Are You Experiencing Chronic Tailbone Pain in Phoenix?

No one ever thinks twice about their tailbone, until it begins to cause you trouble. As the name would suggest, tailbone pain comes to the end of your spinal column and above your buttocks, where the tailbone or “coccyx” rests. Your coccyx is small, but it’s actually more important than you might think. Your tailbone is responsible for stabilizing you when you’re sitting. It also connects to several different tendons, ligaments, and muscles.

When you have painful discomfort in your tailbone, you are experiencing what medical professionals call coccydynia — the soreness of which can vary greatly from mild to horrible. When your tailbone is injured, you can have difficulty sitting, getting up, or even leaning back while seated.

Discomfort can persist in your day-to-day, during activities like using the bathroom or even having sex. In some cases, the discomfort is so unbearable that sufferers feel it shooting down their legs. Typically, symptoms go away when you stand or walk, but you have to be able to sit at some time! In this article, you’ll learn more about coccydynia, and how you can provide yourself with effective pain management in Phoenix.

Why Coccydynia Occurs

A tailbone injury can occur for several reasons. You may have sat down too quickly on a hard bench or a concrete surface, or simply sat in an uncomfortable seat for far too long. More obviously, you can hurt your coccyx by falling and landing on your back or buttocks. Fall trauma can result in fractures, breaks, or bruises on your tailbone. Some people experience increased tailbone discomfort as they age, as repeated motions and general wear can cause painful symptoms.

Pregnant women also tend to experience coccydynia at one point or another during their last trimester. At this time, the ligaments attached to their coccyx loosen in order to make room for the fetus, which can put a strain on the tailbone. This makes women roughly five times more likely to have coccydynia than men.

Weight issues can also attributeto coccydynia. Overweight people in Phoenix may experience back pain and buttock pain at higher rates than others. Losing weight rapidly can also leave you at risk of injury. There have also been cases of coccydynia as a result of a tumor or infection, but these instances are rare.

What to Do if Your Tailbone Hurts

If you are experiencing severe discomfort in your coccyx for more than a few days, visit your local pain clinic in Phoenix. People typically don’t have to go to the doctor for this ailment, as coccydynia normally corrects itself. But severe discomfort that won’t ease up could be a sign of a serious injury, and in some cases, cancer.

If you go to the hospital, you’ll likely undergo an X-Ray or an MRI scan to check for any visible signs of injury, like fractures or breakage. Additionally, your doctor will also check for any tumors that might be pressing against the coccyx. During X-ray testing, patients are typically asked to have X-rays taken in both standing and sitting positions. Among other reasons, doctors do this to check for alignment problems.

Treatment

Coccyx discomfort can take a few weeks to go away, although some people stop feeling symptoms after a few days. In severe cases, it can take months for the coccyx to heal properly. While you’re healing, it’s important to do everything you can to lessen your symptoms and reduce further damage.

Over-The-Counter Medications

For quick relief, you can use OTC nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicine. Drugs like Aleve (naproxen), Advil (ibuprofen), and Tylenol (acetaminophen) can all reduce swelling and relieve the discomfort you feel in your tailbone.

Stronger Medications

If your symptoms are more severe and OTC drugs aren’t doing the trick, your doctor can apply something stronger. Steroid medicine can help speed up recovery, while a local anesthetic can freeze the area completely. In some cases, patients have gotten both treatments together. Talk to your doctor about these options, as they can only be administered by a licensed medical professional.

Change Your Sitting Position

Bad posture can have a severe negative impact on your recovery and put unbearable pressure on your healing coccyx. Make sure you’re keeping all of your weight off of your tailbone by sitting upright with your back against your chair and your feet firmly on the ground. If sitting like this doesn’t help, try leaning your torso forward while seated to shift your center of gravity toward your thighs.

Sitting aids are also a good idea. If you have to sit in a firm chair, try using a thick pillow or seat cushion to avoid resting your tailbone on the hard surface. Additionally, an ice pack can help numb the pain while you’re seated. Heating pads are also a good way to de-tense the muscles around your coccyx if the discomfort is keeping you tense.

Surgery

Most of the time, surgery is unnecessary — like most breaks and fractures, your coccyx should heal on its own. However, there have been cases of damaged tailbones that required surgery. If the Coccyx is completely shattered or causing serious problems, your doctor could recommend a coccygectomy or the removal of all or part of your coccyx.

It takes time after surgery to feel completely healed and free of any soreness. Unfortunately, there are also cases in which the discomfort doesn’t go away. Surgery also comes with the risk of infection, though this risk is considerably low.

Try these home remedies for coccydynia relief and talk to your doctor if your ailment persists. Have questions about other issues like chronic neck or back pain? Your Phoenix pain clinic has all the answers you need.