Tailbone injuries - time to heal?

[jjane45]

I used to wear knee pads, but my instructor said they were interfering with what she was trying to teach me. I doubt the pads would fit under my leggings, though. They're pretty tight.

Change both the paddings and leggings?

[sampaguita]

I used to wear knee pads, but my instructor said they were interfering with what she was trying to teach me. I couldn't get my legs close enough together, because the pads would bump against each other. I'm still pretty low-level, but I'm considering the Ice Halo and other pads, just to keep safe. I doubt the pads would fit under my leggings, though. They're pretty tight.

How about using volleyball pads and sweatpants? That's what I wear to practice, but it took a while before I could find a pair of reasonably priced sweatpants that aren't too wide near the ankles -- I might catch my blades in them.

[Doll]

I broke my tailbone when I was nineteen or so. Slipped on the stairs and landed right on my butt. The X-rays showed my tailbone is now bent into an L shape. I'm really upset that they didn't set the bone when they first realized it was broken. Yes, it would have hurt to straighten it. But it would have healed properly. Now I have a permanently fused L-shaped tailbone! If I ever have a baby, that's going to cause major problems.

Anyway, it didn't stop hurting for several years. It's been fourteen years and I still can't sit on hard or firm chairs for any period of time, not without a lot of pain. And I can't ride a bicycle, either.

I don't know if I'm safe from further injury because of the fact that my tailbone is already bent, or not. At what point do tailbone pads become recommended?

Unfortunately, there isn't anything they could have done - you can't set a tailbone because there is no way to "handle" the broken part in order to set it, and it can't be casted anyway so it wouldn't stay in place even if they could set it.  The only way to fix it would be to have surgery and have the broken part of the tailbone removed.

If you are still under a lot of pain/concerned about childbirth, this could be an option for you.  But it is major surgery, and it would involve removing part of the bone that offers protection for your spin (even though it is L shaped now) so you would definitely have to talk to your doctor and weigh the risks involved.

[taka]

I think padding should be mandatory for all adult skaters, regardless of apparent risks. Unlike kids, we don't heal as fast; unlike adult elite skaters, we don't have muscles and bones that are trained to withstand all the stress of skating. Injuries can ruin your life and your career.

I disagree with the highlighted part. I think as an adult I am capable of making a decision based on my own personal risk versus benefits assesment!

Padding can be great and a useful training aid at times but it can also be a hinderance! Knee pads in particular can often hinder your ability to properly bend your knees.

I want to test (and potentially compete sometime) and know I can't wear wrist guards or padding (even thin padding) while doing this (at least locally anyway) so need to be very used to skating without them. It is taking me while to get used to having no wrist guards on... my spins especially need a bunch of time spent correcting them as I really notice the difference without wrist guards on.

[Orianna2000]

Unfortunately, there isn't anything they could have done - you can't set a tailbone because there is no way to "handle" the broken part in order to set it, and it can't be casted anyway so it wouldn't stay in place even if they could set it.  The only way to fix it would be to have surgery and have the broken part of the tailbone removed.

My doctor told me they could have straightened it. She also said they could go in and re-break it and set it properly, so it would heal straight. But it would be quite painful and it wouldn't eliminate the pain I have when sitting, so it wasn't worth doing. But then, she's not an orthopedic specialist, so maybe she was making assumptions. I don't know.

As far as the pads and leggings go, I just switched to leggings with a skirt, because I was concerned about my fleece pants getting caught on my blades. There's no way any padding would fit under my leggings unless it's ultra-thin gel padding, and even then, it would show. When I get to moves that are a little more tricky, I'll continue the search for narrow-legged fleece pants, so I can wear padding underneath. They're just super-hard to find around here.