Exercise For Coccyx Pain
1. Single-leg knee hug – This stretches the piriformis and the iliopsoas muscles, both of which can become tight and limit mobility in the pelvis. The piriformis originates from the tailbone and can irritate the sciatic nerve if it becomes inflamed. Gently increasing the stretch over time will allow the range of movement to expand.
- Lie down on the back.
- Bend one knee toward the chest.
- Extend the feet straight out, if tolerable.
- Hold onto the bent knee and pull it gently down into the chest.
- Hold for 30 seconds, then repeat on the other side.
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Do squats help with coccyx pain?
Beating Coccydynia at Home – Fortunately, there are a number of effective ways that you can treat coccydynia at home. Consider trying the following pain relief strategies:
Over-The-Counter Medications: NSAIDs, like Ibuprofen or Aleve, can be particularly handy for relieving coccygeal pain and unlike opioid drugs, they aren’t addictive. If you can’t find sufficient relief from NSAIDs, then consider speaking to your doctor about prescription pain relief options like Celebrex. You may also benefit from the use of steroid injections into the coccygeal joint to relieve tenderness. Hot & Cold Therapy: For the first few days following your injury, apply ice packs to the base of the spine. The cold will prevent the inflammation from setting in. Around day 3, apply alternating rounds of hot and cold therapy to your coccyx. The use of heating pads will draw blood–rich with white blood cells and healing properties–to the injured area. Ergonomic Equipment: If you can, invest in an adjustable desk or computer stand that you can raise and lower throughout your workday. Take frequent breaks where you stand, or if possible, stretch. Use a U-, V-, or donut- shaped pillow to sit on instead of a flat surface. These open pillows support your buttocks, while leaving an opening for your coccyx. This will shift your weight off of your coccyx and onto your buttocks muscles instead. Stretches: Relax your pelvic floor and gluteal muscles by engaging in activities that encourage stretching, like yoga or pilates. In particular, Happy Baby, Child’s Pose, Triangle Pose, and Squats are good at relieving tailbone pain. Dietary Changes: Eat healthy, well-balanced, and well-portioned meals to maintain an optimal BMI. In addition, if your coccydynia is caused by Levator Ani Syndrome (or pelvic floor dysfunction), make sure to get plenty of fiber and drink water to avoid constipation.
What exercises should I avoid with tailbone pain?
Avoid Kegel Exercises – Avoid Kegel exercises (pelvic floor exercises) with tailbone pain unless medically advised to perform. The pelvic floor muscles attach directly to the tailbone. Kegel exercises involve contracting the pelvic floor muscles. This action pulls forward on the coccyx bone and can aggravate tailbone pain.
How do you relieve coccyx pain naturally?
Hot or Cold Packs – One of the most common remedies for tailbone pain is hot or cold therapy. Applying heat or cold to the tailbone area reduces inflammation and promotes the healing process. You can use a hot water bottle or ice pack as often as four times a day. Apply the pack for about 15 minutes. Hot baths and heating pads can also help you achieve similar results.
Is yoga good for coccyx pain?
Soothing a sore tailbone Yoga poses are wonderful for stretching the muscles, ligaments, and tendons attached to the difficult-to-access tailbone. Officially called the coccyx, the tailbone is located at the bottom of the spine above the buttocks. To ease pain in the area, focus on poses that both stretch and strengthen.
Come to all fours, with your wrists underneath your shoulders and knees underneath your hips. If your knees hurt, place a blanket underneath them for added support.Inhale and lift the right leg, extending it straight behind you. If it feels good, extend the left arm as well.Exhale, round the back and bend the knee toward the forehead. Connect elbow to knee if you’re including the arms. Inhale back to the starting position and exhale, again connecting elbow to knee.Continue this movement about five times in concert with the breath, before switching to the other side.
This pose lengthens the side body while strengthening the legs. The entire spine is activated, strengthening the tailbone and spine.
