Tail bone

[Smarties67]

Ok just took this health check and thought I would put it out there and ask advice. I fell 15 months ago and have been left with cronic pain. I really feel something more needs to be done as it does ignore affect my life. I have had physio and it was a waste of time, how do I go and tell my doctor I need more help as cronic pain is supposed to be mind related?

[WalkingWithLabradors Graduate]

Go back to the GP and tell him you are still in pain even after physio. Did the physio explain that it may take time to reduce the pain but the exercises and advice given would support healing? He/she won’t know you are still in pain unless you tell them. Ask if you can see a chronic pain specialist or a CBT Counsellor perhaps? Don’t leave until you are happy.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Is this affecting your runs too.... If you have chronic pain all the time go to your GP and get it checked out

[SaskAlliecat Graduate]

Oh Smarties67, I feel and understand your pain. I, too, have been suffering with chronic tailbone pain since October 2015. I understand the huge impact it has on your life and how hard it can be to endure. I finally feel like I am turning the corner, where it is not a burden every single day. There are even days where I barely notice it. Perhaps a bit of what I have tried may help or give you something to explore.

For starters, if you haven't been to your GP about it, I would start there. Since yours was due to a fall, an X-ray may be warranted to ensure nothing was damaged (although having been to an orthopaedic surgeon for my tail bone woes, I'm not sure if they surgically do much for it, given that a large number of pelvic floor muscles attach to it). I left my appointment realizing I need to be very aware of how I sit to not aggravate it further and give the tissues time to heal. I bought a bunch of different cushions to try and take the pressure of my tailbone when I sit. The most effective cushions have a cutout where the tailbone would be so no pressure is put on it when you sit. This is the padded one I used

amazon.ca/Seat-Cushion-Sill...

And I also had a firm one that was touted for lower back pain that was scooped to fit your buttocks but had a small divot where the tail bone was so no pressure would be put on it. I bought it at my local pharmacy and haven't seen anything like it anywhere else. I could take a picture and send it to you personally if you would like. I also would always sit very upright with my hips to the back of the chair and try to have my feet flat and my back straight. From a gal who likes to lounge and recline in the easy chair, that was tough. I find I no longer use my cushions and for the most part it has been ok, but I don't really ever use the recliners. I have been a bit more relaxed in my sitting posture of late though.

I started seeing a pelvic floor physiotherapist over a year ago. It involves both internal and external manipulation and examination. My pelvic floor muscles were/are overly tight, cord-like and hard in spots which is causing grief. I carry stress in my shoulders and often when you're tense there you will also tense your pelvic floor muscles so she also had me trying some short relaxation/breathing exercises (mindful meditation). I'm a pretty high strung personality, so I struggled with this. I found I had plateaued in my improvement and was given the go ahead to resume running for my mental well being. I was getting to some pretty long runs, so we also started doing some lower back and hip physio and acupuncture. My physiotherapist then took a chronic pain course. This I feel made a huge difference. There she learned some different techniques she would use during my sessions and we were working on some take home activities for me to help retrain the brain to sense the pain more normally. When you're ramped up with pain, your body senses pain differently such that "normal" sensations can actually feel painful to you. I was given a series of exercise videos that involved breathing and fluid movements called qigong. Now, I'm very much a mainstream science type of person but given none of the pain medications I had been given provided any relief (and wreaked havoc with my stomach) I kept an open mind and at some point, i can't really tell you when, my pain has started to subside. On days like today where I have maybe sat more than usual (finally a day off so I was quite lazy and lounged around more than I should) I am starting to notice it a bit, but not like I did before. I still notice it when I go to bed and lie on my back to read, but it doesn't make me turn the light off discouraged and frustrated with life anymore.

I really don't know if any of this helps you, but I wanted to give you some hope. I can finally say I am enjoying life again. It has been a long haul and even though I'm in one of the most stressful times of my job life right now and not running much so mentally am a bit of a stressed out mess and haven't been to Physio in a month or more, I'm holding my own. You said Physio didn't help, but perhaps you need to find the right physiotherapist. I wasn't sure if the pelvic floor Physio was the right angle since I don't struggle with incontinence or any of the "usual" pelvic floor issues and the internal treatments are awkward, to say the least, but it was that combined with the stuff she learned during her chronic pain course that seemed to make the difference. Now, I had also started using a TENS machine on the really tight muscles at the very top of my bum crease so that may also be playing a role. If you have a physiotherapist trained in this area and/or a chronic pain specialist maybe this will help you.