Have you ever sat down for what should have been a pleasant moment – a night on the sofa watching a movie or a lunch catching up with old friends – only to feel the cramp of shooting pain from your tailbone? Tailbone pain, or coccydynia, can make even your favorite pastimes feel like a big, uncomfortable endurance competition.
Stuck on a hamster wheel of heartbreaking coccydynia and wondering what will actually work?
Are you fed up with searching for solutions, only to come up empty-handed? We have carefully gathered the best 8 expert-backed methods for easing your tailbone pain, so you can return to a life full of comfort and mobility without disruption.
Is tailbone pain interrupting your daily life, preventing you from sitting at your desk or in a car to get to work, or interfering with your relaxation at home?
Let’s take a journey together to move past your polite sighs and your discomfort, and return to a life full of ease and vibrant energy. Follow these expert tips with us to relieve your tailbone pain and find the freedom of a life free from pain.
Table of Contents
1. The Power of Rest
Sometimes, healing is nothing more than that. Breaks are important to avoid stiffening up and feeling achy. Don’t sit for long periods of time, especially in a straight back chair. Get up and move around every 30 minutes. Set your phone to go off every 30 minutes to serve as a gentle reminder stand up and stretch.
2. Ice it or heat it?
Both! Apply ice packs wrapped in a towel for 15-20 minutes at a time to reduce inflammation during the first few days. After the swelling has subsided, switch to a heating pad to relieve tight muscles and increase circulation. A good heating pad with timer function can help to avoid overheating the area.
3. Stretch it out
Light stretching can help you become more flexible and take some pressure off your coccyx. Kneel on a cushion with your back resting on your forearms or bring your bottom to your heels in a yoga child’s pose. Stay like this for 30 seconds and repeat 2-3 times.
4. Posture Power
Sit, stand and walk with good posture. Visualize a string that gently tugs your head of your head towards the ceiling. Avoid Bending. Bending can add additional strain to your tail bone and exacerbate pain.
5. Modern Day Seat Cushion
Buy an Ergonomic Seat Cushion. Look for cushions that have an ergonomic cut-out that relieves pressure off your tailbone. Many also have memory foam that molds itself to your body shape, and a lower back support (among other features) that will ensure that your entire back is comfortable.
An exercise ball or magic carpet, a balance ball, especially developed for reducing spine pressure is another option. Chairs made for work and gaming frequently include the lumbar support required by your lower back.
If you spend a lot of time in a car, consider getting the coccyx cushion that is designed for motor vehicles. If you spend more time at desk, one for office chairs is available.
6. Over-the-Counter Relief
Ibuprofen and other pain relievers can sometimes help manage your pain — just be sure to follow package directions as to dosages and consult your doctor for long-term use. Pain relievers are sometimes a good idea, but they don’t treat the underlying cause of tailbone pain.
7. Chair Check
Replace hard, unsupported chairs with plush, well-padded/supported padded options; look for chairs with built-in coccyx cut-outs, or add a separate coccyx seat cushion; adjust chair height if you can, so that your knees do not lock or hyperextend when your feet rest equally on the floor, with an approximately 90-degree bend at your knees.
8. Listen to Your Body
Keep track of activities that intensify your pain and reduce or eliminate these activities, or compensate for them by frequently getting up and moving around. If you regularly sit at a desk for work or for other activities that you enjoy, make sure to take frequent breaks to get up and move.
If your pain does not ease or get worse, go back and see a doctor to rule out an organic pathology and discuss an individualized treatment plan.
Finally: try incorporating these strategies to see what works best for you – and then get rid of that tailbone pain and get on with life free of pain.
In conclusion keep in mind the fact that tailbone pain relief is right at your fingertips—when you know exactly how to give it. Take a look at our “Knowledge Center Page” for more articles to assist you through tailbone pain relief and pain-free living.
There are other blogs teaching you how to sit up straight, how to improve your posture, how to give your body a ‘spinal makeover’, even how to get lower back pain relief and Sciatica pain relief – both of which are related to tailbone issues.
Wish you all the best!
