Tailbone Pain (Coccyx Pain) Treatment in Bakersfield
It hurts to sit, especially on hard chairs or when you lean back, and standing up brings a sharp pang. Tailbone pain is common after a fall or childbirth, and it often gets better with simple changes and the right care.
Yes, physical therapy can help tailbone pain. Tailbone (coccyx) pain often eases with changes to how you sit, gentle movement, and treatment for the muscles and joints around the tailbone, hips and pelvis. Many people improve with this kind of simple, hands-on and exercise-based care. At ARI Physical Therapy in Bakersfield, every visit is one-on-one with a licensed physical therapist. For women, our pelvic floor physical therapy can also check whether tight pelvic floor muscles are part of the pain.
Does this sound like you?
✓Pain right at the bottom of your spine, just above the crease of your buttocks
✓Pain when you sit, worse on hard seats or when you lean back
✓A sharp pain as you stand up from sitting
✓Pain that started after a fall onto your bottom, or after childbirth
✓Pain that builds over a long drive or a long day at a desk
✓Pain with bowel movements or, for some women, during sex
What causes tailbone pain
The tailbone is a small group of bones at the very bottom of the spine. Several pelvic floor and hip muscles and ligaments attach to it, so it takes pressure every time you sit. Common causes of pain include:
A fall onto your bottom, which can bruise or sprain the area, and sometimes break the bone.
Childbirth. As the baby passes through, the tailbone and the muscles around it can be stretched or strained.
Long hours of sitting, especially slumped back on a hard seat, which puts weight right on the tailbone.
No clear cause. Sometimes tailbone pain starts on its own, and the muscles around it are often part of the problem.
Changing how you sit. Sitting upright or leaning slightly forward moves weight off the tailbone and onto your sit bones. A wedge cushion with a cut-out at the back can help, and your therapist can help you choose one.
Position breaks. Standing up and moving often, instead of sitting for hours, gives the area a rest.
Gentle mobility for the low back and hips, so the tailbone isn't taking all the strain.
Hip and pelvic muscle work. Gentle hands-on treatment, stretching and strengthening for the muscles around the hips, buttocks and pelvis.
Bathroom habits. Straining on the toilet can make tailbone pain worse, so we talk about simple ways to make bowel movements easier.
Pelvic floor care for women
The pelvic floor muscles attach to the tailbone. When they are tight or tender, which is common after childbirth or a fall, they can keep tailbone pain going. For women, ARI's pelvic floor physical therapy can include a gentle assessment of these muscles. Your therapist explains every step first, goes at your pace, and you can say no to any part of it. Learn more about pelvic floor therapy and pelvic pain and painful sex.
Pelvic floor therapy at ARI is for women only. Men with tailbone pain get the careful evaluation and treatment described above.
What treatment at ARI looks like
1
A one-on-one evaluation
Your first visit takes about 45 to 60 minutes. We ask how the pain started and how you sit, work and sleep, then check your low back, hips and pelvis. For women, a pelvic floor assessment is offered if it may help, only with your consent.
2
Easing the pain
Changes to your sitting setup, gentle hands-on treatment for the muscles around the tailbone and hips, and easy exercises to get you moving more comfortably.
3
Lasting progress
Building up how long you can sit comfortably, strengthening for the hips and trunk, and a home program you can keep doing on your own.
No referral needed to start. In California, you can see a physical therapist directly for up to 12 visits or 45 days, whichever comes first. Some insurance plans still require a referral for coverage; call us at (661) 282-8584 and we'll help you check.
When to see a doctor first
See a doctor promptly if you have:
Severe pain after a hard fall, which may need an X-ray to check for a fracture
Numbness in the groin, buttocks or inner thighs, or new trouble controlling your bladder or bowels, which needs emergency care
Fever, or redness, swelling, a painful lump or drainage near the tailbone, which can be an infection
Bleeding from the rectum, or a change in your bowel habits that doesn't go away
Constant pain that is worse at night and not eased by rest or changing position, especially with a history of cancer or unexplained weight loss
Why patients choose ARI
Care at ARI is always one-on-one and in person with a licensed physical therapist at our Bakersfield clinic: 8200 Stockdale Hwy, Suite B2, in the Town & Country Village center next to Trader Joe's. Our clinic director, Deepa Konnur, PT, MPT, OCS, is a board-certified Orthopedic Certified Specialist. We accept most private insurance plans and Medicare, and we have staff who speak Spanish and Hindi.
Tailbone pain FAQs
Often it eases with time, especially once you take pressure off it when you sit. Some cases last longer. If your pain isn't getting better, or it keeps you from sitting at work or in the car, an evaluation can help find what is keeping it going.
Many people find a wedge-shaped cushion with a cut-out at the back helps, because the cut-out keeps weight off the tailbone. Different cushions suit different people, so use whichever feels best. Your therapist can help you choose.
Only an X-ray can tell for sure, so see a doctor after a hard fall with severe pain. Bruised or broken, care usually focuses on taking pressure off the tailbone.
Yes. The tailbone and nearby muscles can be strained during delivery. Physical therapy can help, and tell your OB about the pain too.
Yes. Pelvic floor therapy at ARI is for women only, but men with tailbone pain are treated with sitting changes, gentle mobility, hands-on care and exercises for the back, hips and pelvic muscles.
No. In California you can see a physical therapist directly for up to 12 visits or 45 days, whichever comes first. Some insurance plans still require a referral for coverage, so call us at (661) 282-8584 and we'll help you check.