Associated symptoms

A fracture is usually accompanied by severe pain radiating into the buttocks, resulting in a relieving posture with flexion of the hip to relieve the affected side. Pain is also usually more intense when sitting or when getting up from a sitting position.If surrounding nerves are injured, such as the pudendal nerve, it can lead to sensitivity disorders of the skin in the genital and perineal area, for example. An inflammation leads to the typical cardinal symptoms such as redness in the area of the inflammation, pain, overheating, swelling and loss of function.

The individual symptoms can occur to a greater or lesser extent and are individually different. In rare cases, tumors are responsible for pain in the ischium. Here, so-called B-symptoms such as fever, night sweats and severe weight loss can be observed. If these symptoms occur, a doctor should be consulted.

Tendinitis

Tendinitis is an inflammation of the tendon itself or the tendon sheaths, the tissue surrounding the tendons, become inflamed. These inflammations often occur in athletes who have not warmed up muscles and tendons sufficiently before the activity. Of course, they can also be caused by overloading or unaccustomed strain.

Inflammation of the tendons on the ischium is relatively common as a result of sporting activity. The friction of the tendons over the nearby bone can also cause inflammation. This occurs, for example, in malpositions that are transmitted to the ischium through spinal or hip malpositions.

In rare cases, an inflammation is caused by a bacterial infection. Since tendonitis often causes little discomfort at first, it is not treated at all or not treated sufficiently and the pain worsens as it progresses. This can then lead to calcium deposits between the tendon and the bone and to degeneration of the tendon, which then requires a difficult and lengthy treatment.

Diagnosis

In the case of pain in the ischium or ischial tuberosity, a physical examination follows after a specific questioning (anamnesis) regarding symptoms, course and possible origin of the injury. During the anamnesis, questions regarding sporting activity are therefore very important. It is also important to know whether a job involving a lot of sitting is performed in order to further limit the diagnosis or the cause of pain.

In the case of pain in the ischium, this is most noticeable when sitting. In addition, pain is often described on the lower buttocks or on the back of the thigh. In order to rule out a fracture of the ischium, an x-ray of the pelvis can be taken. CT or MRT may be necessary to confirm a suspicion.