How to Fix a Broken Tailbone?
- Anti-inflammatory Painkillers. The doctor will recommend non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) medications like ibuprofen or aspirin to help reduce the pain and swelling on the coccyx.
- Ice Compress. The patient is asked to place ice compress on the tailbone within 48 hours of injury. This helps decrease the inflammation as well as injury to the coccyx.
- Prevent Pressure. One should avoid placing excessive pressure on their fractured tailbone. ...
- Surgery. If the patient suffers from persistent pain that is making life difficult, then the doctor may suggest surgery.
What is the fastest way to heal a sore tailbone?
- Kneeling upright on the floor, move one leg in front and place the foot flat on the floor. ...
- Rest the shin and knee of the back leg on the ground with the toes pointing backward. ...
- With the chest upright, rest the hands on the hips for stability.
- Tuck the pelvis under and lean forward slightly. ...
- Hold the stretch for 20–30 seconds.
- Repeat on the other side.
How to tell if my tailbone is bruised or broken?
The most common ways people injure their coccyx include:
- Falling in a seated position with majority of impact on tailbone.
- Getting hit in the tailbone area, such as during a contact sport
- Childbirth can cause injury or fracture of the coccyx.
- Less common causes include bone spurs, injuries to other parts of the spine, nerve root compression, local infections, or tumors.
How long does it take to heal a bruised tailbone?
The cause and severity of your tailbone pain will determine how long it will take for you to feel better. In general, recovery time is about 4 weeks for a bruised tailbone and about 8 to 12 weeks for a tailbone fracture.
What are the symptoms of a fractured tailbone?
What to know about a broken tailbone
- Symptoms. Symptoms of a broken tailbone can include a dull pain in the very low back and swelling around the tailbone.
- Causes. The most likely cause of a broken tailbone is trauma or direct injury. ...
- Diagnosis. ...
- Treatment. ...
- Recovery. ...
- Exercises. ...
- Summary. ...
Should you go to the doctor for a broken tailbone?
If you have the signs and symptoms of a coccyx injury or unexplained discomfort in the tailbone area, contact your doctor. It may be necessary for the doctor to decide if the injury is traumatic or if the pain is caused by other, more serious, problems.
How do you know if your tailbone is fractured or broken?
Symptoms of a tailbone injury include:Pain or tenderness in the lower back.Pain on top of the buttocks area.Pain or numbness with sitting.Bruising and swelling around the base of the spine.
What happens if a broken tailbone goes untreated?
When a bone fracture is untreated, it can result in either a nonunion or a delayed union. In the former case, the bone doesn't heal at all, which means that it will remain broken. As a result, swelling, tenderness, and pain will continue to worsen over time.
How do you poop with a broken tailbone?
If you are not constipated: Use over-the-counter stool softeners to make passing stool less painful. Your pharmacist can suggest options. Adding fiber to your diet or using fiber supplements is a long-term solution to keep your stools soft and prevent constipation. Ask your pharmacist to recommend a fiber supplement.
When should I worry about a tailbone injury?
If your pain lasts for more than two months or if it gets worse despite self-care, make an appointment to see your health care provider about your concern. Your tailbone, or coccyx, is the bony structure at the bottom of your spine that helps support your pelvic floor.
How long does it take for a broken or bruised tailbone to heal?
Recovery time The cause and severity of your tailbone pain will determine how long it will take for you to feel better. In general, recovery time is about 4 weeks for a bruised tailbone and about 8 to 12 weeks for a tailbone fracture.
How do I know if my tailbone pain is serious?
See your doctor if the pain is severe or lasts more than a few days. Most of the time, tailbone pain isn't serious. It can sometimes be a sign of an injury. In very rare cases, tailbone pain can be a sign of cancer.
When should I go to the doctor for tailbone pain?
You should call your doctor immediately if you have pain in the tailbone and any of the following other symptoms: A sudden increase in swelling or pain. Constipation that lasts a long time. Sudden numbness, weakness, or tingling in either or both legs.
How long does it take to recover from a broken tailbone?
Children recover faster than adults, and young adults recover faster than older ones. Average recovery time for a bruised tailbone is up to four weeks.
How to sleep with a broken tailbone?
To lessen the pain of a broken or bruised tailbone, consider sleeping: on a firm mattress. on your side with a pillow between your knees. on your back with a pillow under your knees.
What causes a coccyx to hurt?
They’ll also look for other possible causes of the pain, such as a tumor, an ingrown hair cyst, or pelvic muscle spasms. In a rectal examination your doctor grasps the coccyx between the forefinger and thumb. By moving it, they can tell if there’s too much or too little mobility in the coccyx.
