Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) dysfunction in athletes affects competitiveness. However, the pathology and imaging features have not been clarified.
OBJECTIVE:
To clarify the association between SIJ pain and MRI findings in high-performance athletes.
METHODS:
Fifty-two Japanese high-performance athletes with or without SIJ pain were recruited. MRI short tau inversion recovery (STIR) semi-coronal and semi-axial images of their SIJs were taken. The relationships between high-signal changes in MRI-STIR and SIJ pain and pain duration were investigated. Six athletes with continuous SIJ pain were prospectively followed.
RESULTS:
The proportion of athletes with high-signal changes in the SIJ was significantly higher among athletes with SIJ pain for one month or more (76.9%, 10/13) than among athletes with SIJ pain for less than one month (18.2%, 2/11) and among athletes without SIJ pain (28.6%, 8/28). High-signal changes on painful SIJs were most often present in the sacrum. In three of the six athletes who were prospectively followed, the high-signal area and intensity on MRI both diminished as their symptoms improved.
CONCLUSIONS:
High-signal changes of the SIJ on MRI-STIR images in high-performance athletes may reflect their SIJ pain.
Keywords
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