Norsky Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 How the hell do you heal a broken tail bone? My climbing partner (wife) broke it delivering our daughter. Bummer! It's been 4 months and it still hurts bad. Everyone we ask says it can take weeks or years. What do you all know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glassgowkiss Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 is it broken or shifted? take some x-rays and talk to ortho. if not broken talk to chiro or pt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alasdair Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 It does not sound like it is broken to me. I broke mine a couple of years ago, and it healed in a month or so. If the pain is lingering around then it is likely not a break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil K Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 Acupuncture. There's a coulple of points "down there" that can be needled, though I've never tried it myself. Philonius, LAc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodchester Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 It actually could be broken far worse than the Doctor(s) orginally thought. Usually when a bone breaks there is some sweliing, and that swelling can at times and to an inexperienced doctor cover up a break (in an X-ray), or at least make it appear less erious. Just saying it is a possibility. I had this exact thing happen to me on a collar bone 15 years ago, and is has never been the same since. My right colar bone was broken and had serious swelling. The first two doctors missed it entirely. Then I went to a specialist a month later that took a new x-ray and looked at the old one. He laughed and said now the bone had reset itself (though it was a long way from healing) incorrectly and that I could either have it rebroken or leave it as it is. He said leave it, and to this day it feels odd and it is not straight. Point is, get a second medical opinion. Good luck. It must suck having care for a newborn AND a wife with a smashed up tailbone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glassgowkiss Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 rodcherster, good point. it's not, that the fx was not showing, but the x-ray was inconclusive (in which case they should have taken another one, maybe using a different angle or it wasn't red properly. really, the sweling should not have an impact on the x-ray itself. x-ray will show almost none of the soft tissue, it will show bone. in a lot of cases it's simply a fact that md reading these things will work too long of the hours and they don't pay enough attention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodchester Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 glassgowkiss, I'm no doctor, but I clearly saw a difference between the x-ray taken that day and the one a month or so later. Maybe you are right and it was the angle, but from what I recall....it seemed to be the same angle? Either way, a second opinion and/or a new exam/x-ray sound like they are in order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mneagle Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 The symptoms you describe have a medical term: coccygodynia. Some have ideopathic pain while others have it associated with injury. Birthing trauma is associated with the pain but has not been specifically studied that I could find. Unfortunately many people have chronic pain that is refractory to conservative management (i.e. keeping weight off/preventing additional trauma, anti-inflammatories and steroid/anesthetic injections). However I found a recent article that seems to give a fairly optimistic outlook regarding patients with chronic pain. Orthopedics. 2003 Apr; 26(4): 403-5; discussion 405. Related Articles, Links Coccygodynia: treatment. Ramsey ML, Toohey JS, Neidre A, Stromberg LJ, Roberts DA. South Texas Orthopaedic & Spinal Surgery Associates, PA., San Antonio, Tex, USA. This article presents a retrospective review of the treatment of coccygodynia. The past 5 years of conservative treatment for coccygodynia were reviewed, including local injection. The results were evaluated. Retrospectively, the past 20 years of surgical treatment for coccygodynia were reviewed and the clinical results were evaluated. Twenty-four patients were treated with local injection and 15 patients were treated with coccygectomy. Local injection was successful in 78% of patients. Coccygectomy was successful in 87% of patients. The results of conservative treatment with local injection for coccygodynia appear to be successful. However, no other historical literature exists to compare these results. The results of coccygectomy for coccygodynia were also highly successful, and the success rate compares favorably to previous historical data in the literature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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