How do you know if your pain is coming from something OTHER than the tailbone (coccyx)?
Or, if you do have tailbone pain (coccyx pain), how do you know if you ALSO have pain coming from other causes?
- In general, each person needs to work closely with their treating physicians to try to determine where the pain is coming from.
- This involves a combination of looking at
- how localized to the symptoms are,
- how focal the physical exam findings/tenderness are,
- how focal any imaging abnormalities are,
- how you have responded to treatments given at the tailbone versus how well you have responded to treatments at other sites
- etc.
- Consults: You may need to consult with specialists (e.g., seeing a gastroenterologist for a colonoscopy if there is concerned that the pain in the coccyx region is coming from colon cancer or anal fissure).
- Test injection: Sometimes it can be helpful if the treating pain management physician does a test injection (“diagnostic injection”) to place a small amount of local anesthetic focally at one specific spot to see if that substantially relieves the symptoms (if a tiny, focal dose of local anesthetic at one specific body location provides excellent relief of the vast majority of your pain, this helps to confirm that your pain was indeed coming from that specific part of your body).
- Some common sites of pain in the lower back and buttock region can include:
- Lumbar or lumbosacral disc herniation
- Lumbar or lumbosacral facet joint pain
- Lumbar or lumbosacral radiculopathy
- Sacroiliac joint pain
- Piriformis muscle pain
- Rectal pain
- Anal pain
- Tailbone pain
- Pelvic floor pain
- Various cancers in the pelvic and low back region
- You should work closely with your treating physicians to determine the specific location of your pain as well as the specific cause of pain at that location.
- Chapter 15 of my book (Tailbone Pain Relief Now!) talks a lot about different sources of back and buttock pain OTHER than the coccyx.
To come to Dr. Foye’s Tailbone Pain Center:
- Get expert medical care for your tailbone pain. Here’s what you need know: https://tailbonedoctor.com/prepare-for-your-visit/
Tailbone Pain Book:
To get your copy of Dr. Foye’s book, “Tailbone Pain Relief Now!” click on this link: www.TailbonePainBook.com
Book: “Tailbone Pain Relief Now! Causes and Treatments for Your Sore or Injured Coccyx” by Patrick Foye, M.D.
Founder and Director at Tailbone Pain Center
Dr. Foye is an expert at treating tailbone pain (coccyx pain).
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/
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/
Latest posts by Patrick Foye, M.D. (see all)
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- Reasons for Normal X-rays and MRI Despite Tailbone Pain, Coccyx Pain - October 3, 2023
