Coccydynia: Do You Have a Pain in Your A$$?

Have you fallen on your tailbone in the past OR recently?

Do you have painful sitting?

Do you have trouble sitting on a soft surface?

Is it hard to go from sit to stand?

Are you have tailbone pain during bowel, bladder or sexual activities?

The anatomical name of our tailbone is called the COCCYX. Some people can develop coccyx pain after a fall, past or present or due to a recent change in activity level. Since a lot of people have been working from home since the start of COVID, I have seen a clinical increase in the incidence of coccydynia or pain in the tailbone. Tailbone pain can be really annoying and limiting for people.

It limits your ability to tolerate sitting which limits travel or enjoying more sedentary activities such as watching a movie or binge watching TV. Even sitting for meals can be uncomfortable. Because some of the pelvic floor muscles attach to the tailbone, pain in the coccyx can make it more painful to urinate or have bowel movements. Coccydynia can also cause pain during intercourse.

What many people do not know is that pelvic floor PT can be really helpful in improving this issue. A specialized PT can assess the coccyx bone in a variety of ways and mobilize it to decrease the pain. This can be done from the outside or the inside, via the vagina (if the patient has one) or the rectal canal. Don’t worry, we’re not going to jump right into your bum. 

If you’re experiencing new or old tailbone pain, find a specialized pelvic floor practitioner to help you return to normal. No one should have pain!

Perfectly Yours,

Dr. Mo