Magnetic resonance imaging findings related to sacroiliac joint pain in high-performance athletes.

Abstract

Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) dysfunction in athletes affects competitiveness. However, the pathology and imaging features have not been clarified. To clarify the association between SIJ pain and MRI findings in high-performance athletes. 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. 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. High-signal changes of the SIJ on MRI-STIR images in high-performance athletes may reflect their SIJ pain.