Fractured Tailbone

It is actually more common than you might think. Even after the bone heals it might need to be adjusted. Having suffered a broken tail bone myself, I found that having a chiropractor adjust it gave me the most relief.

Hi A.,

I didn't break my tailbone in child birth (but a friend did). I broke mine snowboarding though. It was a year and a half before I could sit down comfortably, even on a cushioned chair.

Good luck and hang in there!

It took me at least a year to be back to normal, if not longer! It takes quite a long time! Take care! Lori

I'm so sorry that you are still in pain but congrats on the birth. My tail bone 'moved' during a birth though I don't know if broke or maybe it moved in one of its joints/connections...
Have you sought help from a body worker or rolfer? They can do amazing things to bring about continuity to your body. Hope you heal soon....

I'm so sorry to hear you fractured your tailbone. I, too, had my tailbone broken with my first child during a difficult labor and forcept delivery (the forcepts actually came apart during one pull!) Anyways, I sat on a donut for about 6 months but I was in pain and major discomfort for almost a year. And even then, I had to sit very carefully to avoid it starting to ache severely. I was almost about to give up hope-- it seemed to last forever, but eventually it did get better over time and now I don't notice it. I would say for me, it took a little over a year to be completely "healed" but depending on how bad the fracture is, I guess it could be shorter or longer than that. Just be reassured that it will eventually heal-- it just takes a long time. In the meanwhile, a donut to sit on will be your best friend! Good luck on a speedy recovery!

YES! I broke mine during the del. of my first child back in 1997. Sad to say it took a year before it stopped hurting enough to sit on it and several years before the pain really went away. I still have problems with it and when I had my Daughter in 2002, I could barely push past the pain in my tail bone. It does get better, it just takes a LOOOONG time!

I broke my tailbone in my early twenties. I am now 43 and there are still times it hurts. My Dr said the only way to correct it (as it grew sideways when it healed), was to rebreak it and me lay on my stomach for three weeks during healing. That was a long time ago so I am not sure that is the case anymore these days. It is a sensitive bone to break, make sure you sit on comfy cushions only.
Talk to your Dr about how it is healing if you are in a lot of pain. I went to the Dr too late about it and mine healed sideways (now I have a crooked butt, hee hee)

I had the same thing happen to me with my second child. It took a year before I did not have constant pain in my tailbone. After many years, I still can't lay flat on my back for long periods of time, or sit on a hard chair for a long time. It is one of those nagging injuries that takes a VERY long time to heal. Good luck with your recovery!

Hello A.,
I so very sorry that you have had to endure that pain for so long. That is simply not right.
Who told you that your tailbone was fractured during childbirth? I would seriously question the validity and wisdom of that so called diagnosis.
My advice is to get yourself to a DIFFERENT doctor, explain the situation and look forward to a better, pain-free life. You deserve that.l

I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but I broke my tailbone while in Junior High School, when one of my "friends" pulled a chair out from under me just as I was about to sit down. (Some friend...) Sometimes, depending on how I sit, it still bothers me. Wish I could be more encouraging!

Hi A. , I fratured my tailbone also , wow that hurt, it took a good year for mine to get better i had aches like arthritus on , well i felt like it :), hope your get better.
P. Fitch

Dear A.,
YES! I did have that happen to me!!! With my first baby!!! I stayed in the hospital for a week, and then went home using a walker. It has been a long time ago....all my babies are grown, BUT I do know it was a bit of time that I had to use the walker....maybe three weeks!? I did not have a lot of pain that lasted as long as you are having, BUT I DID have pain for a few months. I also was not able to lie flat on my back, with my legs flat down, on anything but a soft surface. That lasted for a very long time. I still can not lie flat, comfortably, on my back. I was also told that it could happen again, if I waited more then 5 years to have another baby. Up until 5 years, the area is not totally healed. I hope that I have been a little bit of help...it isn't nearly as bad as you are having right now. It DOES get better....take care of yourself...you will feel MUCH better soon.

