There are several causes of sacrum joint pain. The sacrum or sacroiliac joint is situated close to the tailbone and responsible for connecting the hip bones with the sacrum which is a big, triangle-shaped bone at the base of the spine. The sacrum joint has limited movement than the other spinal joints and are strongly reinforced by the ligaments. On the other hand, the sacrum joint is considered as a common spot for discomfort and low back pain among many individuals.
Inequality of the leg length
If there is inequality in the leg length, it can cause sacrum joint pain or discomfort. Based on studies conducted, any inequality in the leg length can cause running injuries. There are types of leg length inequality that causes sacrum joint pain – functional and structural.
The structural leg length inequality is caused by the actual anatomical shortening of one or several bones in the lower extremity. As for a functional inequality of the leg length, it is caused by muscular imbalance or weakness, stiffness of the pelvis and other causes. The sacrum joint pain due to leg inequality is usually felt on the short extremity side and accompanied by pain on the region of the knee facing away from the body, pain, Achilles tendinitis and trochanteric bursitis.
Inflammatory joint disease
Inflammatory joint disease can cause sacrum joint pain. The common causes of sacrum joint pain include osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory condition characterized by pain and gradual stiffness in the spinal joints including sacrum joint pain.
Osteoarthritis which is a degenerative joint disease is common among the elderly. Sacrum joint osteoarthritis usually involves bone spurs that bridge the ilia with the sacrum. Rheumatoid arthritis is a painful chronic inflammatory condition that can affect the sacrum joint and quite common among women than men. This condition affects the sacrum joints early in the disease process, resulting to inflammation and pain. As time passes by, the disease progresses in which the vertebrae fuses thus increasing the risk for spinal fractures. You can learn more about these types of arthritis by enrolling in a first aid class today.
Dysfunction of the sacroiliac joint
The dysfunction of the sacrum can lead to sacrum joint pain. There are certain spinal and hip movements, compressive forces or stretching applied on the sacrum joint and the surrounding ligaments. If the forces applied are too excessive for the joint to accommodate, it results to sacrum joint injury or dysfunction. The dysfunction can be instigated by movements that involve the low back and pelvic structures such as lifting, sitting, bending or twisting. The sacrum joint injury and dysfunction can occur right away if triggered by trauma or gradually if caused by constant forces applied on the affected joint over a span of time.