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Relieving tailbone pain

Tailbone pain, also known as coccydynia, is a sharp pain at the tailbone that gets aggravated with sitting, particularly on hard surfaces.

This pain also gets triggered with standing up after sitting, prolonged standing, intercourse, and having bowel moments. Tailbone pain occurs when there is a load or impact on the tailbone (also known as coccyx) and/or the surrounding muscles and ligaments.

Tailbone pain can occur during pregnancy, delivery, postpartum, or after a direct impact. During pregnancy, hormonal changes cause joint laxity and the increased body mass puts more load through the tailbone, particularly with sitting, leading to pain and inflammation in the area. As a result, the muscles that are attached to the coccyx, including the pelvic floor, will tighten and add to the severity of the symptoms. During delivery, the tailbone can get injured as the baby exits the pelvis.

Expectant and new moms are not the only ones who can experience tailbone pain. Because the pelvic floor muscles attach to the tailbone, conditions that cause strain to the pelvic floor (such as chronic constipation) can also cause tailbone pain. Furthermore, severe impact to the tailbone (like a fall) can lead to tightening of the surrounding muscles and rectal pain.

Tailbone pain is treated from the inside out.

I assess the back part of the pelvic floor that is attached to the tailbone, the glutes and the rest of the pelvic girdle to find the root cause of pain. Through a combination of manual therapy and specific strengthening and mobility exercises, I treat tailbone pain comprehensively. I may also recommend a pillow to sit on while your tailbone heals. You may also need to avoid situations that may flare it up, like sitting on a hard surface for hours.