Hi,

I am soooo sorry about your tailbone. I broke mine in delivery also. It was very painful for about 15 months. I tried everything: chiropracter, cortisone shot, muscle relaxants, and acupunture. The pnly thing that really helped me long term was the accupunture. It helped my body heal itself. My tailbone stopped popping in and out of place around 8 months, but I was still in so much pain beacuse the muscles and tissues around the tailbone were stretched and strained. That is when the accupuncture really helped. I know a great accupunturist if you want to try that route. I just had my sendond child and I did a c section so i wouldn't risk breaking it again. Good luck - I don't wish the tailbone pain that I experienced on anyone. Mine still hurts after sitting for too long. Let me know if I can help anymore.

Beth

That happened to me, too. It took a looooooong time for mine to heal. Almost a year, I think. I got one of those donut pillows to sit on. Sometimes that helped. Sometimes I just had to deal. IBprofin worked, too. I feel your pain, tho. It was so annoying for so long. It will get better, tho, probably in a few more months.

I broke my tailbone twice once roller skating and another time on a boulder floating down the river. the first time was 22 years ago and the last time was 15 years ago and I am sorry to say I still have problems. So Sorry!!!! The good news is it does heal but you still get some pain once in a while just out of no where....

Hate to tell you this but mine happen about 20months agi and mine still hurts... I broke my tale bone not just fractured... But mine still hurts to this day good luck... It a real pain in the ass... HAHAHAHA

I don't want to discourage you, but the same thing happened to me and it seriously took like two years for it to stop bothering me. On a positive note, when I had my second child, I didn't have a problem with it.

A.,
I also fractured my tailbone last year while delivering my daughter. The pain is awful and annoying. It took a very long time before I didn't feel the pain everyday while sitting or standing. I would say it to about 7 to 8 months. I used a blow up donut seat as much as I could especially while sitting at work. My doctor told me if it didn't feel better after 10 months or so that sometimes people do need physical therapy to move the floating bone back into a normal position. I would say give it another month or two and then maybe consult your doctor.

Good luck.
B. - Mom to Walker age 3 and Avery 11 months.

Yes, I have, twice. The first time I broke mine was about the same time I got pregnant...that was Hell! It took 18 months to heal. The second time was almost a year ago and I'm still not healed. The good news that it will heal, the bad news is that is takes forever! Do you live in Colorado? C.

seriously think of getting most of your tailbone removed. I did and it has made a world of difference. Speak to your Dr about the pros and cons

A., I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it ain't good! I have 6 kids and my third fractured my tailbone and after about 2 years I was finally able to sit down for an extended period of time. THen, my #6 came along and BROKE the dang thing, now sitting and enjoying tv, or reading, or movies are a luxury I sorely miss. It's almost been 2 years since that happened and although it has improved greatly, I still experience pain on a daily basis. Hot baths and heating pads bring much needed relief, so does Advil. This is just one of those "lovely" things we as women get to experience for wanting to bring children into this world and have a family. Ask your OB if he/she knows of any other treatment for it. I do know there are some back exercises you can do to strengthen the muscles around the tailbone so it's not as bad! Good luck.

Same thing happened to me while delivering my first baby. It was a good year to finally heal all the way but the pain was worse when I sat down. If I was standing it was much better. I just had to let it heal and take it easy. So sorry that happened to you. Just make sure you relax and take hot baths!
M.

It takes a while, but it didn't take me 6 months. I would suggest seeing a physical therapist. I did and it helped so much!! Someone who specializes in womens health, or the spine and that does manual therapy. Colorado Spine therapy is a great one, so is Denver Physical Therapy Downtown.

I sprained or fractured my tailbone, too. my doc and chiropractor told me to expect 10-12 weeks recovery and that's what I had. You need to go to the doctor to take care of this - 6 months is too long!

I injured my tailbone in a car accident 8 years ago today. It took several years for it to heal, so you may be in for a long haul. Sometimes I still sit funny and it hurts, but nothing like before. Those half donut nursing pillows can really help take the pressure off the tail bone if you sit on one. But basically you have to take it easy and wait for it to heal. Good Luck!

