Coccyx Pain

Hello all. I was wondering if any of you had any coccyx pain? I have a broken coccyx. It has been broken for 21 years. It has never given me any "problems". I have had chronic daily, debilitating head pain for 10 years. Ok 9 but it feels like at least a decade .

For the last two months I have been having terrible pain in my coccyx. I can't sit on it for any length of time and getting up sends searing pain to my .. umm, tushie.

I have been doing research and came across and anecdotal tale of a young woman who suddenly had terrible coccyx pain and TERRIBLE, INTRACTABLE head pain. She had her coccyx removed and the pain subsided.

It makes me wonder....

Mary Anne

Hi....

I broke my coccyx as a child, and it is twisted and protrudes. I do not have much pain most of the time, but I am very thin and the skin is painful over it.

I have had cranio-sacral therapists tell me that my coccyx break and abnormality is the reason for my daily migraines, but almost a year of c-s therapy did not provide any lasting relief.

There is also an interesting correlation between those of us who have fibromyalgia and broken tailbones.

I know this is not exactly on your topic, but hope you feel better soon.

Ann

Ann,

I guess it is just you and me Thanks for the reply. Did Cranio Sacral therapy get your migraines all fired up? I did it with several practitioners over several years. The therapy really got my head pain in full gear. It felt like they turned up the electricity in my head.

Do you know where you learned about the coccyx/ fibro connection? I would be interested to read that.

Do you know what happens when there is a change in your spinal fluid flow? Does it flow?

I asked my pain Dr. if my sore coccyx could influence my headaches. She said absolutely not, no chance. She said that the spinal cord ends well before the coccyx and there are no nerves from one end through the other.

What kind of Dr. deals with spinal fluid and it role in a person?

Thanks Ann. I hope you have many pain free days!

Mary Ann,

Cranio sacral did help my migraines temporarily, sometimes for only the time I was on the table. I went to a 5-day intensive program as well as just weekly. I had high hopes but they always came back. I'm sorry that c-s didn't help you. I know it helps some people, just not us I guess.

I learned about the fibro/broken coccyx connection on a fibro web board, www.fibromyalgiatreatment.com (I also have fibro). There was an unscientific poll there, and so many of us have had broken tailbones! Interesting. As you may know, the cranio-sacral theory is that there is a connection between the coccyx and the brain through the dura that surrounds the brain.

Re spinal fluid...my neuro and I have wondered about my spinal pressure because when I have severe migraines, I cannot lie down as it makes the pain worse (like last night). I am going to ask her about this again when I go in a couple of weeks. My migraines have been getting worse (if that's possible) and I have been either at home or in the ER every week or two with a severe migraine.

I, too, wish you many pain free days. We must find an answer! Thanks for sharing.

Ann

Ann,

I think we may be on to something. My pain also gets worse when I lie down. No one else ever says that. I have been wondering if the coccyx is impeding the flow of csf? Is it pulling on the dura? What on earth do we do about it and who would know?

Interesting.

Good luck and keep me updated. I will do the same. I am actually going to make an appt with a new neuro when I get back from vacation. I was going to just list my symptoms and problems and what I have tried, what works etc. what doesn't. And let him come to his own diagnosis. I sometimes wonder if I have just been living in the "chronic daily migraines" world when that may not be the case. I was diagnosed that way years ago and I have told all subsequent Dr.s that since then. What if that original diagnosis is wrong? What if it is something else entirely.

good luck and never give up!

Mary Anne

Ann and Mary Ann,

Lying down makes my head pain worse too. I've slept in a recliner the past 2-1/2 years because of it. None of the neuros or other doctors have ever commented on a cause for this.

I've never been diagnosed with fibro or coccyx problems like you describe, but I do also have degenerative joint disease.

I do hope you're able to find some help for your coccyx pain, Mary Ann. It sounds so miserable.

