Have you been in a car accident? Are you now experiencing tailbone pain?
Unfortunately, tailbone pain is common following a car accident.
Tailbone pain can range from a dull ache to a fierce stabbing sensation, and pain might last for weeks or even months.
When your tailbone hurts, everyday activities become uncomfortable, if not impossible.
Car accidents are a leading cause of tailbone injuries. But with treatment and exercise, relief is possible.
In this article, you will learn:
- Why your tailbone hurts following a car accident
- Ways to find relief from tailbone pain
- And much more
Table of Contents
- What Is Your Tailbone?
- Why Does My Coccyx Hurt After a Car Accident?
- 7 Ways to Find Relief From a Tailbone Injury After a Car Accident
- Cascade Spine & Injury Offers a Holistic Approach to Healthcare to Help You Achieve Lasting Wellness
What Is Your Tailbone?
Located at the lower end of your spine, the coccyx is a group of small bones called the “tailbone.”
It consists of three to five vertebrae and ends in a soft point. The vertebrae, except for the first segment, are usually fused together.
Your upper body weight rests on your tailbone when you sit down, which means an injury or break to this part of your body is especially painful.
Why Does My Coccyx Hurt After a Car Accident?
A direct hit from a car accident can cause pain in the coccyx area. This is because when the seat back is pushed forward, it compresses your lumbar spine and pelvis.
In addition, this hit can also cause muscle tension in this area which manifests as reactive spasms.
What Does a Tailbone Injury Feel Like?
Tailbone injuries can cause the following symptoms:
- A dull, almost constant pain just above the buttocks in your very low back
- Increased pain when you sit or stand up after sitting
- Tailbone swelling
- An increase in pain during bowel movements
- Pain that increases during sexual activity
- Irregular bowel movements
- Tingling or numbness in your legs
7 Ways to Find Relief From a Tailbone Injury After a Car Accident
#1: Chiropractic Adjustments
A tailbone injury can be treated with chiropractic care. When your tailbone slips out of alignment, irritating the nerves and tissues around it, a chiropractor can help correct the misalignment.
Chiropractors can also:
- Prescribe exercises
- Offer a stretching regimen; and
- Use ice therapy to soothe irritated tissues
In some cases, the injury may be severe enough to warrant a surgeon’s consultation, but in most cases, chiropractic care is the best solution.
Suffering from tailbone pain? You can find relief from tailbone pain at Cascade Spine & Injury Center — a leading accident & injury chiropractic clinic in Portland.
Cascade Spine & Injury Center is a multidisciplinary clinic treating those injured in everyday situations, such as motor vehicle accidents or work injuries.
#2: Interferential Current and Heat
Interferential current therapy uses two electrodes containing independent circuits of high frequency (4,000 Hz) and medium frequency (150 Hz), alternating currents. This creates an electric field in a painful area with electrodes placed on the skin.
It uses a higher frequency than traditional electrical current therapy; a higher frequency current makes it easier to pass through skin.
And compared to low-frequency stimulation, this method requires less electrical energy input to reach deeper tissues, reducing patient discomfort.
Interferential therapy is believed to be more comfortable and effective than transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TENS).
Interferential therapy has the following primary clinical applications:
- Pain relief without invasive procedures or medications
- Increasing blood flow to the target area
- Stimulating muscles
- Enhancing range of motion
- Anti-inflammatory properties
Electrical current therapies, such as interferential therapy, can relieve pain by stimulating the sensory nerves. This can also affect the body’s natural opioid system and pain gate mechanism.
#3: Ultrasound
Treatments such as therapeutic ultrasound, or ultrasound therapy, are non-invasive and medication-free.
This treatment is used to treat a wide range of:
- Muscle
- Ligament; and
- Tendon conditions
There are two types of ultrasound therapy:
- Thermal — This is the application of deep heat to increase blood circulation to a specific area. It promotes healing and decreases pain in the affected area.
- Mechanical — Ultrasound energy is used to cause rapid contraction and expansion of microscopic gas bubbles (cavitation) around injured tissues. This process speeds healing.
Each type of ultrasound therapy promotes soft tissue healing.
The primary clinical applications of ultrasound therapy are:
- Pain relief without invasive procedures or medications
- Increasing blood flow to the target area
- Muscle stimulation
- Enhancing range of motion
- Reducing inflammation
#4: Laser
In laser therapy, light is used to:
- Relieve pain
- Reduce inflammation
- Promote wound healing; and
- Promote soft tissue repair
Laser therapy is a …
- Non-invasive
- Safe; and
- Effective
… treatment modality.
The laser converts light into biochemical energy, resulting in normal cell function, which causes pain to disappear.
The result is normal cell functions are restored. In addition, laser therapy can result in the disappearance of symptoms and can increase the speed at which your body heals.
