At a medical conference in 2009, Dr. Foye presented on the topic of waterslides causing coccyx injuries (tailbone injuries, coccyx pain, tailbone pain, coccydynia).
Here is the abstract that was published…
Tailbone Pain from Coccyx Injuries on Water Slides: a Case Series
Journal: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
2009 Sept; 1 (9): S177
Authors: Patrick M. Foye, M.D., Evish Kamrava, M.D., Renee Enriquez, M.D.
Coccyx Pain Center, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, UMDNJ: New Jersey Medical School, 90 Bergen St., DOC-3100, Newark, NJ 07103-2499. Phone: (973)972-2802. Fax: (973)972-2825. www.TailboneDoctor.com.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To report on recreational water slides as a source of tailbone injury in patients with coccydynia (coccyx pain). The waterpark industry reports more than 1000 waterparks in North America, with an attendance of about 78 million per summer season, with further growth expected. To our knowledge, no prior case series has ever described waterpark injuries in association with causing or exacerbating tailbone pain.
DESIGN: Retrospective chart review of 200 patients with a chief complaint of tailbone pain.
SETTING: Academic-based physiatric outpatient pain management practice with a dedicated Coccyx Pain Service.
PARTICIPANTS: Records were reviewed from a population of 200 patients with a chief complaint of tailbone pain.
INTERVENTIONS: Interventions: Not applicable
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Medical record documentation was sought regarding water slides as exacerbating or initially causing coccyx pain.
RESULTS: Of 200 outpatients with coccyx pain whose records were reviewed, 2 patients had reported that their coccygeal symptoms had either originally started while sliding down a water slide, or that prior (pre-existing) coccyx pain had been exacerbated by this activity. One patient was a 42 year old female with a 3 year history of tailbone pain of non-traumatic onset, which had improved 75% via a combined ganglion Impar and corticosteroid injection. Months later, she was doing well enough that she went down a water slide on a family vacation, resulting in exacerbation of her prior tailbone pain. The other patient was a 37 year old male with no prior tailbone pain until going down a “bumpy” water slide. His tailbone pain persisted for almost a year prior to presentation for PM&R pain management. His imaging studies revealed substantial listhesis at a coccygeal joint that matched his most painful site on palpation, as also confirmed via fluoroscopy.
CONCLUSIONS: Based on the clear history of direct trauma to the coccyx in each case followed by the prompt onset of coccyx pain, these cases support a causal relationship between water slides and coccyx pain. The cases demonstrate that coccygeal trauma on water slides may either exacerbate pre-existing coccyx pain or provoke new onset coccyx pain in previously non-symptomatic patients.
Tailbone Book, Chapter 5: CAUSES of Tailbone Pain, Coccyx Pain
This is the next in a series of coccyx pain videos, giving you highlights from the chapters of Dr. Foye’s book, “Tailbone Pain Relief Now!”
The actual VIDEO is at the bottom of this page.
Here is the TEXT from the video:
Hi. I’m Dr. Patrick Foye, M.D.
I’m the Director of the Coccyx Pain Center, or Tailbone Pain Center, here in the United States.
I’m online at www.TailboneDoctor.com
This is the next in a series of videos covering a glimpse at the information within the different chapters of my book, “Tailbone Pain Relief Now!”
And in this video were going to be talking about Chapter 5 which is Causes of Tailbone Pain.
In Chapter 5 is a chapter that is really important. But it is really just the introduction to a whole series of other chapters about causes of tailbone pain.
For this section we are really looking at this section of the book which is broken down into… the first section of the book is “Finding the Cause of Your Tailbone Pain.” And then the 2nd section of the book is “Treatment of Tailbone Pain”.
And the reason of course that the first section comes 1st is that before you can start with treatment you really should have been good evaluation to try to find what’s causing the tailbone pain in the 1st place.
So Chapter 5 is that introduction to the different causes of tailbone pain.
