Sweet bone or coccyx pain: how to understand and treat pain

Sweet bone or coccyx pain: how to understand and treat pain

Tail pain
You probably never thought about your tailbone ... until it started to hurt.

The pain in the tail bone is centered in the lower part of the spine, just above the buttocks, where this multi-segmented bone sits. The tailbone is small, but it does some important work. It helps you stabilize when you sit down. In addition, many tendons, muscles, and ligaments run through the area.

Your doctor may call your tailbone by its medical name: "tailbone." The word comes from the Greek term meaning "cuckoo". The name was given to the coccyx because the coccyx closely resembles the bird's beak.

The pain in his tailbone is called coccydynia. The pain of an injured coccyx can range from mild to severe. The pain may worsen when sitting or rising from a chair, or when lying down while sitting.

You may also feel pain when you use the bathroom or have sex. Women may feel discomfort in that area during their period. Sometimes the pain can shoot up the legs. Standing or walking should relieve pressure on the coccyx and relieve discomfort.


Why does your coccyx hurt?
Your tailbone may have started to hurt after something as simple as sitting on a hard bench or other uncomfortable surface for a long period of time. Falls and other trauma can hurt, dislocate, or break the tailbone.

Joint damage due to repetitive movements or general wear and tear caused by aging can also contribute to tailbone pain.

During the last trimester of pregnancy, the connected ligaments and around the coccyx naturally loosen to make room for the baby. That is why women are five times more likely than men to experience tailbone pain.

You are also more likely to have tailbone problems if you are overweight. But if you lose weight quickly, you will lose the padding that protects your tailbone and are therefore more likely to hurt you. In rare cases, the cause of coccyx pain may be an infection or a tumor.

What should I do if my tailbone hurts?
See your doctor if the pain is severe or lasts more than a few days. Most of the time, the pain in the coccyx is not serious. Sometimes it can be a sign of injury. In very rare cases, pain in the coccyx can be a sign of cancer.

You can get an x-ray or an MRI to look for signs of injury, such as a bone fracture or a tumor pressing on the bone. X-ray images can be taken sitting and standing to show possible problems with your tailbone in different positions.

The doctor will also feel the area for any growth that may be putting pressure on the tailbone.

How is tailbone pain treated?
Over-the-Counter Medications
The pain should go away in a few weeks, but sometimes it can take months.

You can try over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to ease discomfort until your tailbone heals. These medications include ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) or naproxen (Naprosyn). Acetaminophen (Tylenol) can also relieve pain.

For more severe pain, your doctor may inject a local anesthetic, nerve block, or steroid into the area. Some people receive a combination of anesthetics and steroid injections. You can also take an antidepressant or an anticonvulsant medication by mouth to relieve pain.

Be sure to discuss your treatment options with your doctor.

Sitting position
To ease discomfort, sit on a heating pad or ice pack, or go for a massage. How you feel also matters. Poor posture can put too much pressure on the tailbone. Sit with your back against the chair and your feet flat on the floor to remove the weight of the coccyx.

Lean forward when you go to sit. You can also sit on a special donut-shaped pillow or wedge-shaped cushion to relieve pressure in that sensitive area.

Physical therapy
A physical therapist can show you exercises to strengthen the muscles that support your tailbone. These include the stomach muscles and the pelvic floor.

You can also try a technique called "coccygeal manipulation." This is when a doctor inserts a gloved finger into your rectum and moves your tailbone back and forth to change it into position.

Surgery
Most of the time, these treatments will ease your pain until your tailbone heals.

If no treatment has worked, your doctor may recommend surgery as a last resort to remove some or all of the coccyx. This procedure is called a "coccygectomy."

Surgery doesn't always work right away. It may take time before the pain goes away. In some cases, it doesn't work at all. Surgery can also carry risks, such as infection.

Whether or not you should have surgery is a decision you should make very carefully with your doctor.

Start with pain relief measures at home, such as NSAIDs, heat, and massage. If your tailbone still hurts, see your doctor, who can help you find a treatment that works for you.