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Tailbone (coccyx) pain

Overview

Open all pages about Tailbone (coccyx) pain

The main symptom of tailbone pain is pain at the base of your spine, near the top of your bottom. The pain is often worse when you’re sitting down.

Things you can do to help relieve tailbone pain include sitting with good posture, using a coccyx cushion when sitting, and lying on your side.

Physiotherapy, corticosteroid and anaesthetic injections and, in severe cases, surgery, may be recommended for tailbone pain.

Causes of tailbone pain include pregnancy and childbirth, an injury or accident such as a fall, and straining the coccyx by sitting for a long time.

Tailbone pain is pain in the coccyx (the small bone at the base of the spine). You can ease the pain yourself but get medical help if it persists.

Page last reviewed: 15/03/2022
Next review due: 15/03/2025