In other parts of the body, immobilization and fusion are done after fractures/dislocations/instability/etc. Meanwhile, at the coccyx, these options are very, very limited.
We can’t put the coccyx into a cast or sling or brace they we could for an injured wrist/ankle/etc.
Also, the small fragile bones of the coccyx are not really sturdy enough to hold the rods, pins, or screws that are used after fractures of the hip, for example.
There is just one single case worldwide published about one patient where a thin surgical wire/pin was inserted. See: https://tailbonedoctor.com/no-surgical-hardware-for-tailbone-pain/
CEMENT TO FUSE THE COCCYX?
There have been a very limited number of publications about injecting surgical cement after coccyx fracture. The research is very limited, and there is the potential side-effect of fusing the coccyx into a bad position (since you can’t immobilize it after cement injection). Also, I have inherited one patient whose pain was MUCH worse after her cement injection (basically, she said that she still had her original coccyx pain, PLUS now felt like she was sitting right on a blob of cement, which she actually was). Lastly, some movement at the coccyx is needed and normal to help the coccyx to move out of the way (flexing to tuck itself into the pelvis when you sit, or extending to create more space in the pelvis during bowel movements and during childbirth).
I’ve published a little on this topic. See:
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.
His personable, private-practice office is located on a modern, renowned, academic medical school campus, at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
For an appointment, call 973-972-2802.
https://tailbonedoctor.com/
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