Some people will have a history of trauma, like a slip and a fall, as shown in the illustration here.
Other patients will have no history of such trauma.
There’s lots of different things that can cause tailbone pain.
Some of them are listed here. So that I can tell you that these are the things that are going to be covered in some of the subsequent chapters that are coming up.
So, in the subsequent chapters we are going to have chapters talking about: unstable joints (when there is increased or hyper-mobility of the joints). We will talk about tailbone fractures. Dislocations. Bone spurs. Arthritis. Abnormal positions for the tailbone, where it is either flexed too far forward for extended too far backwards.
We’ll talk about pain from the sympathetic nervous system at the coccyx, which can be very very important.
We’ll talk about cancer, or malignancies at the coccyx.
Infections in the area.
All of those kinds of things.
Really, this chapter, Chapter 5, is just an overview that those are going to be becoming chapters in the book.
But it’s really really important to have kind of that list of possible causes in your head.
And for your doctor to hopefully have that list of possible causes in his or her head.
So we are not just treating this as “Oh, somebody hand symptoms but we haven’t looked yet to see why they are having those symptoms.”
It’s very very important to discern or distinguish what’s causing the pain in the first place.
It is very very common the patient’s fly in to see me from around the country and internationally and they’ve had tailbone pain for years and not a single physician is actually tried to figure out exactly what’s causing it.
And often just from looking at the imaging studies that were done years ago, or imaging studies that we have done here at the initial evaluation, we will be able within a single office visit to solve that mystery.
And often it’s something very simple like a bone spur or an unstable joint or arthritis or in some cases worse things like cancer, or malignancies.
So, it’s really important again to make a diagnosis first and then build the treatment based upon what the diagnosis has found.
Yes, it is true that there are some cases where the cause of the tailbone pain cannot be figured out.
Medically the term for that they call it “idiopathic” (which just means that the doctors not sure what the underlying cause is).
They call it “idiopathic coccydynia” which just means coccydynia that the doctor doesn’t have a specific cause atomically figured out).
But that is a small percentage of the cases. I would say that is probably less than 10% of patients.
The vast majority, if you do a proper evaluation, and have the right imaging studies done, and evaluate them and look at them properly and with diligence and care you can usually find anatomically the cause and correlate that with the patient’s symptoms and physical exam findings.
So, probably many of you were watching this video, if you have tailbone pain, I would not be surprised if you’ve been suffering for months or years and have seen maybe multiple doctors and still not have an explanation for what’s causing your pain.
I’d be interested… post your comments down below with your thoughts or experiences in this area.
Do you know exactly what’s causing your tailbone pain?
Has anybody looked?
Have they tried to figure it out?
Were you just told that it’s “idiopathic” (meaning “we don’t know”)?
Post your comments down below and myself and others will be interested in read those and respond to those.
And if you’re looking to come and see me or find more information from me online, the best place to go for that is www.TailboneDoctor.com
If you’re looking for a copy of the book, the best place to go for that is to be www.TailboneBook.com
On that website, I have different links depending what country you are in, whether to get that book through Amazon in your local country or through other ways.
Whether you want the paperback copy or the electronic copy (e-book copy, which you can get and read that and download that in any country in the world, you do not need a special electronic book reader or anything for that, just Internet access).
So, anyway, the links for where to get all of that, for the book is www.TailboneBook.com and it will direct you to the right place, depending what you’re looking for and where you are at.
All right, I hope that information was helpful.
Post your comments down below and I’ll be interested to read those.
Bye, Bye, now.
Here is the actual VIDEO:
Here is the screenshot thumbnail image for the video:
Chapter 5 of Tailbone Pain Book, CAUSES of Coccyx Pain
To get your copy of the book “Tailbone Pain Relief Now!” go to: www.TailboneBook.com
For more information on coccyx pain, or to be evaluated at Dr. Foye’s Tailbone Pain Center in the United States, go to: www.TailboneDoctor.com
In 2016 we had a wonderful medical meeting with speakers and attendees from around the world, all focused on discussing coccyx pain and tailbone disorders.
