The human tailbone, or coccyx, is a small, triangular bone measuring less than two inches. The tailbone makes up the end of the spine and is comprised of 3 to 5 fused or partially fused vertebrae. Despite its small size and innocuous placement, the tailbone is crucial for balance and provides a support base for sitting and spinal stabilization. A broken tailbone is one of the most excruciating fractures an individual can experience, making it painful to sit and stand, and impeding mobility during the recovery period. Those who have suffered this type of injury due to no fault of their own may have a path toward financial recovery with our St. Louis personal injury attorney team.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Broken Tailbones?
Because the tailbone is a weight-bearing body part with attached musculature that controls pelvic floor movement, a broken tailbone can be excruciating and require a lengthy healing time. The most common causes of broken tailbones include the following:
- Slip-and-fall accidents that cause a hard landing on the buttocks, often resulting from wet floors or icy steps and walkways
- Car accidents, especially rear-end collisions
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bicycle, e-bike, and scooter accidents
- Acts of violence, especially from shoving
- Contact sports injuries
- Medical instrument-assisted vaginal deliveries during childbirth
- Workplace accidents
The Cleveland Clinic describes the pain of a fractured tailbone as: “…uncomfortable at best and unbearable at worst,” and includes not only pain during sitting and walking but also during bowel movements and sexual intercourse.
Symptoms of a Tailbone (Coccyx) Fracture
While bruising a tailbone is more common than a tailbone fracture, coccyx fractures are typically more painful than a bruised tailbone and often temporarily debilitating. It’s important to recognize the signs of a broken tailbone after substantial blunt-force trauma from a fall, car accident, or other cause. Common symptoms include:
- Sudden, intense pain in the lower back after blunt force trauma, including pain that radiates across the buttocks and down the back of the thighs
- Pain or persistent dull aching when sitting and when rising from a seated position
- Numbness when sitting
- Tenderness at the base of the spine
- Bruising and swelling
- Painful bowel movements
- Pain when walking and climbing stairs
In some cases, a broken tailbone can cause numbness and tingling in the lower limbs, constipation, or bladder and/or bowel incontinence. It’s important to seek medical care if you experience any of the above symptoms after an accident or injury.
Treatment for a Broken Tailbone
Because of the tailbone’s location, medical professionals cannot apply a cast or brace. Instead, treatment requires the following:
- Applying alternating cold and heat therapy
- Anti-inflammatory pain medications
- Special wedge or donut-shaped cushions for sitting
- Taking fiber supplements or stool softeners to minimize pain during bowel movements
- Recommended posture adjustment, such as leaning forward when sitting, to relieve pressure from the tailbone
- Local nerve-blocking treatment or steroid injections for extreme pain
- Physical therapy to relieve tight pelvic floor muscles and reduce muscle spasms
In cases of extreme, prolonged pain from a broken tailbone, medical professionals may perform a coccygectomy, or surgery to remove the tailbone.
What If Someone Else’s Actions Caused My Broken Tailbone?
If the injury was caused by another party’s actions or negligence, you have the right to seek compensation for your medical treatment expenses, lost wages, and compensation for the substantial pain and suffering associated with a broken tailbone under Missouri’s modified comparative negligence system. A personal injury claim against the responsible party requires compelling evidence and medical expert testimony.