Medical Disclaimer
The information on this page is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
🚨Emergency? If you have severe symptoms, difficulty breathing, or think it's an emergency, call 000 immediately.
Sacral Fractures (Tailbone Area Fracture)
Sacral fractures are breaks in the large triangular bone at the base of the spine (sacrum) connecting the spine to the pelvis, typically caused by high-energy trauma (car accidents, falls from height) or low-energy falls in elderly osteoporotic patients - they cause severe lower back and buttock pain, difficulty sitting or walking, and may involve nerve damage causing leg weakness or bowel/bladder problems requiring urgent treatment.
📖What is Sacral Fractures (Tailbone Area Fracture)?
Sacral fractures are breaks in the large triangular bone at the base of the spine (sacrum) connecting the spine to the pelvis, typically caused by high-energy trauma (car accidents, falls from height) or low-energy falls in elderly osteoporotic patients - they cause severe lower back and buttock pain, difficulty sitting or walking, and may involve nerve damage causing leg weakness or bowel/bladder problems requiring urgent treatment.
🔬What Causes It?
- High-energy trauma (motor vehicle accident, fall from height, motorcycle crash) in younger patients
- Low-energy falls from standing height in elderly patients with osteoporosis (fragility fractures)
- Direct blow to lower back or buttock (sports injury, assault)
- Combined pelvic ring injury (sacral fracture part of larger pelvic disruption)
⚠️Risk Factors
You may be at higher risk if:
- Osteoporosis in elderly patients (fragility sacral fractures common after simple falls)
- High-risk activities (motorcycling, contact sports, construction work)
- Previous pelvic or spinal fractures
- Female gender and postmenopausal status (osteoporotic insufficiency fractures)
- Long-term steroid use (weakens bones)
🛡️Prevention
- ✓Treat osteoporosis in elderly patients (calcium, vitamin D, bisphosphonates reduce fracture risk)
- ✓Fall prevention strategies for elderly (remove trip hazards, grab bars in bathroom, walking aids)
- ✓Wear seatbelts and use proper safety equipment (reduces high-energy trauma)
- ✓Maintain bone health with weight-bearing exercise and adequate nutrition