Foundation First

What is the Sacrum?

The sacrum, more commonly known as the tailbone, is a triangular shaped bone located in your low back wedged between the pelvis.  It is often considered the foundation of the spinal column.  When humans are born, the tailbone is five individual segments that act and function similar to the other bones in the low back.  As we grow, the bones slowly come together and begin to fuse, eventually becoming one solid bone.  This process begins late in the first year of life.  In between and surrounding these five segments, there are nerves that exit and supply muscles to the legs, feet, reproductive organs, the digestive tract and much more!  When segments of the sacrum shift out of proper alignment, pressure is put on these nerves causing dysfunction to those muscles, tissues and organs.   

Sacrum Development

When bones are put under stress, or a load, they remodel, adapt and become stronger.  This reaction occurs due to the environment they are put under.  Julius Wolff founded this idea in the 19th century and it is now known as Wolff’s Law.  Understanding Wolff’s Law is important to the development of the sacrum.  It is around the time we begin to crawl and walk that the five individual segments mentioned previously begin to fuse together to form one bone, the sacrum.  This process could potentially speed up or slow down depending on when we actually start crawling, walking and how much we start walking! This process is entirely specific to you and your body. In other words, your sacrum may develop at a different rate and needs to be treated differently.  

 Research from the Department of Neurosurgery at Vanderbilt University states that the sacrum is one of the most variable bones in the spine.  First and foremost, it varies tremendously from male to female.  The development of the female sacrum is wider and has less of a curve, which increases the size of the pelvis inlet in preparation for the birthing process.  Despite differences in sex, there are many developmental malformations that can occur in the sacrum because of the formation process.    

A study of 105 patients ranging from newborns to young adults, as old as age thirty, was done with the objective to examine the anatomy and development of the sacrum.  The study took CT and MRI scans of each individual’s sacrum to determine when fusion was complete.  It was noted that the sacrum can hold up to 60 different ossification centers throughout the five segments.  These ossification centers are where bone formation occurs.  All of the variability in bone development may lead to growth centers of the sacrum closing as late as age 27!  27 years of falling, tripping, sitting, and landing on your sacrum all leaves a lot of time for structural misalignments.  

Chiropractic Care

It is estimated by the age of two, humans fall on the sacrum well over 2000 times.  All of these falls potentially create structural misalignments for our children and may impact the growth and development of the rest of the spine.  It is important when looking at the spine to start by examining your foundation; after all, it bears the load of your entire spinal column.  Specific chiropractic adjustments to the sacrum can correct structural misalignments and positively affect the entire spine and nervous system.  By removing these shifts in your foundational structure, we are allowing the brain and the body to communicate without interference.  It is with this structural correction that may lead to the resolution of secondary issues, including but not limited to bedwetting, menstrual issues, and pain.  

Sources:

Adolph, Karen E., et al. “How Do You Learn to Walk? Thousands of Steps and Dozens of Falls per Day.” Psychological Science, vol. 23, no. 11, 2012, pp. 1387–1394., doi:10.1177/0956797612446346.

Broome, D R, et al. “Postnatal Maturation of the Sacrum and Coccyx: MR Imaging, Helical CT, and Conventional Radiography.” American Journal of Roentgenology, vol. 170, no. 4, 1998, pp. 1061–1066., doi:10.2214/ajr.170.4.9530059.

Cheng, Joseph S., and John K. Song. “Anatomy of the Sacrum.” Neurosurgical Focus, vol. 15, no. 2, Aug. 2003, pp. 1–4., doi:10.3171/foc.2003.15.2.3.

Marty, C., Boisaubert, B., Descamps, H. et al. Eur Spine J (2002) 11: 119. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-001-0349-7

Gray, Henry. Anatomy of the human body. Vol. 8. Lea & Febiger.