Stand tall at the front of your mat with your feet grounded.Send the right leg back a few feet behind you, keeping the outer edge of the right foot parallel to the back edge of the mat. Align the heel of the front foot with the arch of the back foot.Bend the front knee, making sure not to extend it over the front ankle.Inhale and lift your arms up so they’re parallel to the ground. Bend the left elbow while exhaling, and lower the forearm to rest on the left thigh.Extend the right arm up to the sky, allowing your gaze to follow only as far as feels good in your neck. An option is to keep gazing at the ground.Deepen the posture by stretching the right arm up and along the ear, toward the wall in front of you. Keep the torso open and lines in the body long. Hold for five to seven breaths and repeat on the other side.
Triangle pose has similar benefits to Side Angle pose. It strengthens the legs, helps to stabilize the spine and tailbone, and opens the hips. Triangle pose also stretches the hamstrings.
Place one foot parallel to the back edge of the mat and the heel of your front foot in line with the arch of your back foot.Keep both legs straight and while inhaling, lift your arms up parallel to the ground.Exhale, reaching forward before tilting the side of your body and lowering the front arm toward the floor, keeping both legs straight. Keep the hand to the inside of the front leg. Only go down as far as feels good to you, maybe stopping at the thigh or midcalf.Keep the heart and torso open by keeping your arms aligned, as if pressing your body against an invisible pane of glass behind you. Stay for five to seven breaths before gently rising up and repeating on the other side.
This gentle backbend stretches and strengthens the back and tailbone muscles and tendons simultaneously. It’s a great backbend for beginners because the strength required reduces the risk of crunching into the lumbar spine, which is a common mistake with backbends.
Lie on your belly with your arms resting by your side and forehead on the mat.Bend your knees and grasp the outside of your ankles. If this isn’t possible, just reach toward the ankles.Inhale and lift the torso up on the mat. Send the soles of your feet toward the sky. Then seesaw your way higher, sending your feet up and allowing that momentum to lift the chest higher. If you can’t reach your feet, simply reach toward them, maintaining the bow shape without connection.Stay for three to five breaths before lowering down to rest.Repeat three more times.
Child’s Pose is a soft resting pose that gently stretches the entire spine, with a focus on the lower back and tailbone area. It’s a restorative pose that resets the nervous system, providing a safe place for the body to rejuvenate. Child’s Pose is wonderful to come to anytime you need a mental reset, or if your tailbone needs extra attention.
Come to all fours with your shoulders underneath the wrists and knees underneath the hips.Spread the knees wide, taking them to the edge of the mat while keeping your feet together.Send the pelvis back toward the heels while lowering the torso to the mat. Let your forehead also rest on the mat, if possible. Stretch your arms in front of you or clasp the hands behind your back. If you’d like to make the pose slightly more active, stretch through your fingers, reaching toward the wall in front of you, feeling a release through the shoulders.Make any adjustments to find more comfort in the pose, perhaps bringing your knees closer together or wide apart.Stay for five breaths or as long as you’d like.
How do I know if I’ve damaged my coccyx?
A coccyx injury results in pain and discomfort in the tailbone area (the condition is called coccydynia). These injuries may result in a bruise, dislocation, or fracture (break) of the coccyx. Although they may be slow to heal, the majority of coccyx injuries can be managed with cautious treatment.
A fall onto the tailbone in the seated position, usually against a hard surface, is the most common cause of coccyx injuries.A direct blow to the tailbone, such as those that occur during contact sports, can injure the coccyx.The coccyx can be injured or fractured during childbirth,Repetitive straining or friction against the coccyx (as happens in bicycling or rowing) can injure the coccyx.Sometimes, the cause of coccyx injuries is unknown.Less common causes of coccyx injuries include bone spurs, compression of nerve roots, injuries to other parts of the spine, local infections, and tumors.
Severe localized pain and tenderness may be felt in the tailbone area.If the injury is traumatic, a bruise may be visible in this area.The pain is generally worse when sitting for prolonged periods of time, or with direct pressure to the tailbone area. Bowel movements and straining are often painful.Some women may experience pain during sexual intercourse.
