Talk about an actual pain in the butt!
Tailbone pain / Coccyx pain / Coccydynea is up to 5 times more common in women than men
and can really interfere with life! ❌
Pain in the tailbone can make it VERY uncomfortable to sit, or even stand if we’ve been sitting for a long time. It can also hurt to lie flat on your back or when you empty your bowels.
It can be caused by:
➖ Direct trauma, like birthing or a fall on the butt
➖ Overactive or dysfunctional pelvic floor muscles (some of which have a direct attachment to the pelvic floor)
➖ Referral from a nearby structure (like the lumbar spine)
Tailbone pain often doesn’t go away quickly, and we ned to address it from a few different angles.
With that in mind – I hope these 5 tips help.
- Sit on your sit bones, not your tailbone
Sore tailbones don’t like being sat on, which often happens when we sit slouched or sit with our legs our straight. Instead, aim to take your weight through your sit-bones by sitting tall with feet on the ground, using a lumbar support and leaning forward slightly if needed. - Don’t sit for too long
If you have to sit for work, make sure you are getting up frequently (set a timer for a break every 30 mins). If you’re sitting to feed a baby for hours each day, try sidelying or reclined feeding positions to mix things up. - Look after your bowels
Sore tailbones don’t love it when we strain to go to the toilet. make sure your stool is soft and easy to pass by keeping fluids & fibre intake up, by using a foot stool for optimal positioning, and using a “brace and bulge” emptying technique. - Relax the muscles around the tailbone
Your gluteus maximus and levator ani (part of your pelvic floor) attach to your tailbone. Reduce tension in these areas by practicing 5-8 deep, diaphragmatic breaths in child’s pose or glute stretch position. For bonus points, make sure you’re not standing in a “butt grip” position through the day as well! - Seek help
If you’ve tried the first 4 tips and are still not getting relief, please see help! There are lots of physiotherapists experienced in the treatment of tailbone pain, you don’t have to deal with it on your own! We can help identify other factors that might be contributing, use pain-relieving, hands-on techniques and set you up with some exercises that will help you to self manage.
If we can help – please get on touch!