Donut Cushions have the hole in the center.
Wedge cushions have the hole or cut-out at the edge. It is usually a wedge-shaped cut-out (like a small, triangle-shaped slice removed from a a square pie).
The goal is for the painful tailbone to ‘hover’ over the cut-out, so that you are not putting as much of your body weight onto the tailbone. Less coccyx weight-bearing results in less coccyx pain.
The wedge cushions often also have a slight incline that tends to have the patient sit leaning forwards, which also takes some pressure off the coccyx.
I did a research study on this topic in 2009, assessing whether patients with tailbone pain preferred sitting on wedge cushions versus donut cushions.
Many patients with tailbone pain preferred neither cushion. But among patients who had a preference, they were ~ 5 times more likely to prefer wedge rather than donut cushions.
So, for patients who have not yet tried either cushion, it probably makes sense to start by trying a wedge cushion.
But each patient needs to find the cushion that works best for them.
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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