What Could Be Causing Your Tailbone Pain?

Tailbone pain, which can be a result of a number of things, is not only painful, but it can also be just plain uncomfortable 😢. Luckily, through various chiropractic techniques, there are quite a few ways we can address and relieve your tailbone pain 😃.

What is the tailbone?

The medical term for your tailbone is your coccyx, and the technical terminology for tailbone pain is coccydynia. The coccyx is a small, triangular bone at the bottom of your spinal column, above the cleft of your buttocks. Your coccyx comprises of three to five bones and bears your weight when you sit down. Your coccyx can become injured, bruised, or even fractured. Coccydynia pain is generally made worse when you are sitting 🪑 and relieved when walking 🚶‍♂️.

Tailbone pain is common 🤔. Women 👩 are five times more likely to develop coccydynia than men, and adults tend to get it more often than children. Obesity also makes people three times more likely to experience tailbone pain. Interestingly, losing weight too quickly can also result in coccyx issues.

The causes of tailbone pain

There are quite a few reasons you could be experiencing tailbone pain, as you can hurt the bone and its surrounding tissues. Here are the most common causes of coccydynia:

• You can injure your coccyx by falling on it, which can cause bruising, a fracture or even dislocation of your tailbone (ouch! 😲)
• Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI). You can develop an injury over time while taking part in activities like cycling 🚴‍♀️ and rowing 🚣‍♂️. Too much of any repetitive motion can cause strain to the tissues around your tailbone.
• Pregnancy or childbirth. During pregnancy 🤰 (particularly in the third trimester) a woman’s body produces hormones that soften the area between the lower back and the coccyx. This wonderful act of nature takes place to enable the coccyx to move as necessary during childbirth. This movement, however, can stretch the ligaments around your tailbone too far, causing pain and preventing the tissue around it from supporting the coccyx bone at the right angle.
• Something as simple as sitting 🪑 for too long can cause coccyx pain, particularly if you’re sitting on a hard, uneven, or narrow surface.

What does Coccydynia feel like?

The symptoms of tailbone pain can vary, but these are the most common ones that our patient’s report:

• An ache or piercing feeling in the coccyx.
• Pain that gets worse when going from sitting to standing upright.
• Pain that gets worse the longer you sit.
• Pain during bowel movements.
• Pain during sexual intercourse.
• Rectal pain.
• Pain that gets worse during your menstrual period.
• Poor sleep.
• Back pain.

How chiropractic care can help

The great news is that chiropractic care not only relieves tailbone pain, but we can also correct problems with the position of the coccyx bone 🙌.

The first thing we’ll do when you visit Inspired Health is a musculoskeletal evaluation which essentially means we’ll spend some time identifying the cause of your tailbone pain and determine a way forward. Then, we’ll move onto spinal adjustment which can help if your coccyx has moved out of alignment or is irritating the nerves and tissues around it. Correcting this alignment can provide you with relief. We can also utilise pelvic alignment techniques if pelvic dysfunction is causing the pain.

Lastly, we’ll give you exercises 🧘‍♀️ to do at home that can help relieve tailbone pain, and we’ll give you some advice as to small lifestyle changes you can make so that you are more comfortable.

If you are experiencing tailbone pain and would like to try chiropractic care as a treatment option, give us a call 📲 on 01245 699 152 or click the book now button 👇 to make an appointment.