Discover various treatment options for tailbone pain and learn how internal tailbone adjustment might be right for you.

Chronic tailbone pain (also called coccydynia) is common. Tailbone pain is common during pregnancy, in people that’s daily tasks require prolonged sitting, and in patients that have excessive tightness in the pelvic floor muscles.

Since the tailbone is surrounded by muscles, namely the hip and pelvic floor muscles, a pelvic floor physical therapist is the best provider to help you with chronic tailbone pain treatment. 

Typically tailbone pain occurs when excessive pelvic floor muscle tension or tightness pulls on its attachment point on the tailbone. This excessive pulling on the tailbone then results in pain. This pain can be further exacerbated by prolonged sitting and direct pressure on the tailbone.

Often too, tailbone pain can be the result of a direct fall on the tailbone. In this circumstance, the direct trauma to the tailbone can cause it to be displaced, and also can cause more tension throughout the pelvic floor muscles. 

Since pelvic floor muscle tension is one of the main contributing factors to tailbone pain, chronic tailbone pain treatment should be performed by an internal pelvic floor therapist. 

During an internal pelvic floor therapy session, a specialty trained physical therapist can perform an internal coccyx adjustment or mobilization. During this treatment, the pelvic floor physical therapist will insert one gloved finger rectally and release the tissue that attaches to the tailbone and if appropriate will perform an internal coccyx adjustment or mobilization. 

Unfortunately attempting to adjust the tailbone externally (or without an internal assessment) is often unsuccessful as the tailbone is located extremely deep within the buttocks region. There are large muscles, and significant subcutaneous tissue that protects this area of the body . Therefore, any manual release or tailbone adjustment done externally will not get to the depth of the tailbone. 

Besides offering internal tailbone adjustment treatment, a pelvic floor physical therapist will also suggest exercises and may supplement with other manual techniques to further make progress with your chronic tailbone pain treatment. 

Typically, your pelvic floor physical therapist will also teach you pelvic floor relaxation exercises, strengthening exercises, and lifestyle medications to help you continue to make progress with your tailbone pain in between treatment sessions. 

Your pelvic floor therapist will recommend several visits so that she can continue to perform repeated internal tailbone adjustments until your symptoms subside. Majority of our patients see a significant reduction in their tailbone pain after just a few sessions. 

At Vivid, not only do we provide internal tailbone adjustment and mobilizations, we also provide hands on, internal manual treatment and release to the pelvic floor muscles, lifestyle modifications, strengthening and relaxation exercises specific to the tailbone pain and pelvic floor. 

If you are struggling with tailbone pain, call us! We’d be happy to help you find relief!