The videos from those lectures are available online.
Tailbone pain is usually most painful while you are sitting, since sitting puts some of your body weight onto the tailbone (coccyx).
Thus, it makes sense to do coccyx x-rays WHILE SITTING, since that is the most painful position.
Coccyx x-rays are done while you is standing and then again while you are seated. These are also called “dynamic xrays”.
The x-ray appearance of the coccyx while sitting is compared to the appearance of the coccyx while standing, to see if sitting causes abnormal movement of the coccyx.
Meanwhile, how far back to lean for the seated views depends on the patient. I usually have my patients do 3 seated views: 1) sitting upright, 2) leaning partway back, 3) leaning further back which is usually the most painful position. (Most important is the seated xray done in the most painful position.)
If you lean too far back during the seated coccyx x-rays, then you are leaning onto your sacrum, instead of your coccyx. That would off-load your coccyx and unfortunately that would defeat the purpose of the seated x-rays.
For details on how to do sitting versus standing xrays of the coccyx for tailbone pain…
For excellent details from Dr. Maigne, in Paris, France…
Tailbone Pain Tip 1, Seated x-rays for Coccyx Pain, CoccydyniaTailbone Pain Tip 2, Seated x-rays for Coccyx Pain, Coccydynia
COME FOR RELIEF: For more information on coccyx pain, or to be evaluated in-person by Dr. Foye’s Coccyx Pain Center in the United States, go to: www.TailboneDoctor.com
– Patrick Foye, M.D., Director of the Tailbone Pain Center, New Jersey, United States.
Ganglion Impar injections can be helpful in treating coccydynia (coccyx pain, tailbone pain) and other pelvic pain syndromes.
The “ganglion Impar” is also called the “ganglion of Walther” or “Walther’s ganglion”.
Ganglion Impar injections include ganglion Impar blocks (ganglion Impar nerve blocks, using local anesthetics) and ganglion Impar nerve ablation (destruction).
The ganglion Impar is located at the level of the upper coccyx.
The ganglion Impar is involved in function of the “sympathetic nervous system” for the pelvis. It also includes nerves that carry pain from certain anatomic locations within the pelvis.
New Book Chapter on Ganglion Impar Injections
In this video,Dr. Foye discusses his chapter on ganglion Impar injections in a recently published medical textbook.
Patrick Foye, M.D., is director of the Coccyx Pain Center at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
Dr. Foye has many publications in medical journals and medical textbooks, specifically on the topic of ganglion Impar injections in the treatment of tailbone pain and other conditions. He also lectures on this topic within the United States and internationally.
Dr. Foye has published new, modern techniques for performing these injections.
Here is the video:
Here are photos and screenshots from the video:
Ganglion Impar Injections, for Coccyx Pain, Tailbone Pain, New Book Chapter
Ganglion Impar Injections, for Coccyx Pain, Tailbone Pain, New Book Chapter
There is limited published data on using spinal cord stimulators (SCS) for coccyx pain (tailbone pain, coccydynia, coccygodynia).
Spinal cord stimulators are MUCH more commonly used for low back pain, including “failed back syndrome” (where people have persistent pain despite lumbar surgery).
The general idea for SCS is that stimulating the nerves can essentially cause your body to start to “ignore” sensations coming from a given body region. Just like you start to ignore the sensation of your shirt sleeve on your arm because it is a gentle sensation that has been present there for many hours. So, if you can stimulate the nerves receiving sensation from a painful area, perhaps you can train your body to start to ignore sensations (including pain) from that area.
The physician placing the spinal cord stimulator needs to decide the best place to put the electrodes. The electrodes need to be placed at the specific level of the spinal cord that is receiving the incoming pain signals. So, if you have pain signals coming from your leg or lower back, then the doctor needs to figure out what level of the spinal cord those pain fibers will enter at. Then, the doctor can target that specific level of the spinal cord by placing an SCS electrode at that site.
