Why is tailbone sore after sitting

Rarely, an infection can occur in the base of the spine or soft tissue and cause coccydynia, such as a pilonidal abscess a painful collection of pus that usually develops in the cleft of the buttocks.

A rare cause of coccydynia is cancer. This can be bone cancer or cancer that starts somewhere else in the body and then spreads into the bone metastatic cancer. Page last reviewed: 11 July Next review due: 11 July The main causes of coccydynia include: Childbirth Giving birth is one of the most common causes of coccydynia. Injuring your coccyx You can injure your coccyx if you suffer a hard impact to the base of your spine.

Falling backwards is another common cause of injury to the coccyx. Repetitive strain injury RSI You may get coccydynia if you regularly take part in sports such as cycling or rowing. Poor posture Sitting in an awkward position for a long period of time, such as at work or while driving, can put too much pressure on your coccyx. Being overweight or underweight Being overweight or obese can place excess pressure on your coccyx when you're sitting down. Pregnant women with tailbone pain can also benefit from stretching.

A sore tailbone can make sitting and walking painful, but these yoga-inspired stretches will get you moving comfortably in no time. Kegel exercises can benefit both men and women. Deep breathing is associated with better health, yet the busy pace of life and sedentary environments have conditioned us to only take quick, shallow…. Treating pain with hot and cold can be extremely effective for a number of different conditions and injuries. The tricky part is knowing which…. Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs help reduce pain.

Learn how they work. Also discover which ones are safe for children, warnings, and other…. Back pain is something most people will experience in their lifetime. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Understanding and Treating Tailbone Pain. Medically reviewed by William Morrison, M. Causes When to contact your doctor Over-the-counter medications Sitting position Physical therapy Surgery Exercises and stretches We include products we think are useful for our readers. Tailbone pain You probably never gave your tailbone a single thought until it started to hurt.

Why your tailbone hurts. What should I do if my tailbone hurts? Treating tailbone pain with over-the-counter medications. Sitting position to treat tailbone pain. See Anatomy of the Coccyx Tailbone. Coccyx pain can develop from direct trauma, repetitive injury, or degeneration of the joint s of the coccyx.

Here are 5 possible causes of tailbone pain:. Damage to the bony segments or ligaments of the coccyx may occur due to 1 , 3 :. Typically, a normal tailbone is tilted in a slightly forward position. If this position changes due to anatomical variations, the tailbone can 3 :. The segments of the tailbone can also become unstable, resulting in coccygeal dynamic instability.

This condition causes excessive movement of one or more segments, especially while sitting. It is possible for degenerative arthritis osteoarthritis to develop in the joints of the coccyx due to wear and tear, resulting in tailbone pain. See Osteoarthritis of the Spine.

While rare, tumors or infections may affect the coccyx, causing pain. This pain often gets worse when sitting or leaning against your backside.

Coccydynia can be a hard condition to diagnose since many disorders mimic the symptoms and type of pain that is present with coccydynia. It is important to see your doctor if you notice any coccydynia symptoms to make sure you rule out these other conditions. You should see your doctor if you have symptoms of coccydynia, or a pain in your lower back that lasts for more than a few days. Although coccydynia is not considered to be a serious condition, there are many other conditions that can cause the same symptoms of coccydynia, and may be more serious such as a tailbone, hip, or spinal fracture.

It is important for you to see your doctor as soon as possible to rule out other conditions or begin treatment right away, especially in cases where they may be more serious.

You should call your doctor immediately if you have pain in the tailbone and any of the following other symptoms:. Most of the time, coccydynia is caused by an injury or other trauma to the tailbone, which causes inflammation. In rare cases, there may be no real injury or trauma to the tailbone, and this condition may seem to appear on its own, without any real cause.

Your doctor will most likely diagnose coccydynia based on your symptoms, as well as a physical exam of the area where the pain is. Your doctor may also run tests for other conditions that have similar symptoms to coccydynia in order to rule out a more serious condition.