Coccygectomy
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Are you experiencing sharp pain in your tailbone upon sitting? The tailbone in humans is called the coccyx. It is very vulnerable and permanent injury can occur quite easily.
Contact us to book an appointment for a Coccydynia treatment today.
Coccydynia is a debilitating condition that occurs in the tailbone. NJ Spine and Orthopedic has a large center that specializes in the treatment of coccyx pain.
What Causes Tailbone (Coccyx) Pain?
The most common cause of coccyx pain is a coccyx fracture. The tailbone is easily fractured from a fall onto one’s buttocks. Once fractured, a small portion of patients never heal. They have chronic persistent nonunion. This hurts. You can’t sit. You have pain with walking. Most of our patients even have pain with a bowel movement.
Permanent painful nonunions and malunions of the coccyx are quite common. The reason why these nonunions occur is that once broken the bony structure has a scant blood supply. Thus, the tailbone has a difficult time healing itself without intervention and the pain is often chronic.
Specialized Treatment of Painful Coccyx Fractures
The treatment is simple. Remove the broken tailbone. You don’t need it. We are currently the leading center in the country at performing this type of procedure. We treat patients from all over the United States with a broken tailbone. We have a 99% success rate. So far, the surgery has always been performed on an outpatient basis and most of our patients see immediate relief.
For patients suffering from tailbone pain, it can be a tough decision to decide whether to consider coccygectomy to remove the tailbone. The chances of enduring very long recovery periods that can last for months is the main reason why patients are apprehensive about this procedure.
Nonetheless, at NJ Spine and Orthopedics, we have had a near perfect success rate. Coccygectomy is known to produce very positive outcomes when the surgeon is experienced. With our skilled experts at the helm, you can be confident you’re in the best hands.
Take the Next Step Towards Fixing Your Pain
See if you qualify for a coccygectomy by trying our free Treatment Finder tool before talking with someone at NJSO. If you’re ready to talk with a spine specialist to help you decide whether coccyx treatment is your best option for lasting pain relief, call us today at (855) 586-2615
While tailbone fractures are relatively uncommon, direct trauma or injury is the most likely cause of a broken tailbone. A damaged tailbone in a young adult can be caused by a backward fall or a high-impact accident. Broken coccyxes are more common in older people due to nutritional deficiencies. Pain and tenderness at the base of the spine are the most common symptoms of coccyx damage.
The area may feel dull and achy, with occasional sharp pains that intensify when you bend forward, sit down, or stand up. Additional symptoms of tailbone damage include:
If you believe you have a damaged coccyx, meet with your doctor to see if you would benefit from a coccygectomy.
Discover which treatment options are right for you with our Treatment Finder.
When conservative treatments no longer provide relief for your tailbone pain, surgical treatment may be the best solution.
Surgical Procedure
Recovery After Coccygectomy
Recovery is generally dependent on the overall health and age of an individual. However, it may take one to three months for a patient to experience relief from their symptoms after surgery.
During this period, a patient should generally limit any activities that can aggravate pain. Many patients who come to NJ Spine & Orthopedic are usually back on their feet within hours and can return to work within a few days.
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The coccyx is a small, triangular, tail-like bone near the anus comprising three to five smaller bones. A direct impact on the coccyx can damage or break the tailbone. Such an injury commonly happens during contact sports or in a physical fight. A coccyx injury can also occur due to a car collision or a slip-and-fall accident.
In some cases, when a woman gives birth, her coccyx may break. A person may also start experiencing coccyx pain without knowing why, which could necessitate the removal of some or all of their tailbones. A coccygectomy is performed to alleviate symptoms like pain and tenderness. You may be a candidate for a coccygectomy if you have persistent pain in your coccyx area due to any of the following reasons:
Before considering a coccygectomy, patients with tailbone issues are encouraged to try non-surgical approaches. Surgical interventions are considered if the pain doesn’t resolve in a few months.
A medical history and a physical exam may help determine the cause of a coccyx injury. To examine the entire spine, a neurologic exam may be done. A rectal exam may also be performed to determine whether there is a dislocation or coccyx fracture and if direct pressure on the tailbone induces pain. While an X-ray may not always reveal specific injuries, it may be used to rule out a fracture or dislocation.
Whenever non-surgical treatment does not relieve persistent pain, a coccygectomy is considered. Surgeons take different approaches to the procedure depending on the patient’s diagnosis. Some opt to remove a portion of the coccyx, while others take out the entire tailbone. An orthopedic or spinal surgeon will perform a coccygectomy under general anesthesia. This procedure generally entails:
The surgical treatment takes about 30 minutes and can be done as an outpatient procedure. This operation has a lengthy recovery period and makes sitting challenging throughout the healing process. Nonetheless, patients typically experience relief from their symptoms three months to a year after surgery.
If prolonged or permanent buttock and tailbone pain occurs, we are one of the few practices in the United States that specializes in the treatment of painful coccyx fractures. In fact, our surgeons have successfully treated and cured more painful coccyx problems than any other center in the country. We treat coccyx injuries every week at our facility. The outpatient tailbone surgery is simple and effective.
Patients no longer have to suffer with chronic tailbone pain. There is a safe, effective cure. The orthopedic treatment (and subsequent cure) is a coccygectomy. It is a safe outpatient surgery that our surgeons have used successfully time and time again. Once the tailbone is removed, 95% of our patients are pain free in 90 days or less.
Overall, we are #1 in the country with a 99% success rate for coccygectomy procedures used to reduce and eliminate tailbone pain.
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