My Coccyx Was Injured Previously And I Have Severe Pain In The Area. How Can This Be Treated?

Posted on Thu, 19 Apr 2012

Question: Hello, my name is Jenny and I am a 25-year-old female with no prior medical history. My coccyx was broken years ago, healed improperly, and is curved in such a way that it feels as if it has only a small amount of skin covering the bone. I am slightly underweight (17.5 bmi) and I think that this has exacerbated my pain. I am in severe pain when I put any pressure around the area, even light touching. It greatly limits my ability to sit on a hard or soft surface, lie on my side, wear certain pants, sit on the toilet, and have sexual intercourse. I fear my bone is actually slowly coming through my skin. What could help this? What sort of specialist should I consult?

Answered by Dr. Jasvinder Singh (13 minutes later)

Hello XXXXXXX

Thanks for your query.

I can understand your concern for this excruciating pain. Coccyx injuries and fractures are generally found in females because of a broader pelvis and exposed coccyx.

You can follow certain lifestyle measures which can help you with this pain. Avoid sitting down for long periods of time especially on hard surfaces. If you have to sit down on a stool or bench, then use a "doughnut" cushion or pillow to sit on which has a hole in the middle of it to prevent the tailbone from contacting the flat surface. Also try to avoid direct weight on the tailbone and eat a diet XXXXXXX in fiber to avoid any constipation which may aggravate the pain.

You can also take injections of local anesthetics or corticosteroids into the coccyx area. If the symptoms do not improve then unfortunately surgical removal of coccyx has to be done.

Regarding your feeling of coccyx coming out from the skin, this can be due to displaced coccyx after malunion. It is important to get an x-ray or MRI lower spine done to see the extent of damage. You should consult an orthopedician or a spine specialist for this

Hope this answers your query. If you have additional questions then please do post us.

Wishing you good health.

Regards

Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar