What can a doctor do for a hurt tailbone?
Possible treatments for tailbone pain may include: Injections of local anesthetic, or numbing agent such as lidocaine, and a steroid injection can reduce inflammation and provide pain relief for weeks at a time. Surgery is the last result, and typically only reserved for severe cases.
How do you tell if you have a damaged tailbone?
The symptoms of a broken tailbone include:
- 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.
What does it mean when your tailbone hurts without injury?
It usually goes away on its own in a few weeks or months. Sometimes the cause is unknown, but common causes include injury from falls or childbirth infections or sitting too long on a hard surface. It’s rare, but tailbone pain may be caused by cancer.
Can you break your coccyx and not know?
Broken tailbone causes But just as many can have pain without remembering any injury. Sometimes just sitting on a hard bench may be the trigger. Coccydynia is about three times more common in obese people because of the anatomy of the coccyx in relation to the spine and buttocks.
How long does coccyx pain take to heal?
Healing time for an injured tailbone depends on the severity of the injury. If you have a fracture, healing can take between 8 to 12 weeks. If your tailbone injury is a bruise, healing takes about 4 weeks.
What is the fastest way to heal a sore tailbone?
Lean forward while sitting down. Sit on a doughnut-shaped pillow or wedge (V-shaped) cushion. Apply heat or ice to the affected area. Take over-the-counter pain relievers, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or aspirin.
Will a broken tailbone heal on its own?
A broken or bruised coccyx will usually heal on its own. Physical therapy, exercises, and a special cushion can all help ease the pain and speed recovery. See your doctor if pain is severe, or if you have trouble with bowel movements or urination. Surgery is needed in fewer than 10 percent of cases.
How do you tell the difference between a bruised tailbone and a fracture?
bruised tailbone. X-rays can also reveal if the tailbone is broken or just bruised. A fracture will usually be visible on an X-ray. Although the treatment may be the same, the recovery time is longer for a fracture than for a bruise.
Is walking good for tailbone pain?
The coccyx, a small triangular bone at the bottom of the spinal column, can get bruised and even fractured. Sitting increases pain while walking relieves it.
What is the fastest way to relieve tailbone pain?
Should I talk to my doctor about tailbone pain?
Tailbone pain is sometimes related to prostate cancer, a common cancer in men. As prostate cancer grows, it can lead to bone pain. If you have these symptoms, talk to your doctor. A vertebral tumor is a tumor in your spine that affects your bones or vertebrae. As it grows, it may cause pain in your tailbone.
How do you diagnose tailbone pain with an MRI?
A magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI) may be ordered to diagnose cancer or infection of the coccyx. When seeing your doctor for tailbone pain, your doctor will consider referred pain to the tailbone, which is pain that feels like it is coming from your tailbone when it’s really coming from another area of the body.
What are the symptoms of tailbone pain?
Pain during bowel movements and sex are also quite common. Discomfort can range from faint, throbbing pain to sharp pain that radiates up and/or down. The tailbone is the point of attachment for various muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
Should I go to the emergency room for a tailbone injury?
A doctor will be able to determine if your injury is related to an unrealized trauma or is linked to a more serious condition. It is rare that an injury to the tailbone requires a visit to the emergency room.