By Health In Five Writer
Back problems account for more than 12 million visits to doctors each year. Besides the common cold, Back pain results in more lost workdays than any other physical affliction in persons under the age of 45. Back problems can lead to nerve irritation. When the nerve gets involved then pain starts radiating mostly either to upper arm or if its lower backache then downs the leg, a condition called Sciatica can develop. Till this point approximately 90% of the medical practitioners are accurate and they diagnose accurate, but unfortunately below sacral region means coccyx or tail bone pain diagnosis is very poor across globe as per my experience except few countries like UK, USA, Canada and Australia. In India, it’s true, we have poor diagnosis. In most of the cases, subluxed segments are considered to be normal and it’s said that pain is due to psychological issue. Well, now let’s discus about the coccydynia.
Coccydynia or Tailbone pain can be defined as: –
In very simple way: When WALKING becomes easy than sitting in a luxury car.
“Coccydynia is a medical term meaning pain in the coccyx or tailbone area (end part of the spine), usually brought by: –
- Sitting abruptly, or continuous sitting as in software jobs, (50-60%)
- Fall on buttocks like Steps, bathroom, roadside etc
- Due to sports injury like skiing, rugby, volleyball, football, cricket, etc
- Post pregnancy
- Bike or car accident, fracture coccyx
- It is very similar to low back pain and shows more or less same symptoms as low back pain, so it is very important to differentiate it with low back pain by proper diagnostic procedures
Symptoms –
- Pain during or after sitting, the level of pain depending on how long you sit
- Acute pain while moving from sitting to standing
- Pain caused by sitting on soft and hard surfaces
- Deep ache around the coccyx
- Sensitivity to finger pressure on the tip of the tailbone
- Rectal burning
- Shooting pain down the leg
- Like sitting on a knife
- Pain during bowel movements, and sometimes before it
- Pain during sexual intercourse, either in men or women
- Increased pain around the time of a woman’s monthly period – this may be due to variations in the levels of estradiol
Diagnosis
Primarily through conducting various tests like X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans and colonoscopy, the possibility of cancer should be detected and ruled out. The right cause should be analyzed and it should be differentiated from lower back pain or other sources not related to the coccyx. Tests like Dynamic Tail Bone X-Ray or MRI of Tail Bone and lower spine helps to accurately identify the problem.
Important thing to note is that if there is extra movement of coccygeal segments in sitting X-Ray , or there is a subluxation of one or more segments then we should consider it as source of pain, because sometimes even little bit of bending of one or more segment even troubles and one or two manipulation sessions relieves the pain .
Differential Diagnosis
Pilonidal Sinus (pilonidal abscess or sacrococcygeal fistula) is a medical condition where a cyst, which often contains hair and skin debris is found near or on the natal cleft of the buttocks
Pudendalnuralgia is also a cause for acute pain, due to the compression of pudendal nerve (located in the pelvis)
PyriformisSyndrom Entrapment of pyriformis nerve in between pyriformis muscle fibers because of inflammation of muscle fibers
S.I Joint Dysfunction S.I Joint pain should be ruled out before proceeding for coccyx treatment.
To avoid damage-
- Consult the specialist
- Lean forward
- Find comfortable clothes
- Standing while others sit
- Comfortable position for sex
In most of the tail bone pain conditions internal manipulation of the coccyx, posture correction and specific pelvic floor exercises offer tremendous improvement. Post treatment, patients need to follow the specific exercises designed as per their condition for 3-4 months and then they can live normal life.
