We don’t mince words here, a tailbone injury — also known as a coccyx — is a real pain in the rear, pun fully intended. It may not be the most devastating injury that you can sustain, but it is a rough injury to have to deal with all things considered, especially how it can affect your ability to sit comfortably or at all. A lot of the same tips that apply to this apply to many other types of injuries, but sadly, all too many people are not taught the proper way to treat those, either.
The best way to heal a tailbone injury as fast as possible
First thing’s first is to make that you realize that this article is not the end all be all of what to do when you have experienced a tailbone injury. In order to get the best care that you can, be sure to cross-reference this with other sources, including whatever instructions your doctor gives to help treat the injury. Tailbone injuries are most commonly experienced as a result of a backwards fall, often occurring as a result of slipping on a wet floor or an icy surface. You can even experience a tailbone injury as a result of sitting on an improper surface, such as something that is too hard or too narrow, for a prolonged period of time. In most cases, you shouldn’t expect the tailbone injury to be too bad. It is certainly possible to experience a break or fracture, but a fall is more likely to result in bruising and pain. If you think that you have experienced a tailbone injury, there are specific symptoms that you should keep a look out for. If you are feeling pain or tenderness in your lower back or the top of the buttocks area, especially if when you are sitting, there is a decent likelihood that you have sustained a tailbone injury.
One of the big questions when it comes to your tailbone injury is based on how long it is going to take for the damages to recover. The best way to cut it down is to take great care with your tailbone; for instance, when sitting, make sure to lean forward so you do not put too much pressure on your tailbone. Otherwise, your recovery may be much more painful than it needs to be. You can also use a donut-shaped or wedge-shaped cushion in order to allow your recovery to be more comfortable. Be careful to not do anything that you believe contributed to the creation of your injury and apply ice to the affected areas for roughly 20 minutes per waking hour. This should be done for the first two days; after this period, conduct icing two to three times per day. Take care to not apply the ice directly to the skin, as such a thing can cause damage to it. Sleeping on your belly instead of your back or side is also a good approach, as it helps take pressure off of the tailbone. Pain relievers such as ibuprofen and/or naproxen can be used, though if you intend to use them for a prolonged period of time, make sure that you inform your doctor so that they know how it may interact with other medicines that you are taking on the regular. Make sure that the pain relievers are not taken any sooner than 24 hours after, as it may increase a risk of bleeding, and be careful that you do not take more than what is recommended for the time period listed on the bottle.
The length of your recovery is going to depend on how bad the injury was overall. If it was merely bruising, the length of the recovery should be roughly four weeks, give or take. On the other hand, if you did actually experience a fracture, you can expect recovery to be as short as eight weeks and as long as 12 weeks. Unfortunately, not every person is going to have the most successful tailbone injury recovery, as some will need to receive additional treatment in order to reduce or otherwise eliminate the pain in the area. Your doctor may prescribe a steroid medicine injection to deal with the symptoms, although another, more extreme intervention can be done to treat it, such as surgical removal of the tailbone, though this is more of a last resort. As you recover from the tailbone injury, you can increasingly begin to become more active, just make sure that you do not do too much too quickly, as it may affect the length of recovery if you do so. At times, a tailbone injury caused by a slip and fall can be the result of negligence by another person. If this is applicable to you, you may be able to receive compensation from the other party. In particular, you may be able to get lawsuit damages related to medical expenses, so you should consult with a lawyer if you feel that this may be the case.
