Tailbone pain is really common, especially if you have suffered a fall onto the tailbone or a tailbone injury during childbirth.
But you don't have to have had a trauma to the tailbone to develop tailbone pain...
Because the muscles that surround the tailbone can clench and lock down to attempt to provide stability to the spine.
The problem is, a couple of those muscles are also pelvic floor muscles.
And whenever the pelvic floor is mad, lots of things go wrong.
Constipation
There are muscles in the pelvic floor that travel from your pubic bone to your tailbone. If one or more become too tight, it can create serious issues trying to fully empty stool out of the rectum.
People who deal with too much tension around the rectal portion of the pelvic floor may develop tailbone pain, hemorrhoids, constipation, and pain with bowel movements.
Low Back Pain
When the muscles around the tailbone attempt to compensate for spinal stabilization lacking elsewhere, it can actually create spine issues.
This is because the tailbone is connected to the sacrum, or the triangular bone at the end of spine. If this bone is locked into one positions due to tension surrounding the tailbone, then there will have to be compensation for mobility up the chain.
This often manifests in the lower lumbar region, or low back.
This is how chronic tension in the back of the pelvic floor is actually very closely connected to low back problems, which are a big issue in our society.
Painful Sitting
Muscular tension around the tailbone from either a hip problem or tailbone alignment issue from an injury can create asymmetrical pulling on the tailbone. This can create short, tense muscles on one side of the tailbone or both.
As a result, this can create pain with sitting on the tailbone. Unless you have recently had a fracture, the pain is often not the bone itself but the muscular tissues on one side.
Conclusion
Tailbone pain and painful sitting are signs of an underlying pelvic floor problem. Pelvic floor physical therapists help manage tailbone pain all the time. If you are dealing with tailbone pain, there's a good chance you also have issues with bowel movements, hemorrhoids, and low back pain.
But even if you don't, its a good idea to see a pelvic floor physical therapist before it gets worse!
Dealing with tailbone pain and ready to heal?
Click here to book your appointment with us today!
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