Tailbone pain is usually about what attaches there.
Coccydynia is pain at the coccyx, the small set of fused bones at the base of the spine. It shows up when you sit, when you stand up from a chair, and sometimes when you lean back. A fall onto the tailbone, a long pushing stage in labor, or hours a day in a hard seat are the common starting points.
The coccyx is rarely the whole story. The pelvic floor, the gluteus maximus and several ligaments attach directly to it, so a floor that grips can pull the tailbone out of position and hold it there. That is why the donut cushion helps for an hour and changes nothing by week three.
Sitting becomes the thing you plan around.
Tailbone pain has a clear signature: it is driven by position. What you were doing when it started, and which positions set it off now, tell us whether the coccyx itself, the pelvic floor or the surrounding tissue is the main driver.
Pain Sitting
A sharp or deep ache right at the tailbone that builds the longer you sit, and is worst on hard chairs and in the car.
Pain Rising From a Chair
The move from sitting to standing is the worst moment of the day, with a stab as the load shifts off the coccyx.
Pain After a Fall
Symptoms that started with a fall onto the tailbone on ice, on stairs or in sport, and never fully settled afterwards.
Pain After Childbirth
Tailbone pain that began during or after delivery, often following a long pushing stage or an instrumented birth.
Pain With Bowel Movements
Discomfort at the coccyx during or after a bowel movement, or with straining, because the pelvic floor pulls on it directly.
Painful Sex
Deep pain with intercourse, common when the pelvic floor muscles anchored to the coccyx are guarding instead of releasing.
Treat the coccyx and the muscles pulling on it.
The assessment covers the tailbone's own position and mobility, the pelvic floor muscles attached to it, the hips, and how you load through the pelvis when you sit. Pain sitting that has lasted months usually has more than one contributor, and working only on the cushion side of it does not hold.
Treatment is hands-on and specific. Manual work releases the muscles anchoring the coccyx, including internal work when the exam calls for it and you consent to it. From there we rebuild sitting tolerance along with hip and trunk control, so the tissue stops getting provoked. Dr. Amelia Fly, PT, DPT holds a Level 1 certification in Pelvic Function.
No referral needed in Illinois. In-network with BCBS, PPO and Medicare, and we will verify your plan before you come in.
Schedule your appointment.
No referral needed. Illinois Direct Access lets you see a licensed physical therapist for up to 10 visits or 15 business days without one, so pain sitting can get looked at properly now.
Tell us when it started and what makes it worse, including a fall or a birth if that is where it began. The visit is one-on-one in a private room, and nothing in the exam happens without your consent.
You’re all set.
We’ll reach out within one business day to confirm your appointment. If you need to speak with us sooner, call us directly.