Why does my tailbone hurt when I sit down?
A break or injury to the coccyx can be very painful, especially when you sit down. The tailbone attaches to the large gluteus maximus muscle, as well as several other muscles and ligaments. to have tailbone pain than men, especially during and after pregnancy.
Why does my tailbone hurt?
Broken tailbone causes. The medical term for pain in the tailbone is coccydynia. It can be due to a dislocation or a full fracture (break). People who go to a doctor with tailbone pain may have had a recent traumatic injury to the tailbone from a fall or impact.
How to diagnose tailbone pain?
Diagnosis. Your doctor will use a physical exam and X-rays to diagnose your tailbone pain. It’s important to know if something other than a traumatic injury is causing the pain. To find out, your doctor will feel the soft tissue around your coccyx and the lower spine ( sacrum ).
What exercises can you do to strengthen your tailbone?
Broken tailbone exercises. Your doctor or physical therapist can give you exercises to strengthen the muscles around the coccyx. These include your stomach muscles and those of the pelvic floor. Kegel exercises help strengthen the pelvic floor. They’re helpful for both men and women.
What causes pain in the tailbone?
Problems with the piriformis muscles and nearby joints, for example — such as the sacroiliac and lumbosacral facet joints — can contribute to pain in and around the tailbone. Testing for a broken tailbone will include cancer screening and medical imaging. X-rays can help a doctor locate and assess the damage to the tailbone.
How long does it take for a broken tailbone to heal?
Recovery. Recovery from a broken tailbone can take some time. Most fractures take 6–12 weeks to heal. Many people who experience a broken tailbone are athletes, and they are usually eager to return to play. Some experts say that the limiting factors are pain and the risk of pressure on the tailbone.
What happens when a tailbone is broken?
When the tailbone is broken, it may: be displaced, which occurs when the separated bone fragments are clear on an X-ray. be a hairline fracture, wherein the broken pieces are not separated. be comminuted, which occurs when the bone breaks into multiple pieces. This article discusses what can cause a broken tailbone and how to identify one, ...
Why is my tailbone broken?
Causes. The most likely cause of a broken tailbone is trauma or direct injury. In young people, a broken tailbone is most often due to a backward fall or a high energy accident. In some groups, including older adults, nutritional deficiencies can make broken bones more common.
Why is rest important for a coccyx fracture?
However, it is also important to strengthen the muscles around the tailbone, stretching them regularly to keep tightness and imbalances from developing .
What is the last bone in the spine?
Here’s our process. The tailbone, or coccyx, is the last bone in the spine. This triangle shaped bone is made up of three to five different sections, which can make it difficult to detect a broken tailbone. Tailbone breaks, or fractures, are fairly uncommon. It is more common for a person to bruise their tailbone or pull a ligament in that area.
What does it mean when your back hurts?
an almost constant dull pain in the very low back, just above the buttocks. pain that worsens when sitting and when standing up from a sitting position. swelling around the tailbone. pain that intensifies during a bowel movement. pain that intensifies during sexual intercourse. irregular bowel movements.
What does it feel like to stub your toe?
Bruised or Broken Tailbone. Tailbone injuries are very similar to another common injury you’ve probably suffered at one time in your life – the dreaded stubbed toe. When you stub your toe, you’re in a lot of pain right after the injury, and then pain dulls a bit but still tends to linger. The same pain symptoms are felt with tailbone injuries.
How long does it take for a bruised tailbone to heal?
If pain has decreased and you’re less bothered by the injury after 48-72 hours , it’s probably just a bruise.
What to do if tailbone is not responding?
In the rare event that your fractured tailbone is not responding after weeks of conservative care, your doctor may order imaging tests to determine if something else is going on or if surgery could help with the issue.
Where is the tailbone located?
Your tailbone (coccyx) is located at the bottom of your spine, and injuries to this area commonly occur when you fall while in a seated position. In Minnesota where many of our roads and sidewalks are covered with ice for a few months of the year, it’s not uncommon for spine specialists to see an uptick in patients who are dealing ...
Can tailbones heal without surgery?
As we mentioned above, the treatment options for bruised and fractured tailbones are usually the same, but the good news is that the vast majority of these injuries heal without the need for surgery. Treatment focuses on staying off of the injury and icing the area to keep swelling at a minimum.
Does it matter if you break a tailbone?
Similarly, just like when you stub your toe, it really doesn’t matter if you bruise or break a bone, because treatment is oftentimes identical. Now, that’s not to say you should just assume fractured tailbones will heal fine on their own.
