I was joined this evening by Mr Alagappan Sivaraman. He is a former consultant orthopaedic surgeon at St Bart’s and The London NHS Trust, now a full time  private consultant orthopaedic spinal surgeon at Spire Hartswood Hospital in Brentwood. Mr Sivaraman offers private spinal surgery and various spinal injection treatments for back and neck pain.

Tonight we were talking about coccydania or coccyx pain. The coccyx is the small triangular bone at the base of the spine, more commonly called the tailbone. It is a myth that it is useless as we don’t have tails any more, it actually helps us to sit comfortably and it has a lot of muscles and tendons attached to it, such as the pelvic floor muscles that help you know when to go to the toilet and those that help you walk. So if you have problems with the coccyx it can cause a lot of discomfort.

Most common causes are falls, childbirth, repetitive strain injury through sports such as riding or cycling, trapped nerves, etc. It is more common in women than men. A woman’s coccyx is smaller and lower down in the pelvis, which means it is more exposed.

The first course of action is to scan the area and determine what treatment is needed. It may be that an injection of cortisone is needed, or it may be that the muscles need to be released by manipulation or exercise. Surgery is only ever a last resort.

If you have coccyx pain and need to get it checked out call Spire Hartswood on 01277 266761 on the self-pay treatment enquiry line.