#5: Massage Therapy
A consequence of tailbone pain is that the muscles in the region can become tight.
These muscles include your:
- Glutes
- Piriformis; and
- Hip rotators
The muscles and ligaments surrounding the coccyx usually cause the coccyx to be held in the incorrect position, so massage and soft tissue manipulation can help relieve pain.
Please note that you should not massage the bone directly but rather the muscles in the area that are tight.
#6: Acupuncture
During acupuncture, very thin needles are inserted into your skin at strategic points. Most commonly used for treating pain, acupuncture is a key component of traditional Chinese medicine.
In addition, by promoting blood circulation and Qi, acupuncture relieves pain in all body areas. Qi is energy, and pain arises from stuck energy. So when Qi gets blocked, we can experience pain.
Tailbone pain tends to linger because of poor blood circulation — acupuncture opens blocked channels in the area of pain.
Acupuncture addresses the tailbone pain by inundating the lumbar, sacral, and tailbone areas with Qi and blood.
#7: Exercises
Even though conventional medical treatment may alleviate symptoms and address underlying issues, tailbone pain exercises may support a faster recovery.
Tailbone pain exercises stretch and strengthen the …
- Muscles
- Tendons; and
- Ligaments
… surrounding the tailbone.
Exercises that stretch and strengthen the area can help ease pain. This balance allows the surrounding muscles to provide better support and promotes proper alignment.
Following are some home exercises and stretches you can do to relieve tailbone pain.
Please be mindful to practice slowly and only in a pain-free manner.
Supine Spinal Twist
The supine spinal twist is an excellent stretch for tailbone pain, which releases tension throughout the entire back.
To perform this exercise:
- Start by lying on your back.
- Bring your left knee into your chest.
- Make sure your right leg is extended out on the floor.
- Lower your left knee across your right leg.
- Put your right hand on your left knee and gently press it downward for added stretch.
- Keeping your shoulders in contact with the floor, look over your left shoulder.
- Hold the stretch.
Cat-Cow
This yoga pose can relieve tailbone pain by releasing tension on the bony structure.
To effectively perform this pose:
- On your hands and knees, place your hands beneath your shoulders and your knees beneath your hips.
- Exhale and round your back to the sky (cat).
- Inhale and arch your back while lifting your head (cow).
Glute Bridge
By performing this exercise, you can strengthen your:
- Abdominal muscles
- Hip muscles; and
- Pelvic floor muscles
Additionally, it improves posture by gently stretching the front of your body.
To perform this exercise:
- Lie on your back to begin.
- The bottoms of your feet should be touching the ground, and your knees should be bent.
- Your arms should be resting alongside your body with your palms facing the floor.
- Then, slowly lift your torso upward, starting at your hips.
- As you lift your hips, push your heels into the ground.
- Hold this position for a couple of seconds, then slowly lower your hips to the starting position.
Child’s Pose
This exercise aims to:
- Tone pelvic muscles
- Stimulate blood flow; and
- Stretch the lower back
To perform:
- Get on your hands and knees the same way you would for cat-cow.
- Keeping your hands fixed on the floor in front of you, sit your buttocks back onto your heels.
- Finally, breathe slowly while holding the stretch.
Cobra Pose
This yoga stretch relieves tailbone pain by opening your chest and releasing tense muscles.
To perform this yoga pose:
- Lie face down with your elbows under your shoulders and your hands forward.
- Next, stretch and lift your chest while extending your elbows and straightening your arms.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together and keep your hips in contact with the floor.
- As you hold the stretch, breathe deeply.
Pigeon Pose
This exercise stretches the:
- Hips
- Buttocks; and
- Pelvic floor muscles
To perform this pose:
- While seated, place one leg in front of the other.
- Straighten out the back leg.
- As much as you can, lower the outer thigh of your front leg to the floor.
- If the stretch needs to be deeper, lean a little forward.
Cascade Spine & Injury Offers a Holistic Approach to Healthcare to Help You Achieve Lasting Wellness
At Cascade Spine & Injury Center, our multidisciplinary clinic specializes in treating those injured in everyday situations, including:
- Major and minor motor vehicle accidents
- Work injuries; and
- Sports injuries
To provide you with a quick and effective recovery, we combine chiropractic, massage therapy, and therapeutic rehabilitation all under one roof. All of these are effective in treating pain in the tailbone after a car accident.
Our integrative approach consistently provides excellent results for our patients, and every patient receives a tailored, comprehensive chiropractic treatment plan.
Combining all practices under one roof makes treatment more convenient for our patients. Treatment plans that are convenient for patients are more likely to be followed and the desired outcomes are more likely to be achieved.
Get started on your journey toward healing and comfort by contacting us today.
