The coccyx is five underdeveloped vertebrae that complete the spinal column. One of these formations has processes, the rest are rounded. Normally, this part of the spine should be directed forward, when pressed, it easily springs, without causing pain in a person. However, if discomfort is felt between the buttocks or it is difficult for the patient to sit, this may indicate that the coccyx has been bent. At the initial symptoms, you should consult a doctor, because treatment that is not started in a timely manner leads to serious complications.
Causes of pathology
Curvature or bending of the coccyx is a pathology that delivers a lot of unpleasant sensations that prevent a full life and reduce working capacity. Deformation can occur to the side, anteriorly, but its mixed form is also possible. In the photo, the tailbone bend can be seen.
The reasons that provoke the shift include:
- Intrauterine violation of the formation of the spinal column, in particular the coccygeal zone.
- Mechanicalimpact, for example, a fracture of the coccyx, dislocation, subluxation, rupture of the ligaments of the coccygeal region. Such injuries are obtained by participating in a car accident or by direct fall on the buttocks.
- Pathologies of the spinal column. This includes various pathological neoplasms, age-related and destructive changes in bone tissue. These include spinal curvature, herniated discs and lower disc displacements.
- Pregnancy and childbirth. In the process of bearing the fetus, the load on the pelvis increases significantly, due to which the pelvic bones can disperse and the coccyx will bend. A large fetus or rapid labor can also trigger the onset of this pathology.
In most cases, during the collection of a patient's history, a whole complex of provoking factors is revealed.
Symptoms
Bending the coccyx, regardless of the cause of its occurrence, is always accompanied by severe discomfort. Pain syndrome is of varying intensity. At rest (standing, lying down), the pain is usually characterized by aching and constant character. With physical exertion (when bending over, walking for a long time, sitting), the pain syndrome becomes pronounced and intense.
Unpleasant sensations can occur not only directly in the coccyx area. The pain often spreads to the lumbar region, groin. In addition, the act of defecation becomes painful, the patient develops constipation, and the functionality of the genitourinary system is disturbed. The duration of the pain syndromebe several years. Especially for a long time, pain bothers women after difficult childbirth. Immediately after injury in the coccyx area, skin redness, swelling, and hyperthermia are observed.
In addition, scientists have proven that people who are diagnosed with tailbone bending are prone to frequent headaches, they are irritable, suffer from lack of sleep, and show signs of depressive states.
Diagnostic measures
Symptoms of coccyx bends have many similarities with manifestations of other diseases of the pelvic organs. For differential diagnosis, you should contact a medical institution. Despite the fact that the system is not damaged, diseases are much easier to eliminate in the early stages of their development.
If you feel pain in the pelvic area, you should consult an orthopedic doctor. At the first appointment, the doctor collects anamnesis and examines the patient's complaints. Then the specialist proceeds to a direct examination, which includes palpation, rectal examination, visual assessment.
Radiological diagnosis of coccyx bends includes an x-ray examination, which in such a pathology should be carried out in different projections, in a standing and sitting position. If this diagnostic method does not allow to fully reveal the clinical picture, the patient is referred for computed tomography.
Research methods
In order to clarify the diagnosis and exclude other pathological phenomena inpelvic area, the following examinations are assigned:
- Ultrasound of the pelvis and abdomen;
- examination by a gynecologist and urologist;
- biochemical blood test;
- clinical blood and urine tests.
Accurate diagnosis is made only after high-quality and consistent diagnosis, and the tactics of treating the pathology of the coccyx are selected.
Treatment methods
Since the main symptom of tailbone bending is pain, the first thing patients are prescribed is symptomatic treatment, which is aimed at alleviating the general condition. To relieve pain, the following categories of medications may be prescribed:
- Analgesics ("Depiofen", "Analgin", "Dexalgin").
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which, in addition to painkillers, have anti-inflammatory properties, which is also important in the treatment of coccygeal pathologies (Olfen, Diclofenac, Dynastat, Diclovit).
- Local anesthetic blockades, which are prescribed for intense pain, as well as in cases where the above categories of drugs do not have the desired effect.
Acute Therapy
In the acute period of the coccyx bend, drugs are prescribed for treatment by injection, after the pain subsides, patients are transferred to taking pills. It should be noted that analgesics and NSAIDs adversely affect the mucous membranes of the digestive organs, so they should be taken with some caution. They are,generally contraindicated in patients with peptic ulcer (including history).
How to treat anterior curvature of the coccyx, the doctor should tell. In addition to oral medication, ointment applications are prescribed for the coccygeal zone. The composition of these ointments contains a local anesthetic and anti-inflammatory substances. Rectal suppositories with a similar composition are also quite effective.
When the bend of the coccyx is accompanied by constipation, laxatives are prescribed. For example, "Picolax".
Manual therapy plays an important role in curvature of the coccyx, but massage procedures should only be performed by a specialized specialist.
After acute pain relief
How to treat tailbone bend? After stopping the acute phase of the inflammatory process, patients are prescribed exercise therapy and electrophoresis.
When taking a course of traditional therapy, it is recommended to use a cotton-gauze circle for lying and sitting in order to minimize the load on the coccyx.
If you follow all the doctor's recommendations, the course of therapy lasts up to 2 months. If conservative treatment does not help, reconstructive surgery is performed. An indication for an emergency operation is the curvature of the coccygeal elements at an angle of 90 degrees or more.
Individually suitable for the treatment of curvature of the coccyx inward, due to the individual characteristics of the organism. Therapeutic measures and procedures are selected depending on the absence or presence of certain clinical signs of coccygodynia. If the patient experiencespain, the same schemes are chosen as with coccygodynia. If there are no pronounced symptoms, no special steps are taken. In such a situation, the patient is simply observed.
Consequences of bending the coccyx
With a slight bend, serious disturbances in the body, as a rule, do not occur, and this problem is compensated in a natural way. If the bend is significant, the patient begins to be disturbed by constipation, disturbances in the process of urination and defecation. In addition, there is a decrease in the innervation of all organs located in the pelvic area.
Deformations of this type are the most dangerous for pregnant women. As a result of the bend, the coccyx acts as an obstacle to the normal passage of the fetus through the birth canal. As a result, the likelihood of trauma to the fetus and the mother herself increases, as a result of which an emergency caesarean section may be required.