So, you can think of it as there being TWO very different and very important locations: 1) The anatomic location that the pain is coming from, and 2) the anatomic location where the nerves carrying those pain signals are entering the spinal cord.
Typically, for pain that is coming from the lower back region (lumbosacral spine) the spinal cord stimulator electrode needs to be placed up into the thoracic spine.
For pain coming from the lumbar spine, it is relatively predictable where the electrodes will need to be placed (i.e., the doctor can usually figure out where specifically the electrodes need to be put, such as putting the electrodes at certain specific levels within the thoracic spine).
Unfortunately for coccyx pain things are not quite so clear. There is FAR less published literature on using spinal cord stimulation to treat coccyx pain. So, is not as well-established to know what are the specific anatomic levels where the electrodes should be placed in order to cover the coccyx.
Also, within the spinal cord, the nerve levels that cover the coccyx are relatively nearby to the nerves from the anal and other pelvic regions. So, using the electrode to stimulate the nerves carrying pain from the coccyx might also cause the patient to feel unpleasant tingling or similar sensations in the area of their anus or similar pelvic sites.
TRIAL: Typically, regardless of the painful site that the doctor is trying to cover, what is done first is a “trial” where they put the electrical leads at the targeted levels of the spinal cord. Then, the patient and their doctor can see whether stimulating those electrodes gives good relief or not.
TRIAL versus PERMANENT: The main difference between a “trial” SCS and a “permanent” SCS is that the trial is just temporary. For the trial, the electrodes are put in place but the battery pack for the stimulator is OUTSIDE of the patient (e.g., the patient can wear the battery on a belt around their waist, while the wires from the battery go through their skin and into their spine all the way to the electrode that is stimulating the spinal cord). That is usually okay to do for a few days. But because the wires are going from externally (from the external battery pack) to internally (to the electrodes within the patient’s spine), there is the potential for infection to travel along the wires. This could carry bacteria and other microorganisms from your skin into your spine, which would cause a serious infection. So, after a few days the patient and their doctor need to make a decision as to whether the spinal cord stimulator is providing enough relief to justify having a small surgical procedure to put the battery inside the patient. If so, a battery pack is placed underneath the patient’s skin. Placing the battery pack internally (inside the patient) is considered a “permanent” placement of the spinal cord stimulator. However, the term “permanent” is relative, because after years of use the battery can eventually die and need to be replaced. Also, if the electrodes move (migrate) over time, then they may no longer cover the area where you’re trying to get relief.
Most of the information above is regarding using a spinal cord stimulator to treat low back pain (lumbar pain) or irritation of the lumbar or lumbosacral nerve roots (which can travel down the leg causing “sciatica” pain shooting into the leg).
However, as noted at the start of this article, it is MUCH less common to use a spinal cord stimulator to treat specifically coccyx pain. However, this is an area of some small amount of ongoing research. Time will tell whether this may or may not become a more common treatment for tailbone pain.
Dr. Patrick Foye’s Board Certification Renewed Through 2027
In the United States, to be a physician (M.D., Medical Doctor) in the field of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) essentially requires the following:
4 years of college
4 years of medical school
4 years of internship/residency training
Next is “Board Certification”, which is a combination of passing both written examinations and oral (in-person) examinations.
When you are “Board Certified” in the field, this must be renewed every 10 years.
Renewal of board certification requires completing hundreds of hours of Continuing Medical Education (CME) and passing another set of examinations.
Dr. Foye has been Board Certified in PM&R since 20 years ago, in 1998.
Dr. Foye recently completed his renewal, which means that his Board Certification is now extended for another 10 years, until December 31, 2027.
This is in addition to Dr. Foye’s additional, subspecialty board certification in Pain Medicine.
