What Does Pain In The Coccyx Feel Like?
We do see a lot of clients who have an issue with the base of their spine, particularly the coccyx. We often hear, “I fell over on my bum and felt a crack and it has never been the same since.”
What is the coccyx?
It is a fused bone right at the base of the spine often referred to as the tailbone. This used to be a tail thousands of years ago and with evolution has now fused completely.
The main area we talk about in the low back is the lumbar spine and this joins into the sacrum. The sacrum is a boot-shaped bone which has also fused. At the end of it, we have the C-shaped coccyx.
The coccyx comes back in and provides the C shape to our buttocks. There are many ligaments that attach on to the coccyx including the sacrococcygeal ligaments and these provide the stability to the coccyx.
When falling on the coccyx, it can be incredibly painful because it can become misaligned. It can move to the side. It can move backwards and forwards. If it moves forwards, this can often be very tender and make it very difficult for people to be able to sit down and affects their day to day activities.
How do you know if you have damaged the coccyx?
If you do fall on your buttocks, for example when sitting down on the chair and missing the chair or falling over backwards and landing straight on your behind, you often may hear a sound like a crack and this is definitely time to get some help.
It may be that the crack is the bone as it is very small and susceptible to damage especially when the whole weight of the body falls on it. It also could be one of the coccygeal joints popping and can become sprained.
Very often the coccyx will then dislodge and then putting any pressure on it, there’s a lot of tenderness that goes through the base of the spine.
It’s also important to remember that childbirth can also easily damage the coccyx if the baby is back to back. It puts a lot of stress on the coccyx when the baby comes through the birth canal. If you’re finding it difficult to sit down two months after pregnancy, then it’s also time to seek professional help.
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Why is the coccyx important?
It provides a lot of stability to the base of the spine and helps the glutes stabilise through the coccygeal ligaments.
It also is right on the tail of the spine. It has a lot of nerve endings. There’s a technique called Sacro Occipital Technique which uses the top and the bottom of the spine to pump spinal fluid through the body.
Spinal fluid is really important as it encases the nerves. We can bathe the nerves in more spinal fluid and distribute it evenly through the nervous system.
How do we treat a coccyx injury?
`It is often done with adjusting the sacrum to bring the coccyx back around.
We can also use soft tissue techniques around the base of the glutes in order to stabilise the coccyx and get it back into the best position.
The pain can be extreme therefore we are very careful around the area, however with it often responds very quickly to treatment.
You can begin by avoiding sitting on hard surfaces, use a doughnut cushion to take pressure off the base of the spine and keep using ice therapy.
If you believe that you have a coccyx injury, please let us know. We can conduct a full spine examination. We will take X-ray imaging if clinically justified to assess for any fractures and then we can determine what treatment to use to bring the coccyx back in the best position.
Offer: Book a free consultation with West Chiropractic >
