Coccydynia
Coccydynia
Coccydynia (Tailbone Pain)
What is Coccydynia?
- Coccydynia is pain and discomfort in the tailbone region.
- The coccyx is made up of 3 to 5 fused vertebrae, and it represents the vestigial tail.
What Causes Tailbone Pain?
- Repetitive trauma can lead to dislocation of the coccyx bone, which results in pain.
- Activities like riding a bicycle or two-wheelers can lead to coccyx pain.
- The pain is worse while sitting for a long duration and during bowel movement.
- Coccyx pain can often occur without fracture or dislocation.
- It is more common in ladies.
How Is Coccydynia Treated?
Conservative Treatments –
- Conservative management may include mild pain killers or a short course of NSAIDs or mild opioids.
- Physical therapy and exercises like pelvic floor strengthening and groin stretches may relieve coccyx pain.
- Avoiding repeated trauma like two-wheelers/cycling may help.
- Coccyx cushions are doughnut-shaped cushions, and they ensure minimum pressure on the coccyx will help in healing.
- Methods/medication to relieve constipation, if present, will help.
- Manipulation of the coccyx may help in dislocation injuries.
Injections and Procedures-
If conservative management fails, Your pain physician will decide which treatment will suit you best.He may recommend –
- Pericoccygeal steroid injection / coccygeal nerve RF ablation, under x-ray guidance. It’s a daycare procedure which reduces inflammation and pain arising from the coccyx.
- Ganglion impar block may be helpful in patients with severe coccyx pain. It is an x-ray guided daycare procedure.
Surgery –
If all the Above Treatments do not give a satisfactory response then very rarely, surgical removal of the coccyx is performed.