Coccyx Pain - How to Treat Coccyx Injury Effectively?

Internal Coccyx Injury

Have you ever heard about the internal coccyx problem? Back pain caused by the coccydynia condition can make your life miserable. Just someone who has ever suffered from such condition after a fall on a slippery floor, a skid on the ice, or a bumpy landing while doing snowboarding.

If you have such a problem and looking for some effective treatment, this article will help you with that. Coccyx pain is not completely treatable, but you can lower the pain and live a comfortable life. But before that, you must have some knowledge about the coccydynia condition, its causes, and symptoms because the treatment for coccydynia depends upon the symptoms.

What is Coccyx or Coccydynia Condition?

Coccydynia is a pain in the coccyx which is also known as the tailbone. It is the bone area at the end of the spine located between the buttocks. In layman’s language, it is called a butt ache. It is terrible pain and can become excruciating, and you will feel pain while sitting and standing up. You will feel like you are sitting on a sharp knife or a marble that rolls around.

The pain may persist for several months and will become chronic with time if not treated as soon as possible. One of the most common causes of coccyx pain is trauma or falls which damage the coccyx. In some situation, it can be treated without going through any surgical procedures. If the condition is minor, then therapies and medications will be enough to treat the condition.[1]

Understand the anatomy of the spine to know about the condition in a better way

The spine of your body contains the vertebrae which area set of bones, arranged in a special manner which supports the movement and offers required flexibility. Your body’s spine serves as the medium for transfer of information from your brain to different body parts. The coccyx is located at the end of the spinal cord.

In some cases, the bones in this area are fused. But there are people whose coccyx bones are not fused. Near the area, there are tendons and muscles which are directly connected with the bones. These muscles are responsible for carrying your weight. Any kind of damage to the bones can cause pain in your coccyx area.

Causes Behind the Coccydynia

This is one of the most common causes of coccyx pain and diagnoses as the fractured coccyx.

Another reason behind the pain is due to a coccyx which dislocates more than normal when you sit down. Such a condition may arise after a fall or injury in a vehicle accident. The actual cause may be unknown but this disorder is responsible for 55% of cases of coccyx damage and pain.

The joints which are located around the pelvis become flexible during childbirth, the coccyx can be pushed out or dislocate from the position. It can cause severe pain in your tailbone.

You can feel pain in your coccyx after an extensive rowing activity or bicycle riding.

In such condition, you will find the bone pints more forward than the normal condition or angled forward around 60 to 70 degrees. This is something greater than the normal condition. It causes pain in that area.

Statistical records have shown that around 14 percent of patients suffering from such condition due to bone spur or spicule.

This area helps the body from a standing to a sitting position. When muscle spasms occur, it develops pressure in the area where the gluteus is attached to the coccyx.

The piriformis muscle spreads horizontally from your lower spine to the top. It goes through the sciatic nerve and muscle spasm develop pan in the hip. You may feel severe pain while sitting.

A birth defect, in this the abscess develops at the end of the tailbone. That causes pressure, pain, and inflammation in the coccyx area. The pilonidal cyst generally removed from the area through a surgery.

Coccyx Injury Symptoms

• You will feel severe localized pain in your tailbone area.
• If it is traumatic, you may see a bruise in your coccyx area.
• The pain will become severe when sitting for a long period, or when you put direct pressure on your tailbone area.
• You will feel pain while moving and straining.
• During sexual intercourse, some women may feel pain in their coccyx area.

Coccyx pain has various characteristics. It develops at different times and in multiple sites. It can arise gradually or suddenly. If it is persistent, some patients may suffer from depression, sore feet from too much standing, and lack of sleep leading to exhaustion. That’s why people seek for coccyx pain treatment as soon as they feel pain in their coccyx area.[2]

Diagnosis of Pain in the Coccyx

• A perfect diagnosis of pain in coccyx is very important for doctors to determine effective coccyx pain treatment. Some conditions may mimic tailbone pain. So, to come out with effective treatment, the doctor may ask you for an in-depth medical history to learn of any past damage to the tailbone.
• The doctor may go for some physical tests like palpation which is a feeling the affected area to detect any abnormalities or soreness.
• In some cases, the doctor may go for X-rays, or CT scans or even bone scans to detect whether there is any damage to your coccyx area or not. However, X-rays may not reveal the injuries. Some doctors will ask you for X-rays in both the standing and seated positions to determine the fracture or dislocation.

When to Seek Medical Treatment?

To get effective coccyx pain relief, you must consult the doctor as soon as possible. If you have the signs mentioned above, then you may have a coccyx injury. Contact your doctor now. It may be necessary for the doctor to decide if the injury is traumatic or other problems cause it. Such a condition very rarely requires a visit to the emergency department. However, if you are concerned about your symptoms, it will be better to visit your nearest hospital for coccyx pain treatment.

Treatments for Coccydynia Condition

Home remedies that you can follow:

As such a condition can be extremely painful, you can use some home remedies for coccyx pain relief.

• Don’t sit down for long periods in one particular position. Besides, don’t sit on hard surfaces and alternate sitting on each side of the buttocks. While sitting, lead forward for some time to direct the weight away from the coccyx area.
• If you have suffered from traumatic injuries, use some ice and rub in on the affected area for around 10 to 20 minutes. Apply the ice four times a day and continue for some days.
• You can take NSAIDs or Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs, for example, aspirin or ibuprofen to lower the pain and improve your ability to move.  However, such medicines are not good for those people who have some kidney related diseases. First, consult the doctor and take medicine as per the direction. If you have some kidney diseases, you can take acetaminophen, which lowers the pain but does not reduce the level of inflammation.

• You can use coccyx cushions for coccyx pain relief. They are made of different materials which help in preventing direct pressure on the coccyx or tailbone. You can buy a doughnut cushion which comes with a hole in the middle to prevent the coccyx from contacting the surface.

There are some coccyx cushions which use air, making them the most portable. You can adjust the cushions by adding or reducing the amount of air to get better comfort. There are also polyurethane foam cushions which are quite affordable and will not flattens when being used.

• Always eat food that carry high fiber to soften stools. Such foods will prevent constipation.
• In severe condition, you may need to go through surgery. The surgery process is called as coccygectomy. Under this, the doctor will remove the coccyx. This option is only recommended when other treatments fail.

Follow-up After the Coccyx Injury

The doctors recommend follow-up and it depends on the severity of the injury. The doctor also considers the progress you are making through medical treatment. Most of the people never require follow-up, only if the condition is improving after the medical treatments. But those who have chronic coccyx pain and medical treatment or therapy have not worked, they require more frequent follow-up and can be referred to other medical specialists.

References

1..https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/tailbone-pain-coccydynia/treatment/

2..https://www.mayoclinic.org/tailbone-pain/expert-answers/faq-20058211

3..https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318064.php