Last week we shared about tailbone and back pain. Today, we are sharing a little more about this topic. Here, we are going to share about what a bruised tailbone is and how a sedentary job can create back pain.
Who is likely to have bruised tailbone:
A bruised tailbone is similar to what it sounds like. After any long sedentary, or sitting, activity, a bruised tailbone may hit too close to home. People that travel often or take long car rides to and from work may know the pain too well.
Women may be diagnosed with a bruised tailbone, or coccyx, after childbirth, especially if they had an epidural and remained in bed for more than a few hours at a time. Similarly, cyclists that are sitting for hours on end may get a bruised tailbone.
Patients with lower bone density, a condition called osteopenia, may acquire a bruised tailbone more easily than others without the condition. Bone mineral density, or BMD, is the measurement doctors use to estimate the chances of bones breaking due to normal activity. For those with osteopenia have lower bone mineral density. Take note, osteopenia is not a disease.
However, those with osteopenia have a greater risk for developing the bone disease osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a bone disease which causes fractures and stooped back pain. This leads to poor posture, decrease in height, and back pain.
If you have osteopenia, discuss your future with your doctor. Choosing the right foods and exercise can prevent people from developing osteoporosis. Losing bone density itself does not cause pain.
ProCare Health & Rehab patients that have been involved in a car accident often express they have back pain or tailbone pain. This pain is most noticeable when sitting.
What causes a bruised tailbone?:
All of your upper body’s weight weighs down on your tailbones white sitting down. This is what causes the pain. There are other symptoms you may experience when you have a bruised tailbone such as numbness, tingling, swelling, worsening pain, leg weakness, and problems with bowel or bladder control.
To lessen the tailbone pain while sitting there are a few things you can try. You may want to begin my trying a slightly different form while sitting down for periods of time. Try leaning forwards a little bit to prevent so much of the weight left on the tailbone.
If that did not provide much relief, try sitting on a donut. We are not referring to the tasty edible type of donut. A wedge cushion designed to ease tailbone pain is also referred to as a donut or donut pillow.
It is a “V” or v-shaped pillow. Although those both may not do the job, you may try applying heat or ice to the area. But that option is not as much as a fix as it is a bandaid. If you still feel pain after taking over the counter medications for a few days, you should go into ProCare Health & Rehab for an examination.
Bruised tailbone or injured tailbone?:
You may be refereed to other doctors to rule out other conditions associated with digestive issues. If it is strictly tailbone pain and not bowel movement issues, an MRI may be requested. This will rule out fractures, degenerative changes, or worse scenarios such as tumors.
Next week, we are going further into this discussion and diving into the treatment and prognosis for bruised tailbones. Thanks for stopping by this time. Now, be sure to reach out to our office if you have survived a car accident. We are here to help rehabilitate!
Staff Writer
