Pain Management | Back Pain

Coccydynia



coccydynia infographic

What is Coccydynia?

Coccydynia, commonly referred to as tailbone pain, spreads to the lower buttocks and rib cage. This condition originated around the 1600s, although this term was not used until 1859.

The origin of the word is Greek and comes from the word cuckoo. This is because that part of the spine is shaped like a cuckoo bird’s beak. Common treatments include non-prescription medications to reduce swelling, exercises, a foam donut to change position, heat, and injectable painkillers.

Tailbone pain can feel dull and achy but typically becomes sharp during certain activities, such as sitting, rising from a seated to a standing position or prolonged standing. Defecation and sex also might become painful. For women, tailbone pain can make menstruation uncomfortable as well.

Tailbone pain, also called coccydynia or coccygodynia, usually goes away on its own within a few weeks or months. To lessen tailbone pain in the meantime, it might help:

  • Lean forward while sitting down
  • Sit on a doughnut-shaped pillow or wedge (V-shaped) cushion
  • Apply heat or ice to the affected area
  • Take over-the-counter pain relievers, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or aspirin

If your tailbone pain doesn’t improve (chronic coccydynia), consult your doctor. He or she might do a rectal exam to rule out any other conditions. Your doctor might recommend using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to find out if you have a fracture, degenerative changes or, in rare cases, a tumor.


Treatments

  • Physical therapy. A physical therapist might show you how to do pelvic floor relaxation techniques, such as breathing deeply and completely relaxing your pelvic floor — as you would while urinating or defecating.
  • Manipulation. Massaging the muscles attached to the tailbone might help ease the pain.
  • Medication. An injection of a local anesthetic into the tailbone can relieve pain for a few weeks. Certain antidepressants or anti-epileptic medications might relieve tailbone pain as well.
  • Surgery.

Pain Management in Jacksonville, FL

At Emed Multispecialty Group, we help minimize pain from multiple causes such as work injuries, surgeries, and chronic pain conditions, from muscle, skeletal, joint, and nerve damage. Our pain management techniques will help you find pain relief that lasts.

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