Looking forward to another decade of making a positive difference via patient care and education. And hopefully longer!
Tailbone Book, Chapter 4: ANATOMY of Tailbone Pain, Coccyx Pain
This is the next in a series of coccyx pain videos, giving you highlights from the chapters of Dr. Foye’s book, “Tailbone Pain Relief Now!”
The actual VIDEO is at the bottom of this page.
Here is the TEXT from the video:
Hi. I’m Dr. Patrick Foye, M.D.
I’m the Director of the Coccyx Pain Center or Tailbone Pain Center here in New Jersey in the United States and online at www.TailboneDoctor.com
And this is the next in a series of videos reviewing the different chapters in my book “Tailbone Pain Relief Now!”
In this video I’m reviewing Chapter 4 which is anatomy of the coccyx and anatomy of tailbone pain.
And the idea here is that this chapter talks about the specific different bones in the coccyx, how you can differentiate some of those different bones from each other, how they’re different than other parts of the spine.
The muscles and tendons and ligaments that attach to the tailbone are all listed and discussed within this chapter.
Now this is really important because if you are suffering from a musculoskeletal condition it’s important that you understand a little bit about the anatomy of what’s causing your pain, what the normal structures are there, and what things can be abnormal.
It’s also frankly important for your physicians to understand that anatomy, which unfortunately doesn’t always happen at the tailbone just because many doctors are not familiar with treating the tailbone.
Anyway, so, within this chapter… so Chapter number 4 here, Anatomy of Tailbone Pain, as you can see from the illustration here (hopefully that will focus) you can see this is a view of the spine.
So, there’s the cervical spine, the thoracic spine, the lumbar spine, the sacrum, and then down at the bottom is the coccyx or tailbone, right down here.
And looking from the side view here again: the cervical spine (which is your neck region), the thoracic spine (which is where the ribs attach), the lumbar spine (very common for people to have lumbar back pain down where the belt line would be or the waistband would be in the lower back), and then down below that again is the sacrum and the coccyx.
And each area of the spine is made up of a number of different bony segments.
And that’s true at the tailbone as well.
This is kind of getting a closer view here of the sacrum and coccyx.
Again you can see the sacrum up here.
And the tailbone or coccyx is down below.
And then here from the side view is showing the same.
And the book of course talks a lot more in depth about all of this.
The one area that’s important to mention is the importance of language and how we talk about things.
Because often it’s referred to as “the tailbone” or the coccyx, as if it is one singular bone, when really it’s not.
The tailbone is actually a collection of bones.
It’s anywhere from three to five bony segments that are… I’ll show you one here as well… so three to five bony segments that may or may not be fused together to different degrees in different patients.
So the reason that’s really important in this section on anatomy is that doctors in the emergency room where you have your x-rays after your injury, or the radiologists reading it sometimes even they may see individual bony segments and sometimes erroneously think that that’s a fracture because it’s not a single bone.
When really in most people it is not one single bone.
It’s only a small percentage of people that have the entire tailbone fused together or fused together with the sacrum.
Most people have some discrete bones.
Some of them may be fused, some of them not.
But that variability can really fool physicians as they’re looking at the imaging studies and they can sort of be mislead.
So it’s important to recognize that although it’s called the tailbone, which sounds singular, it’s actually plural… it’s a series of bones that are there.
The book also goes into how to distinguish some of the bones, particularly that first bone of the coccyx is different than most of the others in a couple of ways.
Number one that first bone of the coccyx has what are called “cornua” which are “horns” that actually come up off of bone number one, which you can see a little bit of that here and here on this image.
And bone number one also has parts that go out to the side… so it goes out right and left on each side, and those are the “transverse processes” which are where my fingers are touching here and here on this anatomic model.
And you’ll notice that the rest of the bones down the tailbone really do *not* have those horns going up or those projections going out to the side.
So that’s bone number one.
