Mike Johnston, RMT

02/23/2026

If you’ve ever had low back pain that feels very specific…
👉 one side only
👉 deep in the dimple area
👉 sometimes into the glute
👉 worse rolling in bed or getting out of the car

There’s a good chance your SI joint is involved.

Let’s break this down clearly.

📍 What Is the SI Joint?

The sacroiliac joint (SI joint) connects your:

Sacrum (the triangular bone at the base of your spine)
to

Ilium (the large pelvic bones on each side)

You have two of them — one on each side.

They are not meant to move much.

They are meant to:

Transfer force between your spine and your legs

Stabilize your pelvis during walking

Absorb load when you bend, lift, or twist

The SI joint is held together by very strong ligaments. It’s built for stability, not mobility.

And that’s exactly why it becomes painful.

🤔 Why Does SI Joint Pain Happen?

The SI joint hurts for one of two main reasons:

1️⃣ It’s moving too much

(Ligament irritation)

This can happen with:

- Pregnancy / postpartum

- After a fall

- After heavy lifting

- With unstable hips or weak glutes

- In people who sit long hours

The ligaments become irritated and inflamed.

Pain is usually:

- One-sided

- Sharp or burning

- Worse with rolling in bed

- Worse with standing from sitting

- Worse climbing stairs

2️⃣ It’s not moving well

(Force transfer problem)

If your hips are stiff
If your thoracic spine doesn’t rotate well
If one leg is stronger than the other

The SI joint becomes the “compensator.”

It absorbs stress it wasn’t meant to.

That irritation builds up over days or weeks.

🚨 What SI Joint Pain Is NOT

It’s not usually:

- A disc herniation

- Sciatica down the leg

- A “bone out of place”

Sometimes it can refer into the glute or upper hamstring, but it rarely travels below the knee.

🧠 How I Approach SI Joint Pain in the Clinic

This is where experience matters.

Because you don’t treat the SI joint directly.

You treat:

- The glutes

- The deep rotators

- The hip flexors

- The QL

- The surrounding fascial tension

Sometimes we use:

- Focused manual therapy

- Myofascial techniques

- RAPID Neurofascial Reset

- Specific stabilization work

But here’s the key:

👉 If it’s unstable — we stabilize it
👉 If it’s stiff — we restore movement above and below it

I am interested in restoring proper load transfer so it stops getting irritated.

🏋️‍♂️ What You Might Be Prescribed

Depending on what I find:

- Glute activation drills

- Core stability work (not sit-ups)

- Gentle extension bias work

- Hip mobility work

- Walking progression

- Modified strength training

Massage alone will not fix chronic SI pain.

But the right combination of:
✔ targeted treatment
✔ smart movement
✔ load management

…very often does.

⏳ When Should You Get It Looked At?

If your low back pain:

- Has lasted more than 7-10 days

- Is not improving

- Keeps coming back

- Is affecting sleep

- Makes getting out of the car painful

- Feels very one-sided

It’s time to stop guessing.

The longer irritated ligaments stay irritated, the more sensitive the nervous system becomes.

Early treatment = faster resolution.

📍 Final Thought

The SI joint is small.
But when it’s angry, it can make life miserable.

The good news?

It responds extremely well to the right approach.

If you’re dealing with one-sided low back pain and it’s not settling down, let’s assess it properly and build a plan.

Don’t let a small joint dictate your life.

02/22/2026

LOW BACK PAIN: WHEN SHOULD YOU ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT?

Almost everyone will experience low back pain at some point.

Most of the time, it’s not catastrophic.
It’s not a “slipped disc.”
It’s not permanent damage.

It’s irritated tissue.
It’s a sensitized nervous system.
It’s a body asking for better movement.

And in many cases, it improves within 7–10 days.

But here’s where I get concerned.

👉 If your back pain has lasted longer than 10 days
👉 If it keeps “almost” getting better but then flares again
👉 If sitting, driving, or tying your shoes still feels sharp or stiff
👉 If it’s starting to affect your sleep, mood, or ability to work

That’s the point where waiting it out is no longer a strategy.

What’s Actually Happening?

Low back pain is often a combination of:

• Muscle guarding
• Joint irritation
• Nervous system sensitivity
• Poor load tolerance
• Too much sitting
• Or sometimes too much of a new activity too quickly

Pain with coughing or sneezing?
Pain when you lift your leg?
Burning into the glute?
Sharp pain getting out of the car?

Those are common mechanical presentations I see weekly.

And no — that does not automatically mean surgery or imaging.

It usually means the area needs:

- Calm

- Precise treatment

- The right movement prescription

Not rest forever.
Not YouTube random exercises.
Not ignoring it.

The 10-Day Rule

Here’s a simple guideline I use in clinic:

If back pain hasn’t clearly improved after 10 days, it’s time to get it assessed.

Why?

Because after that window:
• Guarding patterns get reinforced
• Compensation patterns set in
• The nervous system becomes more protective
• Recovery slows

Early intervention shortens recovery dramatically.

I routinely see people who waited 6–8 weeks…
When it could have been resolved in 2–3 visits.

