14 Most Common Causes of Sacroiliitis

Sacroiliitis is a health condition that causes severe inflammation of the sacroiliac joint, which is located at the base of the spine – and can often be mistaken or misinterpreted as being a pain in the hip. It affects thousands of people across the world every year and often manifests together with other related conditions such as arthritis or osteoporosis.

The condition often manifests with a considerable amount of pain in the sacroiliac joint itself, and often throughout the legs, hips and lower back at the same time. It has the potential to be debilitating, and sacroiliitis can progress when it’s left untreated for too long. 

If you’ve been diagnosed with sacroiliitis, the condition is usually easy to treat with adaptations, the use of anti-inflammatory medication and NSAIDs – sometimes surgery is needed in more severe manifestations of the condition.

Here are 8 of the most common causes of sacroiliitis to be aware of. 

1. Arthritis-Related Conditions

There are many related conditions which can be the cause of inflammation in the sacroiliac joint, and one of the most common ones are arthritis and related conditions. Arthritis affects millions of people across the world every year, and often regardless of age – though rarer, there are even many diagnosed cases of arthritis in babies and young children. 

Arthritis is a chronic health condition that causes inflammation in the joints, often in the knuckles and hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, and knees – sometimes arthritis might even directly affect the spine over time. 

Flare-ups of inflammation due to arthritis can affect all of the joints, and this includes the sacroiliac joint too. When this happens, it’s called sacroiliitis and it’s considered a related yet separate condition. 

Treating arthritis-related sacroiliitis usually means treating the underlying arthritis first before you’ll see any related relief for the inflammation in the sacroiliac joint. This is done with regular anti-inflammatory medication, lower-strain exercises, a change to a healthy diet and medication to manage pain.