A Pain in the... Tailbone? Understanding and Treating Coccydynia

It hurts to sit down for dinner. Driving is agonizing. Even sitting on the couch requires a strategic arrangement of pillows. If this sounds familiar, you may be suffering from Coccydynia (tailbone pain).

Because of its location, people often suffer through tailbone pain silently or buy a generic donut cushion that doesn't help. But the coccyx is more than just a vestigial bone; it is a critical attachment point for your pelvic floor muscles.

Why Does My Tailbone Hurt?

• Trauma: A fall on the ice (very common in winter!) or a hard landing on the stairs.

• Childbirth: The coccyx actually moves out of the way during birth; sometimes it gets sprained or stuck in a deviated position.

• Prolonged Sitting: Poor posture (slumping) puts direct pressure on the tip of the tailbone.

• Hypertonic Muscles: If the pelvic floor muscles attached to the tailbone are too tight, they constantly pull on the bone, keeping it in a jammed position.

  
  

How Physiotherapy Treats the Tailbone This is one of the most successful conditions we treat, often providing relief when patients thought they would have pain forever.

1. Alignment Check: We assess if the coccyx is deviated to the left, right, or hooked forward.

2. Mobilization: Yes, we can mobilize the joint! Using internal (rectal) or external techniques, we can gently mobilize the coccyx to restore its natural movement and relieve pain.

3. Muscle Release: We release the tight muscles pulling on the bone (like the coccygeus and obturator internus).

4. Ergonomics: We teach you exactly how to sit to offload the bone (hint: those "donut" cushions are often the wrong shape; we recommend "wedge" cushions instead).

Visit Milton Physio Plus today to book an assessment!