Coccyx pain may be caused by a variety of factors, and it may be temporary or chronic. Yet there’s one thing virtually everyone who experiences tailbone pain agrees on: Sitting for any period of time aggravates the condition, whether it’s mild discomfort or excruciating pain.
It’s pretty much impossible to avoid sitting throughout the day,
whether at work or at home. You sit when you eat, when you drive and when you work at a desk or computer. If you attend sporting events, concerts, movies or religious services, you’re most often encouraged to sit for the duration.
If you take a quick look at the anatomy of the spine including the lower back and tailbone, you can see why sitting causes pain. It puts pressure directly on the coccyx. If your tailbone is fractured, chipped, dislocated, or bruised, placing pressure on it through sitting is clearly going to cause pain.
Since sitting is pretty much unavoidable, the best thing you can do to alleviate or minimize coccyx pain is use a tailbone or coccyx cushion. Specially designed cushions take the pressure off the tailbone, thus alleviating your pain. In fact, if you regularly notice pain doesn’t set in until you’re seated for some time, a coccyx cushion could even prevent or alleviate your pain for good.
There are several types of coccyx cushions you can try, and knowing exactly what the cause of your pain is may help you decide which one is best for you. It’s also a matter of personal preference and experience. The main features to look for are some sort of feature in the design that will take pressure off the coccyx.
Donut shaped pillows may work for you, depending on how you sit and your condition. Most people find special wedge shaped pillows that have a U-shaped cut-out at the back of the pillow to accommodate the coccyx work best. The tailbone simply floats in the hole created by the cut-out, so there’s no pressure on it at all while you’re sitting.
Once you find a coccyx pillow that works well for you, the key is to use it all the time. Sitting without your cushion for even a few moments can aggravate a sore or injured tailbone and cause pain almost immediately. A coccyx cushion can help eliminate and prevent your pain, but only if you use it all of the time.
In most cases, it helps to have multiple coccyx cushions, including at least one that’s designed for portable use. This means you have one for use upstairs, one for use in the downstairs area of your home, one for your car and one for work. You should also have one you can bring along to events or outings, or plan to use the one you normally keep in your vehicle for these occasions.
Carrying a special pillow everywhere you go isn’t convenient, especially at first. Yet in time, you’ll grow accustomed to the habit, and you’ll find the relief from pain makes every bit of effort it takes to do so worthwhile.
