Unexplainable Sacrum/coccyx Pain Months After Vaginal Delivery???

Updated on August 12, 2010
T.D. asks from Stuart, FL
18 answers

I delivered my 8lb 8oz son 6 months ago. About a month ago, I was in and out of the doctors office for severe pain on my sacrum/coccyx. I didn't have a fall or trauma of any sort to the area and the x-rays and CT scans did not show any fractures or growths. My pain finally seemed to subside a bit, with lots of ice to the area, little movement, and motrin. Until 2 days ago when i got up from the floor from a dance move (I am a dance teacher)and I injured the sacrum area AGAIN!!!! I could barely walk!!! To me, it really feels like something is popping out of place, almost like a shoulder out of it's socket. Perhaps my ligaments have stretched too much from my pregnancy and cannot hold it into place....who knows? All I know is that the doctors are now passing it off as a little bruise, which is so frustrating!!!!!!! I have been a dancer for years and have sustained several brusies and injuries with a very high pain tolerance....and this is NOT a bruise!!!! Have any of you moms experienced anything like this after your childbirth? What have you found to be the diagnosis and have you had any relief???

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J.W.

answers from Miami on

Sounds like ligament pain. I would see if you could get a referral for physical therapy. They will help you re-strengthen the muscles and ligaments involved and get everything back into place. Hope that helps :)

J.

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J.H.

answers from Boca Raton on

T.
I highly recommend Dr Jay Lochner
physiatrist not psych (head doctor) but doctor of rehabiltation and physical medicine
###-###-####
He treated me for pregnanacy related pain- hip low back
They have a physical therapist there who has experienxe in working with pregnancy related issues
Good luck
call me if you have any questions
J. Hagman Nurse Practitioner
###-###-####

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Y.S.

answers from Miami on

Can you seek a 2nd opinion?

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S.T.

answers from Melbourne on

My daughter was 9lbs 3oz and probably for about year after her birth I experienced pain in my lower back and coccyx area while everything ws trying to go back to normal. A lot of my problem was a compressed siatic nerve on the left side of my coccyx. I would just give it some more time, if you think about it you've only given yourself six months to get back to what feels normal, yet it took you nine to get where you were at. If by a year it doesn't go away then I'd be worried.

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H.P.

answers from Miami on

I have four, all vaginal births, and I think it can really change the structure of your body. I get many "unexplained" pelvic pains now and then, but you should not suffer intolerable pain. Definitey look into a prolapse that could be affecting that area. Could it be a nerve issue, like sciatica? I had to have surgery(minor day surgery)after the birth of my second to remove a suture granuloma in the perineum(the suture from a tear during delivery did not dissolve as should and my body rejected it as a foreign object and formed tissue around the suture-so there was a bump, a little smaller than a marble-but noticeably uncomfortable. Other than that, perhaps kegel exercises could help or yoga-since you already dance that would be really good for you. I hope you find some relief soon!

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L.M.

answers from Boca Raton on

Hi T.,

I also have a lot of popping after sitting too long,my son is 18 months. But you could very well have some bruising. I am not sure why you are still suffering. Maybe the muscles are still trying to reshape they could have been pulled or torn that is a good size baby. Have you tried pelvic tilts or any other back exercises? Have you had an MRI? Did you have any epidural issues? www.DiscoveryToysLink.com/LisaRyan
LIsaM

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K.D.

answers from Boca Raton on

T.,

It appears that you may have a sacroiliac(SI) dysfunction. I have seen this in many postpartum women as well as very active women (esp dancers & runners). It does not appear on x-ray or CT scans & can be very debilitating.

I would highly recommend that you seek evaluation/treatment by an orthopedic physical therapist that specializes in manual therapy &/or the spine. Along with clinic treatment, they will educate in what you do when this occurs & strengthening/stretching exercises to decrease/eliminate the occurrence of your pain. Please do not feel that you need to wait for this pain to dissipate on it's own; they will assist you in taking back your dancing career in a relatively short period of time.
Dancing should be a very achievable goal.
Best of luck,
K. PT

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A.T.

answers from Boca Raton on

Have you been into see an orthopedic doctor. I work for one and just the other day I had a patient with the same problem. I don't remember what the diagnois was but it was not a burise. It was a real problem. You are not crazy. Good luck.

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M.M.

answers from Miami on

Dear T.,
Recent research indicates that the Transversus abdominus muscle stabilizes the Sacroiliac joint, along with the pelvic floor muscles, and diaphragm all of which overlengthen/weaken during pregnancy, and very rarely reconditioned, retrained properly to function optimally as pre-pregnancy. I highly recommend a trained physical therapist, I would contact Pam Downey, Physical Therapist at Polestar Pilates, Coral Gables. They specialize in women's health issues, leader in the field. Doctors in general are not equipped to offer solutions for musculoskeletal/biomechanical issues (if that is what you have), that is the role of a Physical Therapist, I don't know what you have but, I wonder how strong and how effectively you are recruiting your core muscles during everyday activities.
I am a physical therapist, yoga teacher, and have a 3 year old (I am married to a doctor, so I know what they learn about these issues). This combo has enlightened me on the subject,sounds like you need help, and it will only get worse if not addressed, because the demands placed on your body are going to increase as your baby grows. Wishing you a great outcome, so you can enjoy your baby to the fullest.

