Osteitis i pelvis, en belastningsmarkör - Inflammatoriska bäckenförändringar ur ett tvärvetenskapligt perspektiv

Sammanfattning: Osteitis in the pelvis, is an inflammation that can be recognized as pits, furrows and hollows in the bone. In osteology, these are primarily considered to be caused by births and pregnancies. In recent years, these changes has mainly received attention in the sports medicine and has then been associated with an increase of load in the ligaments and muscles in the pelvic region. This investigation is based on multidisciplinary perspectives, in order to receive a greater understanding about which individuals are being affected by these changes, and why. Osteological analyses were made at 47 medieval skeletons from Helsingborg and Löddeköpinge in western Scania, in order to investigate if the pits were present. Since load is considered to be a main factor in the emergence of these pits in athletes, the osteological analysis were focused on various types of stress-related changes in lumbar spine, hip and knee joints to investigate whether any relationship could be seen between osteitis in the pelvis and load-indicating changes. The osteological analysis showed that many of the studied skeletons had developed osteitis, and it was not only women who were affected, therefore, pregnancies and childbirth is not the only cause of action. The investigation also showed that individuals with osteitis in the pelvis were more often affected by osteoarthritis than those individuals who had no inflammation. This indicates that individuals with osteitis in the pelvis also had been exposed to high loads. The osteological analysis revealed that osteitis was significantly more common among women than men. One explanation could be that women had been exposed to a different type of stress than men. Pregnancy or childbirth may contribute to these infections, but these changes should not be seen as a sign of childbirth in itself; but as the result of an increased load, instability, trauma or infection.