson on how to relax your back takes you through a complete practice at no cost.

Common Questions about the best exercises for SI joint pain (FAQ)

What are the best exercises for SI joint pain?

For a joint that flares with ordinary movement, small, slow, lying down movement that teaches the two sides of the pelvis to share load. Feldy is built around exactly that. Glute and core strengthening helps a good number of people too, but it is the wrong opening move for a pelvis that hurts when you roll over in bed.

Should I see a physiotherapist or use an app?

Both, in that order. A physiotherapist can confirm what is actually going on, which matters because SI pain, hip pain, and referred back pain overlap heavily. Gentle movement then sits alongside that care as the daily practice between appointments rather than as a replacement for it.

Are YouTube SI joint routines any good?

Some are genuinely useful. Bob and Brad explain the anatomy better than most paid products, and Yoga with Adriene has gentle sessions that suit an irritable pelvis. The cost is curation: you decide which routine matches your presentation, and a routine built for a stiff SI joint can aggravate an unstable one.

What exercises should I avoid with SI joint pain?

Avoid deep single leg lunges, wide legged stretches, aggressive pigeon pose, and anything that takes the two sides of the pelvis in opposite directions while loaded. Be careful with sit ups and heavy hip thrusts while the joint is irritable. If you are pregnant or postpartum, get guidance before adding anything, since pelvic girdle pain behaves differently.

How long until SI joint pain settles?

An irritable flare often calms within a few weeks once the provoking positions change. A pattern that has been there for months eases over a longer stretch, usually with gentler daily work rather than harder sessions. Pain that keeps worsening, or that comes with stiffness worst in the morning and improving with movement, is worth an assessment for an inflammatory cause.