The coccyx, also known as the tailbone, is the lowest segment of the spine and consists of 3 to 5 fused vertebrae. When seated, the tailbone and ischium support and balance your weight. Office workers who sit long must pay special attention to their sitting posture. Bad posture, such as excessive forward tilt of the spine, will cause the tailbone to bear more weight, causing coccygeal pain over time. Coccyx pain is more common in women, and the incidence is 5 times that of men. Registered physical therapists can teach you how to effectively manage your caudal/tailbone pain with consistent exercises, which can help reduce damage, promote healing and improve your symptoms.
Office Workers "Mind Your Sitting Posture" It May Cause Coccyx Pain
Do you sit in an office or work from home all day? Do you often have back pain? The chairs in your home may not be ergonomically designed, or you may not be sitting in an office chair but instead sitting on your bed working on your computer. Sitting for too long, especially on an unsuitable chair or surface, can easily cause your entire body to lose balance, causing long-term pressure on the lower back, leading to a common urban complaint - coccyx pain.
Coccyx pain refers to persistent pain at the base of the spine. It may be caused by direct trauma, such as losing your footing and falling on the stairs or buttocks, injuring the tailbone. Other factors such as pregnancy, poor posture, and repetitive injuries may also cause tailbone pain.
Common causes of caudal bone pain:
- Bad posture: Bad sitting postures such as bending over the computer for long periods or "reclining" with the body leaning against the back of a chair can put too much pressure on the tailbone, leading to pain.
- Sitting for long periods: Sitting or sitting on a hard surface for long periods increases pressure on the tailbone, which may cause or worsen coccyx pain.
- Injured by falling: It is quite common for people to slip, fall down the stairs, and land on their buttocks and injure the tailbone (coccyx), which may cause bruises, even fractures or dislocations.
- Repetitive strain injury: Exercises such as cycling and rowing require forward and backwards leaning and stretching of the back. Too many repetitive movements may strain the tissues around the tailbone.
- Pregnancy/childbirth: In the last three months, the pregnant woman's body will secrete hormones to relax the ligaments between the sacrum and the coccyx, allowing the fetus more room to move and aiding delivery. This is a natural process, but it can stretch the muscles and ligaments around the tailbone too far, not only unable to support the tailbone at the correct angle, but also causing pain from the stretching.
- Obesity: Excess weight will put extra pressure on the tailbone, causing it to tilt backwards.
- Cancer: Only in rare cases is tailbone pain a sign of cancer
Sitting for a Long Time May Worsen Coccyx Pain
Acute caudal/tailbone pain usually resolves within days to weeks. Chronic coccyx pain that may persist as a dull ache may last for more than 3 months.
The following conditions may worsen coccyx pain:
- Sitting and maintaining the same posture for long periods
- Change from sitting to standing position
- Activities that put pressure on the tailbone, such as cycling or horseback riding
Physiotherapist Recommends: Bridge Pose (pelvic exercise)
Bridge pose, also known as pelvic exercise, can strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. Patients with tailbone pain may wish to try it.
Lie flat on the yoga mat, keep your feet wider than your pelvis and one foot away from your buttocks, tighten your posterior pelvic floor muscles and buttocks, and lift your buttocks toward the ceiling.
How do you find pelvic floor muscles?
An easy way to identify the pelvic floor muscles is through, interruption or slowing the urine flow during urination or actively puckering or squeezing the anus. The pelvic floor muscles are the ones responsible for this. This is what is employed during Kegel exercises.
Bridge practice tips:
- Stay focused
Once you figure out how to use your pelvic floor muscles, you can start exercising them anytime. For best results, focus on tightening only your pelvic floor muscles.
- Avoid holding your breath
Breathe normally during the exercise.
- Repeat three sets every day
Aim to do at least three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions per day, holding each exercise for 10-15 seconds.
If you have coccyx pain seek medical advice as soon as possible
If you experience the following conditions, it is recommended to consult your family doctor and orthopedic surgeon as soon as possible:
- Tailbone pain affecting daily activities
- Coccyx pain accompanied by fever
Registered physiotherapist can help you improve your pain through manual therapy and exercise therapy. Book an appointment today.
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References
- Osmosis. Coccyx. 8 Dec 2023 Retrieved from https://www.osmosis.org/answers/coccyx
- Mayo Clinic. Tailbone pain: How can I relieve it? 8 Dec 2023 Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/back-pain/expert-answers/tailbone-pain/faq-20058211
- Spine-health. Anatomy of the Coccyx (Tailbone). 8 Dec 2023 Retrieved from https://www.spine-health.com/conditions/spine-anatomy/anatomy-coccyx-tailbone