Coccyx fracture

[RazB]

In early April this year I managed to fall heavily into a sharp rock, it resulted in a lot of pain! I went to A&E the following day but was turned away and told that coccyx don’t get x-rayed as there’s “nothing you can do for them”! Due to continuous pain since then I finally got an MRI scan last week and results are “large fracture with trauma & displacement around it, healing slowly”. I’ve never broken a bone before (and never want another one, the pain has been excruciating) and have wondered if it’s healing so slowly either because of having an MPN or because of 15+ yrs on Hydroxy. I know nothing about this kind of thing so would welcome your thoughts…x

[Exeter21]

I am sure our blood illnesses have a big effect on the healing process. I had two bad injuries in leg & shoulder from a sport injury. It has taken almost 2 years to repair when I used to heal quickly & lots of pain . I resorted to acupuncture & sports massages for relief.

Any bruising in a bone takes a long time to recover. I also had a very minor bone biopsy on my finger & told it would be healed in a month . It is now 6 months on and very painful with little movement of the joint. Another X-ray planned. I definitely know these symptoms would have healed quickly before my ET. On my blood records I can almost pin point the time the platelets started to rise. After my sports Injury & diagnosed ET a year later. Julia .

[RazB in reply to Exeter21]

I’m sorry to hear about your injuries…but glad you are healing, albeit slowly x

[Leveret20]

Hydroxyurea works by killing cells that are in the process of making new DNA before dividing, which is how it keeps the unwanted platelets down. It will certainly also slow down the healing process, as healing needs new tissue. I wonder if your haematologist would recommend reducing the HU temporarily to speed up the healing process? This is a medical decision, and I am not a medic...

[RazB in reply to Leveret20]

Thank you. That’s an interesting point re Hydroxy, I’ll contact my specialist.

[hunter5582]

I have not heard of HU interfering with healing, but understand why it might be thought that it could. The MPN would play a likely role given its pro-inflammatory nature. In addition, this sort of injury could cause reactive thrombocytosis.

I do not understand the comment that there is "nothing you can do for them" in regards to a serious coccyx fracture. While not as simple to treat as a fracture in other bones, there are methods to manage the injury. A simple Google search can yield some helpful tips. google.com/search?q=coccyx+...

Hopefully, you are now connected with an orthopedist who specializes in the spine.

All the best,

[Pachena]

I broke mine decades years ago when the kids were young. I was trying out the roller blades they got for Xmas and down I went on the concrete footpath. I didn’t know I had broken it till recently when the break showed up in X-rays.

It took a long long time to heal. Had to sit on those special cushions with the bit cut out at the spine to relieve any pressure on it. I’d carry the cushion with me.

[Carol0925]

Coccyx fractures do time a king to heal, Do you have a donut cushion to relieve the pressure when sitting? I have Tarlov cysts on my coccyx S2 which were possibly caused by trauma. They don’t often get mentioned on an MRI because they’re an incidental finding. If you start getting burning pain in buttocks, sciatica type pain down back of leg(s) please get the MRI reviewed. I hope it heals well.

[Janis12 in reply to Carol0925]

Hi, interesting, I also developed a Tarlov cyst in the same area which was an incidental finding but I am pretty sure it must have developed after a significant trauma which involved being hit by a car in a cycle race. It's surprising what they find on MRI scans !!

[Carol0925 in reply to Janis12]

Hi, wow didn’t expect to find another Tarlov Cyster. Mine have been symptomatic since 2019. I firmly believe they can become symptomatic after trauma and many women have them due to pregnancy epidurals etc. Autoimmune diseases are also linked too. Have you had your MRI reviewed by a TC Specialist? Are medications helping symptoms etc. I have incidental findings of TCs, Fibroids and ET/JAK2 positive. I’m in the UK.