I describe it as.. almost… in sports if you had the referee putting their hands straight up in American football for a “field goal”.
Or in baseball putting a hands all the way out to the side on both sides for when a runner is “safe at the plate”.
Those things are true at bone number one at the coccyx, but are not true of the rest.
The rest of the chapter goes on to talk about the different anatomic attachments at the tailbone, specifying a number of the different ligaments that attach there: the anterior longitudinal ligament, the posterior sacrococcygeal ligament, sacrospinous ligaments, sacrotuberous ligaments, some of the nerves that are in the coccyx.
All of that information is important to understand because any of those structures can be involved in causes of tailbone pain or in patients who have tailbone pain.
So it’s important for hopefully your doctors and for yourself to understand some things about that.
So there’s more details of course within the book.
But this just gives you a glimpse of what is in Chapter 4 the “Anatomy of the Coccyx” or “Anatomy of Tailbone Pain”.
For more information you can certainly find me online at www.TailboneDoctor.com if you are interested in coming for an evaluation or to find more educational information.
If you want specifically a copy of the book the easiest way to get that is to go to www.TailboneBook.com.
From there you can you can click for your appropriate country to get the best deal and the least amount of international shipping, to get either the paperback copy.
Or you can just order the electronic copy of the book, the e-book, which you can which you can access from anywhere in the world that has internet access, you can click on that and download that in that way so it get an easiest place to find that is just go to www.TailboneBook.com
Alright. I hope that information is helpful.
If you have questions about the anatomy at the coccyx or comments about the anatomy at the coccyx or the structures that attach to it, post those down below the video.
Post your questions and comments down below and I’ll be sure to be on the lookout for those and I’m sure others who watch this can read those and comment on those and learn from those as well.
So, alright.
That’s all for now.
Bye, bye.
Here is the actual VIDEO:
Here is the screenshot thumbnail image for the video:
Chapter 4 of Tailbone Pain Book, ANATOMY of Coccyx Pain
To get your copy of the book “Tailbone Pain Relief Now!” go to: www.TailboneBook.com
For more information on coccyx pain, or to be evaluated at Dr. Foye’s Tailbone Pain Center in the United States, go to: www.TailboneDoctor.com
This is a quick video just to just to look at a different type of cushion.
I see lots of patients who have tailbone pain.
They fly in from all over the country, occasionally internationally, and they have different types of cushions that are with them.
So, sometimes if I see something that’s a little less common I make a quick photo or video just to show that for people who may be looking for cushions or not have or have not found a cushion that works well for them yet.
This particular cushion… the one or two things that are a little different about it:
Number one: it’s foldable.
So some cushions have a crease in the middle and what that does is mainly two things.
Number one: it folds to sort of half the size.
So that that way it looks more like it looks more like a purse or a sort of a very low-profile or thin handbag that you could carry along.
So it doesn’t look quite as noticeable to other people, as compared with carrying one of the bigger coccyx cushions.
It still has a handle (which most of them do) and this one happens to be called… the manufacture happens to be www.Purple.com
(I have no vested interest in this. They’re not paying me to do this or anything. This is just from a patient who came in to see me and let me borrow it for three minutes here to do a video.)
So anyway, the crease in the middle… the thing about the crease in the middle (and I’ll see if I can hold this up a bit to demonstrate) is that when you sit… that essentially the tailbone or coccyx in the middle is essentially over the crease.
So that’s what helps to have you put your body weight onto the other two sit bones but not so much onto the coccyx.
So the two things that the crease do is:
Number one: it lets you fold it and make it look more like a purse.
Number two: is that the crease then is a spot where the coccyx sort of floats or hovers over the crease, so that it’s not contacting the seat and therefore less painful for you.
The one other thing about this particular cushion (and I’ll see if I can zip it open a little bit here) is that it’s essentially a gel material so you can probably see that.