Becky,

Hmmmmm, that is very interesting. I'm sorry about sleeping in the recliner, but that's what I do when I have a bad migraine, too.

I have degenerative disc disease in my back, too. Somehow I think all of this is related, just wish I knew how.

Thanks for your comments.

Ann

I also have a pain in my ass that started a year ago. I told every doctor. Getting up from a seated position is agony. I went on line and binged cocyx. I found a specialist here and made an appointment. He did special xrays, sitting on a chair with my feet up.

My tail bone has a hook, left over from us having tails. When I sit it dislocates and points straight up sticking it to all the soft tissue in the area. When I stand it has to straighten out and that is the pain.

Dr. Patterson sent me to a pain doc at the clevland clinic. They do an inj of lidocaine under anesthesia with xray. It's a test and if it helps it is a dx.

The only treatment is removal of the vertabrae. This is highly riscky because infection is a big problem. And if you get an infection there you have it for life. This is probably from the sjogrens. I just feel better that I have a dx. I'll have to live with this.

Go online and and look for cocxydena (sp) and you will get all the info you need. I see Dr. Patterson in Avon lake Ohio.
I had no injury just woke up one day and ouch!!
kathy

I broke my tailbone about three years ago in a fall.
I have fibro and degenerative disk disease, and I am usually careful not to fall, but this one was a doozy. I didn't notice any connection with the migraine pain...

But my tailbone is apparently never going to completely heal - I can't sit at the computer or anywhere very long...

Holly

When we took Anna to The Chiari Institute in NY in 2005, Anna told their neuro she was experienced new and sudden pain in her tailbone area as she got out of our vehicle at the Twin Cities airport. The neuro wrote an order for an MRI of her tailbone, along with other MRI's of her brain and spine.

We saw their neurosurgeon the next day, and he said the MRI showed a fractured tailbone. How it happened, who knows? Anna's GP said it is pretty hard to fracture your tailbone without an obvious trauma.

It did get better, but it sure was a mystery at the time.

Cheryl

That is interesting Cheryl. I am glad the pain is better. I have been wondering lately if the coccyx being in the wrong position can influence our pain. Does it mess with the spinal fluid flow? Does it inflame nerves? Could it pull on the dura in a way to cause head pain?

Isn't it interesting that all of us so far are women? I wonder why that is? Do you all have daily headpain? How many of you have fibro? (I don't).

I found this interesting paper on the web from a chiropractor who says that it can cause all of those things and more. In his practice he started realigning people's coccyx's and it greatly relieved their pain. He is no longer practicing. But I have corresponded with him by email and he thinks it is very possible that my coccyx could be causing my head pain. He sent me another article which I would be happy to email you and he referred me to another chiro who does the same sort of manipulation. I am going to try it. What have I got to lose (more money, more time). I have tried everything else. Why not this. It sounds like a good alternative to surgery. Although, I have to say, if the surgery would make my head better, you could take the whole thing out! I'd even give you a kidney!

http://kemperspinecenter.com/pdf/ftd.pdf

It seems as though the coccyx can also be the culprit in range of motion problems, back pain and other pains.

Mary Anne

When it comes to CSF issues, there is a lack of understanding and difficulty in treating anything and everything. One expert says, "We are still in the Dark Ages with it."

Answers are really hard to come by.

Cheryl

This thread reminded me of Painman Don, from the misc. side of the old forum. He had his tailbone removed, then suffered a severe massive infection.

In 1982 I was taking lessons at a racing stable (they had a good deal going, pay them to groom their horses ); I fell while taking a bale of straw off of the stack in the barn, and hit my tailbone. I am unsure whether or not I broke it, but suspect that I did. I did not tell anyone, never saw a doctor for it, and I still had horses to ride six days a week. Before this fall my tailbone used to point outwards (made doing sit-ups painful), afterwards it dose not point out as much (almost points inward).