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B.G.

answers from Miami on

Something similar happened to me. When I was around 4 months pregnant I took a spinning class and after sitting on that uncomfortable bike for about 40 min, my coccyx was bothering me. After a few weeks, it felt better, but after I gave birth, the pain was unbearable. I couldnt even sit down and it also felt like there was a bone loose down there or something. I would feel it evertime I would sit down and I would see stars. Since I have Lupus and it was causing trouble to my liver during that time, it didnt take priority so I never went to the doctor for it. The pain eventually went away after about a year. So, I am sure the pain will gradually subside. I know its painful, trust me, but in time it will get better. Think about it, the only thing to fix it would probably have to be surgery since it is in such a complicated place. I am sure surgery would hurt 100 times more :/

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S.L.

answers from Miami on

I had something similar, but my ended up being a tiny fracture of the coccyx bone from delivery. But it did subside after about 3 months. The only relief I had was to sit on a donut, like the ones they use for hernias.

Have you gone to more than one doctor? I would imagine with pain that severe, it would be some sort of hairline fracture and not a bruise, although I did hear that bone bruises can be quite painful.

Good luck

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K.M.

answers from Minneapolis on

When you're pregnant, there is pressure steadily building through your entire body, especially your low back, including your tailbone. When you deliver the baby, all that pressure that has been building over the last 9 months is suddenly released and the tailbone will snap back to its 'original' position but it goes to far. I would recommend a Chiropractor to adjust it. it's not a fun adjustment as they usually have to do it rectally. But it will give you what you need. I just delivered and my tailbone went out and I have been seeing a Chiropractor with very good results. Make sure you find one that knows what they're doing, maybe look for one that specializes in pregnancy. They are out there.

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C.D.

answers from Boca Raton on

Hi there - I have the SAME thing - its really painful! It feel like my tailbone is just floating around rubbing on another bone. My son is 15 months old, and it still feels like it did from day 1. My DR said it should heal up in time, but I can't sit in certain positions , but b/c of pain and that "crunching" feeling. A friend mentioned someone she knows had the same thing & was going to have some sort of surgery to correct it...? I'm going to try & find out more - if I do I'll drop you a line for sure. I can only assume that when I had my epidural I was sitting in a weird/bad position for 14 hours or so, maybe that did some damage. My other explanation is when my baby was born he 'broke my ass'! Well, if you find anything out I sure would like to know what its really from.

Good luck,
Crissy

J.D.

answers from Boca Raton on

Are you going to your OB/GYN? To me it sounds like a vaginal and/or rectal prolapse? Did you push really hard?

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D.H.

answers from Miami on

Dear T.-
From one classically trained dancer to another, there are no people like dancers that know their own body better! You are your own best advocate! Search on the computer under WebMd or google your body parts and look for the symptoms. I guess it would be perfect if you had a woman Dr. that used to be a Dancer. This is a need for an Orthopedic Dr. Copy and paste this link below http://www.medhelp.org/forums/OrthopedicSupport/messages/...
I hope it helps! Also just google sacrum/coccyx like that,and you will get many links of help.
Take it easy in class and baby that area for a while. You know that most times body parts just need a rest to recover.
I even lost my hearing in one ear, rushed to an ENT and he said wait a month, and it did come back, but there are no guarantees. It made me feel better to know what it was though.
Good luck!

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D.B.

answers from Boca Raton on

I'm not sure if you are having the same pain that I do/did. However, I had severe lower back pain and went to 2 different P.T.'s, tons of massage therapists and an accupuncturist. I am now at a chiropracter. The diagnosis was that my S.I. Joint pops out. (One therapist argued with me that an S.I. Joint didn't even exist, so who knows?) Anyway, a chiropracter or a PT should be able to pop it back in for you, and teach you some exercises to help stablize it. I found that acupuncture is the only thing that takes the pain away, along with some advil! I haven't figured out what I do to pop my SI out, just sometimes my back hurts a lot worse than other days. I also found Pilates and Yoga really help to stablizie it. What happens during pregnancy is that your body releases hormones to losen your ligaments. The hormones are probably still in your body and haven't told your ligaments to go back in place. I breastfed for 15 months so it is taking me a lot longer to bounce back.

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L.K.

answers from Boca Raton on

You should not still be in pain after this much time...something is out of balance, injury to tailbone/sacrum and damage to uterine ligamants can all be helped but is a possibilty especially with an obstetric managed birth on your back.
Please visit us www.amazingbirths.com, I am licensed massage therepist practicing in women's health for 20 years we can see what's going on and refer if needed. Feel feel to contact me personally ____@____.com or ###-###-####.
Warmly,
L. Kelly, LMT

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T.A.

answers from Hattiesburg on

Same here! I have had two children and even heard very loud pop during labor. I had an epideral with my first child so I did not know until it wore off that there was a problem. My next child came six years later, and another loud pop, but no epideral, and I felt all of it. I suffered the same pain and weird popping in between both, and still suffering. The doctors say there is no break, and tell me the same thing. I even had a cortisone shot in my sacrum area bc it got so bad. It helped some, but my youngest in now 15 months, and still dealing with same issues. I was a gymnast, and then cheered in college. I have had four shoulder surgeries, and feel the same as you........i have a very high pain tolerance, but no one helps me!! It almost seems like when the pops happen it can make it worse, or make it better. Like you said, something popping in and out of place! I don't know what to do!

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