Tailbone Pain and Irritation

If you've suffered from tailbone pain, you know just how agonizing it can be. You fear sitting or sleeping on your back, and every movement around you puts you in a defensive posture, with your hands guarding the sensitive area. Here are some tips for assessing the cause of your tailbone pain and dealing with it in an appropriate manner.

First, contact your doctor just to be on the safe side. Your doctor can perform an x-ray on your coccyx, or tailbone, to check for fractures. The vertebrae that make up your tailbone absorb a lot of impact from all the sitting you do, so you want to make sure any fractures are allowed to properly fuse together. A visit to the chiropractor may be beneficial for curing any alignment problems in the three or four vertebrae in your tailbone.

Your doctor should look for signs of cysts or infection. Pilonidal cysts or inflammation from other types of infection can cause your tailbone to swell. The fluid underneath the skin will form a painful lump. You may wish to have the doctor lance the lump and drain the fluid; this may result in faster relief from the tailbone pain. Just be sure that any infection is dealt with properly.

If you tailbone pain is not caused by a fracture or cyst, your coccyx is probably either bruised or just irritated. Your tailbone absorbs a lot of impact, and is located in a spot that is easy to bump and bruise. If you spend much of your day sitting, like many office workers, commuters, and truck drivers do, your tailbone pain may be from the constant pressure and shifting in your seat.

A bruised or irritated tailbone will often be visibly detectable; it may appear red and swollen. If you do a lot of shifting in your seat, a boil may appear, similar to the blisters you get on your hand from swinging a hammer. The constant rubbing motion causes fluid to build up under the skin, resulting in a white bump. Lancing and draining this bump will often bring some relief.

If your tailbone pain is caused by irritation or a bruise, try to stay off that area as much as possible. Try sleeping on your side or stomach, and experiment with different sitting positions. If the irritation is a result of slouching, you may gain some comfort by sitting up straight. Donut-shaped pillows are available that will allow you to sit comfortably without applying pressure to the sore spot.

Try taking an anti-inflammatory pain pill to reduce your tailbone pain. Motrin or Advil work best, but even Tylenol will help in mild cases.

Give your wardrobe a quick check. Sometimes tailbone pain is caused by thick seams in your jeans rubbing constantly against the irritated area. Even if this is not the cause of your tailbone pain, a light pair of cotton sweat pants will cause you less grief while your injury heals.

Once you isolate the cause of your tailbone pain and fix any possible irritants, you just need to stay off your injured tailbone as much as possible until it heals. Time will take care of the rest.