And the gel material… the one thing that may be good about a gel material (and you can also see it sort of has a cutout in the middle where there’s no gel in the middle. So this is essentially like a doughnut, so essentially like a gel doughnut with a with a cover on top. The cover you could remove if you needed to throw it in the wash or something like that. I have had patients also who put their own fabric, if you’re creative, pick up some fabric that you like at a fabric store and make it look like a more like a personalized purse or something that you would carry with you)…
But the other thing about the gel is that (and the handle in this case is made of gel kind of a gel like material as well)…
… is that the gel may hold up better over time, theoretically, compared with the some of the thinner foam.
Especially if it’s not a particular sturdy foam, they can sometimes flatten over time and then become less effective because it’s squashing down like a pancake and it’s not really lifting your tailbone up off the chair.
So again, this is just a short video to review a cushion that’s a little less common than the ones we normally see with the cutout in the back.
It doesn’t mean this one would be perfect for you… it may or may not be.
But it’s one more to consider if some of the standard cushions are not doing the job, or if you’re in a setting where the appearance is really important for you in terms of having something that’s kind of more low-profile, to think about the ones that are split in the middle in that way.
Or if you’re somebody that your cushions are always flattening out on to and two-three months after using it you have to finding your need to get a new one and you may want to think about trying something with gel or something like that.
Anyway so that’s some information about coccyx cushions and particularly this one with the gel with the split in the middle.
Hope that’s helpful for you.
In my book “Tailbone Pain Relief Now!” I have a whole chapter about cushions.
If you want more information, or if you’re looking to find me, or come and see me, or what have you, you can find me online at www.TailboneDoctor.com
If you have questions, or thoughts, or comments, or want to mention about what cushions you’ve tried, or found helpful or not helpful, post your comments below. I’m sure they’ll be helpful for myself and others to see.
Bye-bye now.
I hope that helps.
Here is the VIDEO:
Here is the screenshot photo from the video:
Foldable Gel Coccyx Cushion for Tailbone Pain, Coccyx Pain
Here is how the cushion looks without the cover:
purple coccyx gel cushion, foldable, for tailbone pain, coccyx pain
Available on Amazon: The Everywhere Purple No-Pressure Seat Cushion, by Purple, Link: http://a.co/hOUEA8n
Tailbone Book, Chapter 3, STIGMA and PSYCHOLOGY of Tailbone Pain, Coccyx Pain
This is the next in a series of videos that gives highlights from the chapters of Dr. Foye’s book, “Tailbone Pain Relief Now!”
The actual VIDEO is at the bottom of this page.
Here is the TEXT from the video:
Hi. I’m Dr. Patrick Foye, M.D., Director of the Coccyx Pain Center or Tailbone Pain Center here in New Jersey, United States, online at www.TailboneDoctor.com.
This is the next in a series of videos just going chapter by chapter and giving you a glimpse of the information within the different chapters in my book “Tailbone Pain Relief Now!”
In this video, we’ll cover briefly some of the information in Chapter number three, which is overcoming stigma and talking about the psychology of tailbone pain.
And the general point for this chapter is that unfortunately coccydynia, or coccyx pain, tailbone pain, is for some reason considered a taboo topic that a lot of people don’t want to talk about.
Or they don’t mention it, or they feel embarrassed about it.
So unlike if somebody injured their shoulder or their knee or their low back (in the lumbar spine up near the belt line)…
Lots of people would feel comfortable telling their friends family co-worker, “Hey, I injured my shoulder… or my knee… or what have you…”
But for the tailbone or coccyx, it’s an area that people feel less comfortable sometimes talking about.
And there’s a certain amount of stigma just because it’s a very private area.
It’s an area that people don’t talk about in public… over a public dinner you wouldn’t hear most people talking about their coccyx or tailbone.
And that’s unfortunate because lots of people suffer with pain without knowing that that’s their problem because they don’t get the feedback and discussion from other people the way they would if it was a problem at their shoulder or their knee.