Believe it or not often times your tail bone can be injured during birth. It usually means the delivery was not managed correctly. The best results for quick relief and permanent healing is chiropractic adjustments.

G. Witty CMD;CBE
(founder & president)
The Birth Connection

I fractured my tailbone with my first son in 1999. I worked in an office all day and had to sit on a donut pillow for a year after giving birth. The day after I quit sitting on the pillow I went rollerblading and fell.....insuring my tailbone again...but since I didn't have an epidural while it happened I thought that I was going to die from the pain. I still will have problems if I sit to long and in the wrong chair even 8 1/2 yrs later. Sorry...it is probably not the news you want to hear but it does takes a long time to heal. Maybe stay away from any activities that could make it worse. Sitting on a donut pillow really did help me. You can buy ones that look just like a pillow....that way nobody will tease you about sitting on a donut :0) ! Good Luck!!!

A. -
When in labor and delivery with my first child my Dr had to break my tailbone in order to get my son out. My tailbone was curved and every time the baby came down the birthing canal he would hit the tailbone and go back up. My recovery was very painful and I remember thinking that my tailbone would never heal. I had to use a doughnut to sit on everytime I sat down, no matter what or where I was sitting. After about 4 months I got rid of the doughnut and after about 6 months I was feeling almost back to normal. I would get a little sore here and there after that, the healing takes a lot of time, hang in there! The best news is I didn't have any problems delivering my second time. Once the tailbone breaks or fractures, it heals in the new position. I would give it another month, if you aren't feeling significantly better I would suggest you go in for an x-ray and make sure your tailbone hasn't healed into a postion that will cause you pain forever, with any pressure you put on it. Good luck, I understand your pain!

Hi A.,
I can certainly empathize with your pain & frustrations! I broke my tailbone with the delivery of my first child. I pushed for 3-1/2 hours and didn't even discover that my tailbone was fractured until about 2 months after my baby was born. I have had many ups and downs with my tailbone over the past 2-1/2 years and I have done many different treatments for it (physical therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, rest, exercise, cortisone, foam donuts, etc). I have had great success with the combination of these things, especially while doing chiropractic/acupuncture/cortisone as a collaborative effort with these various practitioners. I recently gave birth to my 2nd child, and I was in a great deal of pain at the end of my pregnancy. My childbirth was easy (2 pushes!!) and I have had less pain in the past 2 months than I have had in the past 2-1/2 years. I dream of a day without ANY tailbone pain, but I am thrilled that my pain has subsided substantially over the years. Hang in there, and feel free to contact me if you'd like the names of any of my providers or if you'd like to chat "live" (since I live in the Denver area also). Be well...

Hi!
My third son broke my tailbone during natural childbirth delivery. He weighed 8 pounds even. The initial break was extremely painful. It took a long time to heal. But it did heal. You will have to be patient. In the meantime, use pillows or whatever supports help you sit comfortably. Eat healthy to help your body heal the bones. After all, there isn't any way to but the broken bones in a cast! (Smile) My injury was almost 41 years ago and I'm still going strong. So there is hope. Blessings.

Well, it wasn't my tailbone, it was my pelvic bone. I cracked it right where the two parts meet at the bottom. OUCH! OUCH! OUCH!! I'm so sorry. I can imagine the tailbone is just as bad, since there is nothing they can do for either. For me and my pelvis, it was about a year before I didn't feel pain everytime I sat down or got up! I'm really sorry and I hope it is faster for your tailbone. Good luck and hang in there!

almost 2 years. It really helps to get something good to sit on like a foam cushion. I started to sit funny to not put pressure on my tail bone, that resulted in my back hurting. Good luck.
B.

I haven't fractured my tailbone, but both my mother and my father-in-law have. My mom, who is in her mid 60's, broke hers in high school and will still have problems about once a year. My father-in-law broke his a few years back and still has issues with long car rides and certain types of seating. I know that doesn't sound good - but I'm not too sure how well either of them followed their doctor's recovery orders either :) Look at it this way - at least you have a n excuse to always take the most comfortable seat in the room! Good luck!

