"Tailbone painwhat a pain in the you know what!
Tailbone pain, otherwise known as coccyx pain or coccydynia, can vary from a constant annoyance to pain severe enough to limit your activities day to day. With a fairly low incidence rate, your Doctor might not know what to recommend if you report tailbone pain. As a Physical Therapist specializing in Pelvic Health, I"m here to tell you that tailbone pain is highly treatable and something you do not need to live with! Let"s explore more about what causes tailbone pain and how Physical Therapy can be of great help.
Anatomy
The tailbone is the bone at the very tip of your spine. It may seem like an unimportant body part but it actually serves as an attachment point to some of your pelvic floor muscles and your Gluteus Maximus. It also helps to anchor your spinal cord, provide weight bearing support in sitting, helps with sexual function, and helps with defecation and continence. As you can see, despite its size, this structure is exceptionally important!
Pain/Dysfunction
Tailbone pain is clinically defined by the following:
Localized pain to the tailbone/coccyx
Pain is felt in sitting, leaning back while sitting, and standing from sitting
Pain can also be felt with sexual activity and/or with bowel movements
Tailbone pain is not always associated with a traumatic event like falling, but over time smaller traumas such as prolonged sitting with poor posture or repetitive loading with poor body mechanics (like weightlifting, jumping, or running) can lead to tailbone pain. In fact, about of tailbone pain cases have no known pathology."
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