17 answers

Tail Bone Pain

Hi, I'm wondering if anyone else has had similar pain can offer any advice or information. Over the past several months, I get on and off tailbone pain, and it is also tender to the touch. It doesn't seem to have been caused by an injury like if I fell or bumped into a corner or plopped down too hard when sitting on the floor, etc., because I haven't done those things. It usually happens after I've gone for a long walk or walked on the treadmill a little longer or faster than usual. Walking is really the only exercise I ever do (I'm slim though), but when I do it, I have quite severe pain in my tailbone that starts a day or two later and lasts several days if not weeks, and it interferes with my ability to sit, get up, sleep, bend over to pick up my toddler, get down on the floor with her, get back up, etc. I have to use all the strength of my arms to pull myself up from a chair, it hurts my tailbone if I use my legs or back. I haven't been to the dr. yet, but I did do some research online and found several people who said the dr. can't really do anything, didn't take them very seriously, have said that aside from injuring it from a fall they don't know what causes it, and that doctors don't do anything to try to fix it or alleviate the pain. So I'd like to know if any of you have experienced this before I call the doctor. I never had it before I had a baby, but it didn't start until she was around 9 months old, so I don't think childbirth caused it, but who knows. Also my grandmother has complained of tailbone pain as long as I can remember. Also I'm not a fan of pain medication. I'd rather find out what the problem is like a fracture or something and see if it can be fixed. Thanks for your help!

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Featured Answers

Hello S.,
It sounds so familiar to my life. I have AS-Ankylosing Spondylitis, form of arthritis. I had that sort of pain in younger years and then as the years passed more joints. It esp affects the spine and ribs. There is a special blood test for it done by a rheumatologist. If this is what you have you want to treat it early. I am 48 now and am disabled. Look up on the computer for symptoms. Hope it is not that but if it is better to find out while you are in early stages

This is common after giving birth (so many people do so in a semi-sitting position), even if it doesn't show up until months later. A good chiropractor should be able to fix it!

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This is common after giving birth (so many people do so in a semi-sitting position), even if it doesn't show up until months later. A good chiropractor should be able to fix it!

I think I know exactly what your talking about. I had severe pain when I would sit or stand or walk. Sometimes I couldn't hardly move and would literally cry because it hurt so bad, and I'm not exaggerating. I got an appointment with an orthopedist and had a CAT scan done. After a lot of time and tests, the diagnosis? Coccydynia. Which translates to tail bone pain. There isn't anything they could do that would help. He said that there were cortisone injections they could do but they are very painful. 1/3 of all the people who have it get it due to pregnancy.
He basically said that for some reason my tailbone shifts more easily now and can turn in more during activity (sitting, walking/running, bending, ect.) causing pain. I would guess that is what you have. I was not a fan of the idea of having them do injections so I just dealt with it. It seems to come in cycles. It will be pretty bad for a two weeks or so then not bad at all for a few months. I found keeping up with exercising and doing abdominal work helps. Also if it hurts to sit, I would get a donut pillow. You usually see older people with them. I felt like an old lady for a month, but I took that thing everywhere. I would bring it to the car which helped when driving. Good luck!

Hello S.,
It sounds so familiar to my life. I have AS-Ankylosing Spondylitis, form of arthritis. I had that sort of pain in younger years and then as the years passed more joints. It esp affects the spine and ribs. There is a special blood test for it done by a rheumatologist. If this is what you have you want to treat it early. I am 48 now and am disabled. Look up on the computer for symptoms. Hope it is not that but if it is better to find out while you are in early stages

I have also suffered from tailbone pain all of my adult life. Are you swayback? That seems to be part of my problem. My doc showed my first husband how to massage it to make me feel better. It really helped, so now I'm always begging my current hubby to do that when it hurts. That's really the only thing that helps. I know sometimes if I gain too much weight or if I lose too much weight it hurts more, I have to stay within a certain weight range. Exercise, like yoga and pilates also have seemed to help recently. Really I think you should see the doc just to be on the safe side.

Hi S.,
Have you Stretched? Sometimes when your back is all messed up (Hips too) stretching helps.
If the pain gets worse after activity and is eased by stretching (don't get me wrong-it's gonna HURT when you first do it especially if you haven't been exercising for a while-like most of us after childbirth you are caught up in your sweet baby-I STILL am and my sweet baby will be 3 tomorrow :-) it might be wise to see a chiropractor and just let him x-ray to make sure it's an alignment problem some chiropractors can refer you to an ortheopedist etc...
If the back pain doesn't go away after gentle exercies and a good stretch-I'd want a specalist. You might need to start at your GP for a referral, but if you try non-medication methods (stretching/chiropractory) and get no relief you need to see a Dr who can get you better!!
Your baby only has one Mamma :-).
I hope this helps in some way.
C.

this may or may not help, when i was pregnant i had the same pain, went to a chiropractor and she said my last disk was cracked and leaking fluid, causing my tailbone to hurt. Just a suggestion....

I do not have tail bone pain,but I did have a similar doctor experiance.In January of 05 I began to have numbess in the right side of my face while on a bike ride. I rode home and my family took me to the E.R. They found nothing. After several neuroligist, 2 CT scans,6 MRI's, and countless blood tests,there was nothing. They looked for everything MS,Lyme dissease, vitiman B deficiantcy, cancer, allergies, it was the scariest time in my life. Tests always came back negative and I was repeatedly told it was stress go home and relax.

By Febuary of 08 it was all the way down the right side of my body. I was sluring my speach and loosing control of my right leg from time to time. I went to yet another neurologist and was perscribeded a catch all drug that they give to everyone when they don't know what else to do.

I began to look for a job I could work from home and chose one that promoted green products. The company askes that you are a customer so you can really talk about the products. 3 months later I had no symptoms. I went to my doctor and told him what happened. He said It had to have been an "external toxin poisoning".

There is no test to look for this and it is not a widely accepted diagnosis. They only way to know if you are being negatively effected by household chemicals is to get them out of you house completly. If I hadn't stumbled onto my diagnosis there is no telling where I'd be.

So go to the doctor and do not give up! They are human beings just like us and do not have all the answers, so if one doesn't know try another, and keep researching new info is coming out all the time. If you find something to try and it is not harmful, try it even if it seems crazy.

I would have never guessed my make-up, cleaning products, etc... were making me so sick, but neither did my 9 doctors.

Good Luck,
L.

when i was in college, during finals, my tailbone began to hurt. it continued and began to swell so i went to the doctor. apparently, i had scar tissue from cracking my tailbone when i was a child (do not remember the incident). and infection had settled in that tissue. after an antibiotic, it opened up (very weird drainage) and i have never had a problem since. definitely get it checked, it may be a simple problem that can be resolved and never bother you again. best wishes!

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