As a teenager, I fell on a concrete divider and fx'd my tailbone. What a pain in the &%#! I feel your pain, A.! Have you been to the Health Food Store for some bone, ligament and tendon herbs to help with the healing? A pillow with a donut hole in it to sit on maybe would keep the pressure off the healing area? Cold usually helps keep swelling down in the beginning, but, heat (wet or dry) is good after so long to increase blood circulation and healing power to the area. A good Chinese Herbalist may have some other ideas. Good Luck, Sweetie. It's just another thing to keep us in motion, I guess!
God Bless,
M.

I broke my tail bone delivering my 1st child 11 years ago and it still hurts to lay flat on my back. It took 6 months for the initial pain to ease, but a year for it to go away! I am so sorry! I know how you feel. I walked hunched over for so long!!!!! But be carefull, it will be easy to break again if you fall. Take care!

Hi A., I'm sorry about your fracture. It's SO painful! I broke mine falling on the stairs and was miserable for months. And I didn't have a baby to take care of. It must be really hard!
Mine hurt a lot for 6-8 months and wasn't that great even at one year. It's been about 3 years now and I still can't sit for long on hard chairs or ride a bicycle.
I didn't have a donut pillow to take the pressure off when sitting, so I used one of those inflatable travel pillows - the kind they sell for cushioning your neck on airplanes. They're handy because you can let the air out and take them anywhere easily.
Good luck and hang in there. It does get better but it can take a long time.

My goodness...there is a lot of tailbone pain isn't there. I responded to A. privately but after reading all the other responses I decided to answer publically....a lot of people need help with this.

When I was in my 30s...about 30 years ago...I slid down a swimming pool slide, hit bottom....not very deep...and damaged my tail bone. I endured the pain until 2003. I could not sit for any length of time without that searinig pain developing. I did go to the doc and he said "yes, your tailbone is damaged and it will get worse with age." Thanks doc. that is really what I wanted to hear!

In 2003 I began taking a liquid calcuim product just because I was an independent distributor of the products and wanted to try them out. After about 6 months my hubby asked me why I was not carrying my pillow around with me anymore. I had not even realized the pain was all but gone! It happened so slowly I was not even aware of the decrease in pain and I was not really expecting a decrease after the doc said it would not get better and after 25 years of enduring the pain.

To make along story short. I now have NO PAIN. I do still take the liquid calcium product on a daily basis. We now have a new liquid calcium product that is even better. Go to my web site http://lifeforce.net/20371445 and check out the OsteoProCare and the OsteOmegaCare and the Flexeoplus. You can get them in a pack called the "bone and joint pack."
I would suggest both products the Liquid Calcium plus the Flexeoplus.

If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me ____@____.com.

I just felt my tailbone and I can still feel the "pain" if I push very hard on it but to sit, stand or lie down there is no pain. What a relief it is not having to deal with that aggravating pain while sitting...no more sitting in the back of the room just in case I have to get up and stand!

Hoping you all find a way to decrease your pain as I did.
G.

Yes, my tailbone was fractured when I gave birth to my 9lb4oz son. I had been in pain for over a year and pretty much thought I would probably never totally heal. Then I decided to go to a fitness program at the local college which was being taught by the football coach. The curriculum was a nutrition and exercise class, in which he also used hypnosis and meditation to help us reach our goals. One day after class I was talking to him about my lower back pain and he suggested using hypnosis, the theory being that after the length of time since my son's birth, the tissue had probably healed but I may have created some neuromuscular pathways and memories of the injury that resulted in pain. Sounds crazy, but he did two sessions with me and my back pain was gone! I went on to get my health and fitness degree and have taught fitness classes, run marathons, and been extemely active with no lower back pain. So, try finding someone who can do a few hypnosis sessions with you, then a good yoga class.

its been 13 years for me and I have arthritis now in my sacrum. it hurts. chiropractic helps. I use a cane sometimes in the winter and I use my dog to brace when I stand and for balance because my pelvis has lost so much flexibility. I had my next baby in water and boy that was fantastic! didn't aggrevate that old injury. babies sure do make a woman's life interesting don't they.