Feel Like You Are Sitting on a Tack?
Having difficulty sitting these days? Feeling a nagging pain in your booty while trying to sit in a chair? Pain in the tailbone area can be common during pregnancy or after delivery.
The tailbone, known as the coccyx, is the lowest part of your spine. It sits right in the middle of your tush. The coccyx is the attachment point for several muscles of the pelvic floor, the gluteus maximus, and a handful of ligaments, which all aid in stability.
Tailbone pain during pregnancy is often due to hormonal changes in the body. While pregnant, your body releases a hormone called relaxin, and it does exactly what it sounds like. It makes your ligaments looser/more relaxed, which can create laxity in your joints. Your body is trying to make room for the baby to grow and allow you to give birth, but this laxity often leads to coccyx pain because the pelvic floor ligaments loosen and shift. About a third of all pregnant women experience tailbone pain.
The tailbone can shift around and get “stuck” in what is called a flexed or extended position, meaning the tailbone is pointing forward or backward more than it should be. This puts stress on the surrounding ligaments, which triggers pain. The relaxing of the ligaments can also cause the pelvic floor muscles to contract tighter to try to make up for the decreased stability. Over-contraction of the pelvic floor can also lead to pain.
As your baby grows, your center of gravity moves forward, and trying to counteract your growing belly, you may stand or sit in positions that put increased pressure on the coccyx. Again, this can cause tailbone pain! Your growing baby can also put pressure on your tailbone directly, and, you guessed it - this can cause pain too!
Coccyx pain can hurt at any time, but it is usually reported to be the worst when sitting down. It also often hurts when going from sitting to standing. To relieve pain when sitting, you can use a doughnut cushion or a wedge cushion with a cutout. The wedge cushion is preferred because it disperses the pressure more effectively than a doughnut cushion. You may also want to try sleeping with a pillow between your knees.
It also might help to focus on your breathing and relaxing your pelvic floor muscles. When going from sitting to standing, take a big breath in before standing up and then blow your air out while standing. If you are having trouble relaxing your pelvic floor and think this may be contributing to your issues, it is best to seek care from a physical therapist to help teach you how to properly contract and relax your pelvic floor muscles.
Make sure to keep your gastrointestinal system running smoothly. Eat lots of fiber-rich foods and drink plenty of water. Constipation can also increase tailbone pain, so keeping your bowel movements regular is important.
Throughout your day, try to maintain symmetrical postures, such as standing with your weight evenly distributed between both of your legs and not popping your hip out to one side. Try to avoid crossing your legs and standing on one leg to put your pants on, as these movements can exacerbate the pain.
If your tailbone is sore to the touch, it would be in your best interest to seek out care from a highly trained manual therapist. A skilled manual PT can help desensitize the nerves in the area and help correct any coccygeal asymmetry. Physical therapy can help decrease muscle tension, maintain muscle strength, and correct instability. Most pain will subside after delivery, but seeking help now can make you more comfortable until your baby arrives!
Call us today at 612-568-2462 to see if we are a good fit for your care.