There are three types of events that cause tailbone pain: It can last for weeks, months or sometimes longer. Tailbone pain ranges from a dull ache to a fierce stab. Two-thirds of adults have a coccyx that curves a bit instead of pointing straight down, but one that is curved too far is abnormal and, therefore, painful. Both the coccyx and the ischial tuberosities (two bones that make up the bottom of your pelvis) bear your weight when you sit down. Several tendons, muscles and ligaments connect to it. It lies beneath the sacrum, a bone structure at the base of your spine. Your coccyx is made up of three to five fused vertebrae (bones). “Dynia” means “pain,” and so “coccydynia” literally means “pain of the coccyx.” And because the bone corresponds to the location of an animal’s tail, it’s called the “tailbone.” What is the tailbone/coccyx?
The term “coccyx” comes from the Greek word for “cuckoo” as it resembles a bird’s beak with the tip pointed down. Tailbone pain, called “coccydynia,” is pain in and around the small triangular bone at the very bottom of your spinal column, above the cleft of your buttocks. The coccyx, located below the sacrum, can be severely damaged in a fall What is tailbone pain (coccydynia)?