I work with a chiro doc that has pretty good success with coccyx adjustments. Most chiros don't use it in their practice since it involves a latex glove and lube. Most of the local chiros send their coccyx patients to him. But the people is does help are very happy and come back from time to time for re-adjustments. It's not cure and the doc tells them that but does provide non-drug and non-surgical relief.

I leave on Sunday. I will be there for 5 days and will spend several hours a day at the clinic. I will keep you all updated Wouldn't it be nice if it helped!

Good luck all,

Mary Anne

If I sit at my computer for a long time, my tailbone will ache for a few minutes when I get up. I can't tell if it is not in the right position so I assume it's ok.

I got a wedge cushion to put on my chair and it has a cut out right below the tailbone. I haven't had that pain since.

Hello Coccyx sufferers and Daily Migraine sufferers,

I have just read your posts and a couple others, as this is my first time on here. I have had daily chronic migraines for over 7 years. I am now 31 yrs old, but I truthfully I am lucky to be alive after the ultra severe pain I have endured.

It took me over 7 years until I learned this summer that my pain was being caused by a broken/hooked coccyx. I have played competitive ice-hockey most of my life so my doctor(s) believe that I fell hard on my butt, which jammed my spinal cord so hard that it displaced my sphenoid bone and Atlas bone (C1) in my head/neck. This is what caused me to have a form of Trigeminal Neuralgia, which causes super painful facial/head nerve pain. My pain is shared (unfortunately) by 3 major sites including: temporal, facial, and TMJ pain.

I thought it sounded crazy when they told me my torturous, daily head pain was caused by a broken coccyx, but then again I've seen over 36 doctors in 5 different states, and they offered nothing other than more injections and narcotics (24 medications & 6 drastic treatments).

I won't bore you with anything else except the 2 things that might just cure you...yea...I said it., .......cure you!

1. Atlas Orthogonal Therapy - Upper cervical specialist..DO NOT try and see your friendly neighborhood chiropractor..they are not educated on this

2. Certified Craniopath - who can perform the INTERNAL coccyx adjustment. The external adjustments are child's play and they won't manipulate anything. FYI - some osteopaths are skilled in this, too.

My neurologist who is one of the best in N. America referred me to the Atlas orthogonal doctor in '07 who gave me a huge 50% improvement...but it never cured my pain which was still enough to put down a small horse...daily. : (

The good thing is that this was the defining clue that helped my craniopath figure out that everyone was focusing on the wrong area.

Finally, it's an f-n miracle (excuse my jubilation)!!! I have been doing so much better!! I thought it was going to kill me everyday...or that I was going to kill me everyday, but what can I say GOD is good, and my wife somehow stuck by me through these torturous years.

Please take my advice as I always thought that I was the only one who has dealt with this, but now I know I'm not alone.

P.S. - I'm want to share my story but I can't seem to figure out how to make a regular post/reply...anyways...God bless and Good Luck!

Regards,
C

here i am again, raining on everyone's parade. as a 41-year migraine sufferer, one can imagine i've tried almost everything, and at huge expense. some of the treatments were REALLY flaky/nutty, but i thought they sounded reasonable at the time......

many years ago i had both treatments harlequin mentions, internal coccyx adjusting by a chiropractor i assume was certified, and atlas therapy by a certified grostic chiropractor. (maybe this is different than the orthogonal, but i got so much worse, i wouldn't consider ever letting anyone at my neck or atlas again!!)

at the age of 23 i cracked my tailbone, and sat on a motorcycle innertube for a couple of months, while taking care of two babies. it finally stopped hurting. i've always wondered whether this screwed up my entire spine. my migraines started at age 29, after what was "maybe" lyme disease.

also i have a diagnosis of trigeminal neuralgia. my head and face hurt 24/7 and sometimes it is unbearable. i should be used to it after all these years, but it really doesn't get any easier to bear, does it?

hmmmmm, i'd sure love to get an evaluation by your doctor, harlequin! i'm in WA state. dianne