Pain in the tailbone. This is what causes it: Pain in the tailbone is a consequence caused by a wrong sitting position, overload, congenital hyper flexibility, a heavy childbirth, being seated on a saddle for hours or a fall on the bum. This can cause the tailbone to be tilted. Pain or issues in the tailbone can be very uncomfortable. We also call those issues coccygodynia. This is also the name of the tailbone, which is a joint. You might have not expected it, but the tailbone is a joint in your pelvic girdle. It probably wouldn’t surprise you that tailbone pain can be found around and near the tailbone, but you can also experience this pain in the lower back or sit bones because tailbone pain can spread out.
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Tailbone pain is a type of pain that nobody likes to experience. You use the tailbone area more often than you realize. Think of sitting, lying down but also walking and walking the stairs are movements that keep your tailbone busy. Tailbone pain is an issue that can occur more often than you think, with women and men. I’ve looked up and summed up as much information about the tailbone as I could find. Have fun reading and hopefully some questions have been answered when you’re done.
Tailbone pain (coccygodynia) is a common issue.
What is the tailbone?
The tailbone is a bone at the far end of your back bones. Your tailbone is the little dip above your natal cleft. It once was the intention that we would be having a tail, this means that you’re able to slightly move your tailbone. There’s a small joint in your tailbone which makes it possible. But don’t start sweeping your shortened tail in the living room because the movement that’s left in your tailbone is very minimal. The muscles that are connected to your tailbone are the pelvic floor muscles, the muscle group at the bottom of your pelvis. These pelvic floor muscles make sure that your organs stay in place and are responsible for opening and closing your anus, vagina and urethra.
But if your tailbone basically doesn’t have a function anymore and you can’t really use it, then what is tailbone pain?
What is tailbone pain?
Tailbone pain is more common than you think and can occur with both women and men. Tailbone pain is officially called coccygodynia. Not something to really remember but something fun to know nonetheless.
Tailbone pain often means that the tissue around the tailbone is irritated, for example because of damage or unnecessary tension. There can also have been an issue in the tailbone for years which is quietly manifesting itself in the pelvis.
The tailbone is a kind of conjunction of a lot of muscles, ligaments and tendons. If there is a prolonged muscle tension on the tailbone, the muscles, ligaments and tendons can become irritated and overloaded. This often causes you to have pain. You will notice that most of the pain you experience will increase over the course of the day.
Tailbone pain causes
If you’re experiencing tailbone pain then it often means that you’ve experienced a fall beforehand. Your tailbone could be broken or have a tear. Think of accidentally sitting next to your chair, falling from the stairs or falling on your bum during ice skating. Going through childbirth can also do a number on your tailbone. Apart from these physical causes, your tailbone can also become inflamed. Your tailbone is actually a joint. The ligaments in a joint can become inflamed through an overload. Though this doesn’t always have to mean that your pain is directly coming from your tailbone, because every other pelvic floor muscle or ligament can also cause pain.
Over 20% of the global population has experienced tailbone pain. It’s very hard to find one cause of the tailbone pain. The issues can express themselves years later down the line, and you often don’t remember how or when you’ve fallen. The one thing that’s for certain is that when tailbone pain is present, surrounding muscles will cramp up. These are the remaining pelvic floor muscles at the bottom of your pelvis. It can become the cause that your tailbone pain will develop other issues, in the worst case you can think of developing fecal or urinal incontinence or obstipation.
Sometimes a tailbone can become tilted. This can cause a lot of uncomfortable issues in your muscles and ligaments. Visit the doc in any of these cases to be able to determine the exact cause of your pain. Normally you have to keep childbirth, a fall, a fracture or inflammation in mind.
I will sum up a few causes for you.
The 7 most common causes of tailbone pain
The causes for tailbone pain are very widespread, below are the 7 most common causes:
- A fall or an accident, causing the tailbone to get damaged.
- A fracture in the tailbone or a dislocation of the tailbone.
- An inflammation in the tendons in and around the tailbone joints.
- A pregnancy where the hormones cause the tendons and ligaments to become weaker, around the tailbone too.
- A childbirth where the baby passes the tailbone and causes the tendons to be overstretched.
- Sitting in a wrong position for a longer period of time, causing the tendons to be overstretched and irritated.
- Your tailbone being tilted.
- Sometimes the exact causes can’t be retraced anymore, so a not having a direct cause is common as well.
