Tailbone Pain (Coccydynia) | Symptoms & Treatments

Coccydynia also known as tailbone pain, may be exasperated by processes that add additional pressure to the area nearing the end of the spine. There are many different possibilities as to what causes this discomfort, ranging from childbirth to friction experienced in sports or other repetitive activities. On rare occasions, this pain can be the result of a tumor or infection. This discomfort tends to be more prominent in women than in men. It may be aggravated by sitting for extended periods of time and worsened when sitting on harder surfaces. However, this pain does usually remain solely in the tailbone where the spine connects to the sacrum and does not surge throughout one’s body. This discomfort can be worsened during the process of changing positions from sitting to standing. In most instances damage to the tailbone will repair itself over time while following simple recommendations including, taking a NSAID such as Tylenol or Motrin to relieve pain and inflammation, alternating warm and hot compress, using a cushion while sitting would lighten the weight residing on your tailbone. In addition, yoga or physical therapy could be helpful to stretch and or massage the area. In more serious cases one may wish to consult with a chiropractor or seek injections from a physician.

Key Points:

  • 1Coccydynia can be caused by several factors including: pregnancy and birth, sports trauma,other injuries or rarely, infection or tumor.
  • 2Symptoms are experienced more often by women than men and tend to be localized in the tailbone area.
  • 3Treatment includes pain killers and anti-inflammatories as well as ice and heat application, physical therapy, massage,manipulation and sometimes corticosteroid injections.


Coccydynia is the medical term for tailbone pain that is often aggravated by sitting or by activities that put pressure on the bottom of the spine.
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Written by HealthStatus
Medical Writer & Editor

HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our health risk assessment, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years.

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