Do you want your tailbone after it is surgically removed?

Tailbone pain (also called coccyx pain, or coccydynia) sometimes requires surgical treatment. Surgery to remove the coccyx is called coccygectomy.

Fortunately, the vast majority of people with tailbone pain respond well to non-surgical treatment, such as the use of cushions, medications by mouth, and coccyx injections.

For those uncommon cases where the tailbone needs to be surgically removed, patients sometimes ask whether the surgeon can give them their tailbone after it is taken out.
  • In the United States, typically if a portion of the body like this is surgically removed the surgeon will send it to the pathology department where a pathologist will take a look at it just to make sure there is no evidence of cancer, etc..
  • The assessment by the pathologist may be unnecessary the  majority of the time, but just becomes one of those standard protocol things.
  • For those who do have a surgeon willing to give them their tailbone, initially it looks pretty gross if you are not used to seeing surgical specimens and such.
  • Then you would need to clean off all the muscle/tendon/etc. attachments.
  • Depending on whether you had a dislocation or bony fracture you might just be left with a few separated pieces (the individual bones of the coccyx).
  • Conversely, if your coccyx were entirely fused or the ligaments were still intact around the joints, you might have a solid specimen, which would make quite the conversation piece.
  • Some patients have even said that they would like to hang it from a necklace!
To come to Dr. Foye’s Tailbone Pain Center:
Tailbone Pain Book:

To get your copy of Dr. Foye’s book, “Tailbone Pain Relief Now!” click on this link: www.TailbonePainBook.com

Tailbone Pain Book cover Foye

Book: “Tailbone Pain Relief Now! Causes and Treatments for Your Sore or Injured Coccyx” by Patrick Foye, M.D.

Patrick Foye, M.D.
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