[Janis12 in reply to Carol0925]

I do have some issues with my left leg thought to be caused by a L5 L6 disc, the cyst was found on a MRI scan that I requested privately as the GP would not refer 'They will find things that are not related to the problem', hmm??? The private physio I saw informed me that these cysts are often found just by chance but generally are not a problem unless there are multiples. I eventually got a referral to a neurologist with regards to the leg and I mentioned the Tarlov cyst and he said 'what's one of those', so he had to look it up (worrying). May I ask what sort of problems you have as a result of the cyst?

[Carol0925 in reply to Janis12]

So many Drs are completely uneducated and dismissive of TCs. My symptoms ranged from severe pain in buttocks, hamstrings, sciatic down back of both legs into feet. Couldn’t sit for longer than a few minutes due to burning sensation in coccyx. I was virtually house bound for nearly a year apart from hospital appointments. Once I started Nortriptyline my symptoms became manageable. I got a NeuroSurgeon, TC Specialist in London to review my MRI (2020) and he agreed the TCs could potentially be causing my pain, He suggested a Diagnostic Nerve Root Block to confirm. As the the medication was helping me get some lifestyle back I didn’t get it done. The thought of it really worried me despite knowing it would be the only diagnostic procedure to confirm symptoms. So, I listen to my body and practice yoga which helps and will continue to do so. The thought of needing surgery absolutely terrified me because in the UK the success rate is around 50-60%. There are three TC Specialists in the UK, two in London and one in South Wales. I hope you don’t have any severe problems. You’re very welcome to private message me for advice, support etc as I‘ve researched them thoroughly throughly because of so little help from Drs 😬

[RazB in reply to Carol0925]

Thank you for that info. I’m really sorry to hear about what you’ve been through, that sounds really grim. I haven’t got the same pain as you, it’s very much just in the coccyx and it is getting less but slowly! X

[Carol0925 in reply to RazB]

pleased to read RazB, all the best.

[Happydolphin]

So sorry to hear about your fall and injury - when something like this happens to me I try to listen - often I think I think The Universe is trying to tell me to 'slow down' and look after myself better instead of rushing around. Certainly applies in my case.

Have you got one of those kiddies rubber rings to sit on? We had to take one into hospital after we had our baby in the 70's!

I find this ET very debilitating too and hope it does not have too negative effect on your healing. Glad you are getting some treatment and hope you heal and find the pain goes very soon. I think our bodies are amazing at how they cope with injuries and get busy healing them as quickly as they are able to despite being on horrid drugs.

I don't like taking any Chemo drugs with their awful side effects but am grateful they prevent me having a stroke! Take care and hope you are better very soon.

[RazB in reply to Happydolphin]

Thank you happydolphine (great name!). Yes I have a donut which is helpful. I don’t like thinking about taking the Hydroxy, like you, but try to think about the fact that it’s keeping me alive! Best wishes x

[Amethist]

Poor you! I broke my coccyx 30 yrs ago. No treatment offered . Very painful for a very long time. Sitting on hard surfaces was impossible for many years . Even to this day, I can’t sit on the floor, too uncomfortable.

Wishing you a speedy recovery .

[artydutch]

I have had this injury years ago from a fall down the staircase. I was unable to sit for a longtime. I eventually had pain injections under fluoroscopic x Ray, and a denervation in the same area. This solved the pain. Perhaps a pain clinic can help you?.

[Spanelmad]

I've S1 nerve damage atL5/L6 ,and have had 2 if the nerve root injections.They do work but sadly for me do not last.Recommend that you keep moving as much as you can, use a donut cushion and I found using a heat belt that I could put as low as possible helped with the pain.

If you get any sciatic pain see a doctor straight away.

Unfortunately for me since being on HU all my arthritis and back issues have got worse

[RazB in reply to Spanelmad]

Thank you for your reply. I hope you find some help with your pain soon.

[Spanelmad in reply to RazB]

The only thing that really works is to keep walking that's where the spaniel comes in,he gives me no choice.Interesting information on the cysts , must see if my mri's are clear.

Hope your doing a bit better.

[RazB in reply to Spanelmad]

Thanks. Yes, walking is good, I have 2 yr old fox red lab (sooo energetic!) and a 12 yr old Cairn who can still walk for England! Good luck with mri x