Call 911 and avoid moving the person if they have signs of spinal cord injury along with a tailbone injury caused by a fall. Symptoms of spinal cord injury include:
Severe neck or back painParalysis in part of the bodyLoss of bowel or bladder controlWeakness in the legs or armsNumbness
If you have the signs and symptoms of a coccyx injury or unexplained discomfort in the tailbone area, contact your doctor. It may be necessary for the doctor to decide if the injury is traumatic or if the pain is caused by other, more serious, problems. The cause of a coccyx injury is largely determined based on a medical history and a physical exam,
The entire vertebral column (spine) may be examined. A neurologic exam may be performed. A rectal exam may also be performed. For this exam, the doctor inserts a finger into your rectum to feel the area of the coccyx and determine if there is a dislocation or a fracture that can be felt and if direct pressure against the coccyx reproduces your pain.Rarely, if the cause of discomfort is unknown, a local anesthetic may be injected into the tailbone area to determine whether the origin of the pain is from the coccyx or another part of the vertebral column.X-rays may be taken to determine whether there is a fracture or dislocation. However, X-rays occasionally may not reveal these injuries. Some doctors recommend X-rays in both the standing and seated positions to better determine the presence of a fracture or dislocation.
Tailbone injuries are often extremely painful, so home remedies aim to control pain and avoid further irritation to the area.
Avoid sitting down for long periods of time. When seated, avoid sitting on hard surfaces and alternate sitting on each side of the buttocks. Also, lean forward and direct your weight away from the tailbone.For traumatic injuries, apply ice to the tailbone area for 15-20 minutes, four times a day, for the first few days after the injury.Take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ( NSAIDS ) such as aspirin or ibuprofen to reduce pain and improve your ability to move around. Do not take NSAIDS if you have kidney disease, a history of gastrointestinal bleeding, or are also taking a blood thinner – such as Coumadin – without first talking with your doctor. In that case, it is safer to take acetaminophen, which helps lessen pain but does not reduce inflammation,You can purchase a “doughnut” cushion or pillow to sit on. This cushion has a hole in the middle to prevent the tailbone from contacting the flat surface.Eat foods high in fiber to soften stools and avoid constipation,
In addition to home care, a doctor may be able to provide further relief of pain with other medical and, rarely, surgical interventions.
Stronger pain medications may be prescribed at the discretion of your doctor.Stool softeners may be prescribed to prevent constipation,Injections of local anesthetics into the tailbone are sometimes required for continuing pain.Rarely, the coccyx may be surgically removed.
Follow-up is recommended at the discretion of your doctor and depends on the severity of the injury and the progress you are making with medical treatment. Most people do not require follow-up if their coccyx injury is improving with medical treatment.
- People with chronic tailbone pain, for whom medical therapy has not worked, require more frequent follow-up and may be referred to other medical or surgical specialists.
- Most tailbone injuries are accidental (such as slipping on ice) and therefore cannot be entirely avoided.
- Wear proper protective padding when participating in contact sports that can potentially lead to coccyx injuries.
The prognosis for tailbone discomfort depends on many factors.
The original cause of the problem (whether from a fall or other trauma, tumor, or infection)If traumatic, the severity of the injury (a bruise, fracture, or dislocation)Your ability to comply with medical treatmentYour natural ability to recuperate and heal
The majority of cases of traumatic coccyx injury get better within several weeks of the injury with proper medical treatment. A few people suffer from chronic discomfort despite proper medical treatment. This can be an extremely frustrating and debilitating problem.
What is the best position to sleep in with tailbone pain?
3. Give sleeping on your back a chance – Sleeping on your back is the preferred position when it comes to reducing stress on your coccyx. Even better – try placing a wedge pillow under your knees as you lie on your back. This can help to further relieve stress on your tailbone and allow your coccyx to relax into the bed.
