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DESCRIPTION:
The coccyx, or tailbone, is the last bone of the vertebral column, and usually consists of three to five fused vertebrae that connect with the sacrum, a part of the pelvis. Pain in or around the coccyx is called coccygodynia, or tailbone pain. The pain usually radiates to the lower sacral and perineal areas of the body. Frequently affecting women more than men, the condition has both acute and chronic forms. Some believe that the syndrome has a significant psychological basis.
How does coccygodynia or tailbone pain develop?
Coccygodynia can be caused by a number of factors. Usually, patients report pain after a fall onto their buttocks. This is referred to as acute coccygodynia. Chronic coccygodynia, on the other hand, usually occurs after damage to the sacrococcygeal ligaments due to a difficult pregnancy, delivery, repeated trauma, or from repetitive strain from rowing, cycling or faulty posture while sitting. Some also cite anal intercourse as the cause of pain. In many cases, pain derives from a malformation of the coccyx itself. Sometimes bony spurs appear on the coccyx, but only seem to be painful in thin patients who do not have the padding to protect the region from the spur. Other causes of coccygodynia include cancer or damage to the sacrum that generates referred pain, meaning pain that appears in one region but originates from another. Muscle strain or tension, pinched nerves or damaged nerves, or dislocation of the coccyx due to gross obesity are additional causes.
What are the symptoms of coccygodynia or tailbone pain?
The most common symptom of coccygodynia is pain when sitting, or when rising from a seated position. It is often experienced as a burning pain in the rectal area. If the condition lasts long enough, the patient may even experience pain when standing or lying down. Numbness occasionally occurs in the lower part of the spine. Some patients may experience pain during bowel movements, sexual intercourse or menstruation. Secondary symptoms include back pain from sitting in odd positions in order to relieve pain, and painful feet from standing too much, because patients avoid sitting. Sometimes the entire buttocks experience pain. In rare cases, exhaustion, depression and lack of sleep can also result.
Conventional medical treatments may help relieve the symptoms of coccygodynia, but they do not address the root of the problem. By strengthening structural weaknesses in the body, as natural medicine treatments like Prolotherapy do, pain associated with coccygodynia may be alleviated permanently.
Discover why we believe that natural medicine treatments are the best way to treat tailbone pain.
Click here to read Prolotherapy research by Dr. Ross Hauser and his team on Prolotherapy injections for low back pain.
Click here to read one of our published case reports on a long-distance runner who was helped at Caring Medical with Prolotherapy injections for low back and ischial tuberosity pain.
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