Causes & Symptoms Of Tailbone Pain

Pain in the tailbone area is called coccydynia in medical terms. The area between your buttocks that lies above the anus is the site of the tailbone or coccyx. When this bone is inflamed, you experience pain and tenderness. When you sit, this pain gets aggravated.

Causes For Tailbone Pain

Injuries are the most painful conditions that affect the lower back and tailbone. There are many ways you can contract this dreaded condition.

• Falls are a common cause of tailbone injuries. Falling while sitting and hitting your back on the hard ground is probably the most common cause of tailbone injury.
• Sometimes, a direct impact on the tailbone, like the ones that occur during contact sports, can injure the tailbone.
• Even pregnancy can cause injury or lead to the fracture of the tailbone. Tailbone pain during pregnancy is common during various trimesters.
• Sports like bowling, cycling, and rowing can cause tailbone injuries due to the repetitive motion used in them.
• At times, tailbone injuries can occur due to no particular reason. You may experience tailbone pain without injury as well.
• A lesser-known reason for tailbone injury is a bone spur. An extra growth in the bone can put pressure on it and cause pain.
• Infections at the base of the spine or soft tissue can cause accumulation of pus, which is very painful and can lead to tailbone pain.
• A more serious condition that causes lower back and tailbone pain may be cancer. However, this cause is uncommon.

Tailbone Injury Symptoms

Now that you know what causes tailbone pain, let’s look at some symptoms of tailbone pain. Knowing these symptoms will equip you with enough knowledge, so you know when you need to visit the doctor.

Some of the symptoms include:

• The tailbone area is quite tender, and the pain is quite severe
• Sometimes, a bruise may be visible in the tailbone area
• The pain progressively gets worse when you sit down for long or apply direct stress to the tailbone area
• Passing stools and straining are quite painful
• You may experience sharp pain during sexual intercourse