Tailbone or coccyx is the lowest part of the spine and it is the triangular bony structure and consists of three to five different bones that fused together by joints and ligaments. It is surrounded by many tendons and ligaments. If the tailbone area becomes inflamed, it can cause tailbone pain or coccydynia. Soft tissue injury such as tendons and ligaments surrounding tailbone is the common cause of tailbone pain. The main symptom is pain and tenderness around the tip of the tailbone the area just above the buttocks. It is dull and achy most of the time, with occasional sharp pains. The pain is often worsened by sitting down, moving from sitting tostanding, standing for long periods, having sex and going for a poo. It may affect sleep and other daily activities. The pain can radiate to legs, buttocks and hips. Tailbone pain is often caused by an injury, such as sitting for a long time or bike rides, but it may have unknown causes. Vaginal birth in women sometimes is the cause of tailbone pain. The coccyx or pelvic bones injury is a risk factor and obesity is also a risk factor for getting tailbone pain. Secondary tailbone pain includes sciatica, infection such as shingles of the buttocks, sacroiliitis, and fractured bone. The major symptoms are pain and local tenderness at the tailbone. This can lead to difficulty sitting or leaning against the buttocks. Along with the pain with sitting, there is typical tenderness at the tailbone area.
Acupuncture can reduce tailbone pain effectively. Acupuncture points used in the treatment is very important. Recently a study compared two different acupuncture methods with different acupuncture points to treat sacroiliac joint injury which presents low back pain. In one group, 9 Ashi points were used and in another group as a control Huantiao (GB 30), Zhibian (BL 54) and Weizhong (BL 40), etc were used. Treatment durations and frequencies are the same. Two courses with each course containing 10 treatments were given. After the two courses of treatments, the pain scale and function recovery were found in the both groups, but the group with Ashi points had better effects. From this example, we can see acupuncture points selected are very important to achieve the best treatment results.
References
Grgic V Lijec Viesn (2012) 134:49-55
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Jordan J et al Clin Evid (Online) (2011) pii:118
Shan YL Zhongguo Zhen Jiu (2011) 31:987-90
