Treatment Of Tailbone Pain

 

If you have tailbone pain, or coccydynia, the first treatments will be to take NSAIDs or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen or naproxen, and to use a donut-shaped pillow when sitting. Typically, this type of pain has no immediate resolution.

If the tailbone pain continues to be severe or if you have developed a chronic condition, your doctor or health professional might advise that you have a cortisone injection. This injection usually controls the pain for a long period of time, and with some sufferers, it many relieve it completely. Sometimes more than one cortisone injection is given over time.

Physical therapy might be prescribed. This would probably involve the use of ultrasound treatments to help relieve swelling. Sometimes referral is made to a chiropractor for stretching and manipulation of the ligaments. The final option for those who still experience no pain relief is surgical removal of the coccyx or tailbone.

This is called a coccygectomy, and it is not a long or difficult surgery, but is invasive like any surgery. It can usually be done in an outpatient clinic and only takes around half an hour. Generally, the tailbone will be sent to a laboratory to be tested to make sure no tumor is present.

The worst part of this surgery is the time it takes to heal, which is usually around six months. As you might expect, after surgery and before it’s healed it is still going to be very painful to sit down. The good news is that once it has healed, you will no long be bothered at all by tailbone pain. There is a success rate of up to ninety-percent with this type of surgery.

Prevention of Tailbone Pain

There are several ways to prevent tailbone pain. The majority of cases of tailbone pain come from falling on a hard surface. Unfortunately, this type of fall occurs more with the elderly than with people of other ages. You can do several things to prevent this injury from happening. The first is not to walk on slippery ground, whether this means a wet floor inside or ice outside.

If you fall a lot, hold onto railings whenever possible, use a cane or walker, and make sure that you wear the right footwear, with tread, when you venture outside. For walking in winter they have spikes that you can attach to the bottom of your boots and if you use snowshoes, the crampons will keep you from falling just about anywhere.

There are also several conditions that increase your risk of having tailbone pain or tailbone injuries. There are medications, osteoporosis, trouble with balance, sports--especially snowboarding, skiing, or football--arthritis, and a poor diet, such as taking in too little of some vitamins and minerals, including calcium.

If you sit a lot you can avoid having tailbone pain in the first place by using a coccyx cushion that you can put on your chair. It not only has padding in the right places, it has a slot where your tailbone rests so it won’t bear pressure.

An exercise program can also help prevent tailbone pain. If you go to a gym, ask a trainer to show you which exercises are best for this area of the body. Do everything you can to prevent this type of pain, because when you experience it once, it can become a painful chronic condition in no time.