The tailbone (coccyx) is a small bone at the bottom of the sacrum.
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How does tailbone pain occur?
A fall on the buttocks is the most common cause of acute tailbone pain. People can suffer from this both shortly after the fall and long afterwards. We also regularly see patients who have suffered from long-term tailbone pain due to incorrect sitting posture or due to childbirth. Slouching puts pressure on the tailbone instead of the two sitting bones.
Dysfunction of the pelvic floor muscles that attach to the tailbone can also cause pain.
Symptoms
- Pain in the middle of the buttocks, at the level of the tailbone
- Pain when sitting
- Pain when getting up from a chair
- Pain when cycling
- Pain on palpation of the coccyx
What happens in the ligaments
After a fall on the tailbone or after prolonged poor sitting posture, the ligaments that connect the tailbone to the sacrum can become stretched. The weakened ligaments try to repair themselves with a painful inflammatory response.
The complaints usually subside after an acute moment, such as a fall. This does not happen if the ligaments are so overstretched that natural healing is no longer possible. The same applies to prolonged stretching of the ligaments due to poor sitting posture: then a good healing response will never occur.
We often see a combination with weakness and instability of the ligaments of the pelvic joint (SI joint). Pain from the SI joint can radiate to the buttock and tailbone.
Treatment
With long-standing coccyx pain, stretched, painful ligaments often play a role. Prolotherapy (proliferation therapy) can then be an option: injections intended to strengthen the ligaments in the weakened areas. How well it works varies from person to person. An injection with an anti-inflammatory is also possible. These injections are given by the doctors of our practice: prolotherapy in Dordrecht and on Thursdays also in Rotterdam.
Recognizable symptoms
- Pain in the middle of the buttocks, at the level of the tailbone
- Pain when sitting
- Pain when getting up from a chair
- Pain when cycling
- Pain when pressing on the tailbone
How the investigation is going
We examine the position and mobility of your pelvis and lower back, because tailbone pain can also be related to the pelvis. You will always hear what we are researching and why.
Where you are treated
Examination and chiropractic care take place at our practice in Rotterdam. Injections are given by the doctors of our practice: prolotherapy in Dordrecht and on Thursdays also in Rotterdam. If a treatment in Dordrecht suits your condition better, we will discuss this with you.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a referral?
No. You can book an appointment directly, by phone or WhatsApp.
Can I just sit there and cycle?
If sitting or cycling hurts, try to reduce the pressure on the tailbone by sitting differently and getting up more often. If it doesn't get better, have it investigated.
Sources
Independent information from Thuisarts.nl, the patient website of the Dutch College of General Practitioners (in Dutch).