A lot of issues come from having a tilted tailbone. This can be caused by using the tailbone wrong or falling on your tailbone. The tailbone is a conjunction for a lot of different muscles and tendons. If the tailbone isn’t positioned right, some muscles and tendons are being unnecessarily overstretched. This can cause a variety of issues.
Next to the causes of tailbone pain, there are also the most common symptoms and issues. I have found a lot, so feel free to continue reading!
The most common issues with tailbone pain
You often feel tailbone pain when you sit. But also when you walk or stand up it can feel very uncomfortable. You can say that whenever pressure is being put on your tailbone, you’ll experience pain. You can find some relief by using a pillow or by frequently changing your position.
You often feel the pain right above your anus, right around the visible dip. You often can’t sit properly, especially not on a firm chair. Cycling or standing up from your chair won’t be fun at all either. When you stand up from your chair, you’re putting pressure on the seat with your bum, and the saddle is often touching your tailbone when you’re cycling. Walking the stairs and having sex is often very painful as well.
Let’s put together the most common issues and symptoms of tailbone pain.
The 11 most common symptoms and issues with tailbone pain:
- Pain when sitting upright.
- Pain when standing up from a chair or bed.
- Pain during sex.
- Radiating pain to the legs or lower back, coming from the tailbone.
- Pain with activities like: walking the stairs, exercising or cycling.
- Pain in the middle of the bum, right above your natal cleft or anus.
- You experience less tailbone pain when you’re leaning on one side of your bum.
- Pain in the sit bones.
- Problems with pooping and feces.
- Problems with urinal incontinence.
- Pain when you touch the tailbone or around the tailbone.
If you’re experiencing one of those issues, I would look for help if I were you. The earlier you seek help, the shorter your list of symptoms remains. But I hear you think, who do I go to for help and what does it mean?
What you can do for tailbone pain
Tailbone pain often is an underrated issue. A lot of specialists aren’t even aware of the tailbone. Tailbone pain can have a huge impact on your daily life. The longer you wait, the worse your issues can become. You won’t be able to sit, sleep, walk stairs or cycle comfortably anymore.
The best thing you can do in every situation is to go to the doc. The doctor can perform the first examination. You will notice quickly that the doc will think about a physical therapist or exercise therapist when he states your tailbone pain. Some physical therapists or exercise therapists are great specialists when it comes to pelvic issues and issues in or around the pelvic girdle.
These specialized physical and exercise therapists will be able to harness tailbone pain. You’ll feel the effect immediately. Contact a specialized therapist to make an appointment and to discuss your tailbone issues.
What can you expect from a tailbone pain treatment?
When you visit a specialized pelvic physical therapist or a pelvic exercise therapist for the first time, an interview will take place, also called the anamnesis. With an anamnesis a pelvic physical or exercise therapist will ask about your issues and they will be curious to your request. What would you like to achieve with this treatment? This is often a half or a whole treatment.
After the flurry of questions, an examination will take place. You will have to perform a couple of specific movements. The therapist would like to examine the tailbone themselves as well. They will do this with light touches. Do mention to them when it’s painful, the therapist will quit what they’re doing. Generally, everything that will be done will be painless. But do keep voicing yourself when you feel something and what you feel.
If it so happens that the examination concludes that your tailbone is tilted, it can be corrected on the spot. A pelvic therapist can do this by externally pushing your tailbone back to its right position. This can sting for a bit, but you will notice the difference quickly. After the correction of a tilted tailbone the issues will decrease, either instantly or quickly. Generally the correction of the tailbone is always being done from the outside of the body. It can be possible that the therapist chooses to do a palpation through the anus, but that’s only the case in extreme situations. You can also let them know if you aren’t comfortable with that.
After a correction, or if a correction wasn’t needed, you will be given some exercises to do. These are often focused on pelvic floor muscles, the back and/or the abdomen. These muscles are connected with each other and make sure that your pelvic girdle is stable and healthy.
Your posture can also be examined. Your posture has a lot of effect on your tailbone. If you’re sitting in a wrong position, you can use your tendons, muscles and ligaments in a wrong way. It’s important that you’re receiving advice on how to have a proper posture.
And lastly, are you looking for more information?
Hopefully this information was useful to you! If you’re still looking for some more information, feel free to take another look around on the website. It’s filled with in-depth information, tips, a web shop and also exercises. I still have a lot of articles with lots of information about other symptoms and issues. Feel free to click on the blue words to take you straight to the right page.