What We Do in Clinic (Together)

My approach is simple and clinical:

✔️ Identify the irritated structure
✔️ Reduce pain sensitivity
✔️ Restore clean movement
✔️ Give you 1–2 very specific exercises (not 12 random ones)
✔️ Reassess quickly

I am not interested in endless appointments.
I’m interested in solving the problem.

If you have had any of the these the past 10 days, book a treatment this week:

• Pain that is worsening
• Pain that radiates into the leg
• Difficulty standing upright
• Trouble sleeping because of back pain
• A history of recurring flare-ups

The longer you wait, the more the body adapts to the pain pattern.

And that’s harder to unwind.

Here’s the Bottom Line

Back pain is common.
Chronic back pain is not inevitable.

If it’s been longer than 10 days…
If you’re “managing it” instead of improving…
If you’re hoping it will just disappear…

Let’s address it properly.

You don’t need to live in a flare cycle.

Book online at www.mikejohnstonrmt.ca
Let’s calm it down and get you moving properly again.

02/20/2026

Is Your Back Just Tight… or Is It Starting to Lock Up?

Most people wait too long.

Early treatment prevents compensation patterns.

You’re seeing more low back cases lately.

If your back has been nagging you, this is a good week to address it.

Check my availability online at www.mikejohnstonrmt.ca

02/19/2026

Back pain rarely starts big. It starts small.

Most back pain doesn’t happen from one dramatic injury.
It builds from stiffness, long hours sitting, poor sleep, or small strains that never fully settle.

The earlier we address it, the easier it is to resolve.

If your back has been tight or sore for more than 10 days, it’s time to deal with it properly.

Book a treatment online: www.mikejohnstonrmt.ca

02/18/2026

I made it to the clinic this morning. It snowed a decent amount - but nothing we haven't seen before. If you need an appointment today, I'm here for ya!

Call Tasha at the front desk - 306-842-3395 or book online at www.mikejohnstonrmt.ca

02/18/2026

Honest question - how many people can you think of that is dealing with some type of back pain right now? Leave the number in the comments below.

02/17/2026

According to the forecast we are in for a decent dump of snow today. This is your friendly reminder to shovel slowly and take breaks often...or hire a teenager to clear your driveway. Are there teenagers that do that anymore??? haha

Enjoy your day!

02/14/2026

“I just slept wrong.”
“I’m just getting older.”
“It’s not that bad.”

I hear this every week.

Most people living with neck stiffness, shoulder tightness, or low back discomfort don’t think of themselves as “injured.”

It’s just everyday pain.

The kind that shows up:
• After long hours at a desk
• After driving
• After chores
• After a stressful week
• First thing in the morning

Here’s the truth:

Pain that repeats is not random.
It’s a movement problem that hasn’t been addressed.

In this clinic, I don’t just “work the sore spot.”

We assess what’s restricted.
We treat with clear intent.
We restore movement.

Short, focused, clinical treatment — not spa massage.

If you’re living at a constant 3–6/10 and just pushing through it…

You don’t have to.

📍 Weyburn
📅 Online booking available at www.mikejohnstonrmt.ca

— Mike

02/12/2026

I will be out of the office Monday. Please use my online booking site to schedule your appointment if something comes up over the weekend!

Expert Massage Therapist in Weyburn for whiplash, sciatica, frozen shoulder & plantar fasciitis. Get relief & book today!

02/11/2026

When I was growing up, my mom owned and operated a personal care home.

As a kid, I didn’t fully understand what that meant. I just knew there were seniors in the care home who needed help — help getting dressed, help walking, help eating, help feeling seen.

I grew up watching my mom care for people with dignity. I saw firsthand how important patience, gentleness, and respect are when someone’s body doesn’t move the way it once did.

That experience shaped me more than I realized at the time.

Today, as a Registered Massage Therapist, I treat dozens of seniors every month. Many are managing arthritis, joint replacements, balance changes, chronic stiffness, or simply the natural slowing that comes with age.

Massage therapy for seniors isn’t about deep pressure.
It’s about thoughtful care.

It’s about:
– Improving mobility safely
– Reducing persistent pain
– Supporting circulation
– Helping with sleep
– Preserving independence

Every treatment is adjusted carefully based on medical history, medications, and overall health.

Seniors deserve care that is unhurried, attentive, and respectful.

If you or a loved one could benefit from safe, clinically guided massage therapy, I would be honorued to help.

Serving Weyburn and surrounding area.
Online booking is available at www.mikejohnstonrmt.ca

02/09/2026

Is your smartphone or tablet giving you a headache? (Literally.)

Did you know that in a neutral position, your head weighs about 10–12 pounds? But when you tilt your head forward 45 degrees to check an email or scroll through social media, the strain on your neck increases to nearly 40 pounds!

That’s like hanging a medium-sized dog around your neck for several hours a day. 🐶 (Picture that would ya!)

This leads to what we call "Tech Neck":
❌ Constant tightness in the upper traps and shoulders.
❌ Tension headaches that start at the base of the skull.
❌ Numbness or tingling down the arms.

At the clinic, I don't just "rub the shoulders." We work on releasing the deep neck flexors and opening up the superficial and deep front lints of the fascia system that pull you forward, helping you stand taller and breathe easier.

If you find yourself dealing with daily neck and shoulder pain - it's time to consider a treatment.

Check my availability at: www.mikejohnstonrmt.ca