COCCYDYNIA

COCCYDYNIA - Coccydynia (tailbone pain or coccyx pain) is a fairly rare and relatively poorly understood condition that can cause persistent pain at the very bottom of the spine. Coccydynia, commonly called tailbone pain or coccyx pain, is a fairly rare and relatively poorly understood condition that can cause persistent pain at the very bottom of the spine. This part of the spine is the coccyx, or tailbone. Coccydynia is felt as a localized pain and will generally feel worse when sitting or with any activity that puts pressure on the bottom area of the spine. The condition is much more common in women than men. It is usually caused by local trauma or giving birth.

Coccydynia symptoms may consist of one or all of the following:

• Pain that is markedly worse when sitting
• Local pain in the tailbone area that is worse when touched or when any pressure is placed on it
• Pain that is worse when moving from a sitting to standing position
• Pain that is worse with constipation and feels better after a bowel movement.

The coccyx is the very bottom portion of the spine. It represents a vestigial tail and consists of three or more very small bones fused together. The coccyx is made up of between three and five separate or fused vertebrae. While it was originally thought that the coccyx is always fused together, it is now known that the entire coccyx is not one solid bone but often there is some limited movement between the bones permitted by the fibrous joints and ligaments.