And, also, they may not discuss it with their physician.
Their physician may not know the pain that they’re suffering with
Or the physician may not ask the appropriate questions to find out that the pain is down at the tailbone and not at the lower back lumbar area (up near the belt line, which is more common).
So, doctors will assume that that’s where your pain is as well.
There’s a there’s a section in here that says sort of “What’s funny about tailbone pain?” which is just kind of making the point that… to a late-night talk-show comedian if a politician or celebrity injured their coccyx it would seem like something funny to joke about.
But for people that are suffering with tailbone pain it’s obviously not funny at all.
It actually can be a severe source of pain and suffering and can really be life-altering in a in a very negative way.
So, there is a section here that talks about depression and anxiety in patients with coccyx pain.
True for patients with chronic pain in general: when you live your life day-to-day having pain multiple times a day or throughout the day, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year… it can be depressing and it can cause anxiety.
And people can have their life start to revolve around the pain syndrome… and where can I sit without pain… and do I have my cushion with me… and can I go to that family social event when it’s a significant drive from here and the pain and the drive or the commute is painful and sitting for the event will be painful.
So all of those things really become important.
And it becomes important that when talking with or evaluating patients with tailbone pain that of course we do that with compassion and understanding and try to really appreciate that although the tailbone itself is a very very small bone (or series of bones, down at the lower tip of the of spine) the coccyx really can cause very severe pain and suffering and disability.
So that’s certainly something to keep in mind.
Tailbone pain itself can be can be certainly very frustrating for patients.
And it’s important that not only their doctors be aware of that but that their family members be aware of that and appreciate that as well.
By the way, as far as the doctors… there is a section here about bias from doctors and I can tell you even as a physician running at Coccyx Pain Center… I can tell you there’s bias from doctors who say, “Really, why would you want to keep treat those kinds of patients?” and really dismissive and non-compassionate comments that that are unfortunately all too common within the medical community.
So really what you want to do is you want to find a doctor who will listen to you, who is understanding, who will take your symptoms seriously, so that they can do the appropriate diagnostic testing and the appropriate workup for you.
There are lots of doctors who have told their patients, “Oh, well, tailbone pain… tailbone pain is not really a problem, or it’s not that serious. It’s just a little bone. Or maybe it’s all in your head.” or those kinds of dismissive comments that they typically would not make if you were having pain in your thumb, or your shoulder, or your knee, etc.
So that becomes important to find a health care professional that works with you.
So that’s kind of just a general glimpse of some of the things within Chapter 3 of the book.
For a full copy of the book, the easiest way to get that is to go to www.TailboneBook.com
And you can get a copy of the book.
There will have all the links to the appropriate pages depending what country you’re in… whether it’s through Amazon, whether it’s the printed paperback copy of the book which is 272 pages or to get the electronic copy of the book.
The e-book you can access from anywhere worldwide.
You can get that and read it. You do not need a special ebook reading device or anything like that.
To find me online, or to come for evaluation here, you can certainly find me at www.TailboneDoctor.com
And post your comments down below, regarding this topic: about stigma and the psychology of tailbone pain, or comments that you may have had from doctors or friends or family.
I think that that would be important for others to read and chime in on as well.
Because it’s very very common that people have those kinds of stories, unfortunately.
So, anyway, that’s Chapter Three from the book.
I hope that’s helpful for you.
Post your comments down below.
Bye, bye.
Here is the actual VIDEO:
Here is the screenshot thumbnail image for the video:
Chapter 3 of Tailbone Pain Book: Stigma, Psychology, Emotional Stress, Depression, Anxiety, associated with Coccyx Pain. Tailbone Pain
To get your copy of the book “Tailbone Pain Relief Now!” go to: www.TailboneBook.com
For more information on coccyx pain, or to be evaluated at Dr. Foye’s Tailbone Pain Center in the United States, go to: www.TailboneDoctor.com
