Tailbone injuries - time to heal?

[Bill_S]

It's been 6 weeks since I whacked my tailbone on the ice, and I still have some pain. It's certainly better than the first two weeks where sitting was pure agony, but I still can't sit in some chairs for any length of time - including my favorite Ikea Poang chair in front of my stereo. 

I suspect that this lengthy healing time means that I broke it. I've hurt my tailbone before, but it never took this long to get back to normal.

Has anyone here "officially" broken theirs, and if so, how long did it take to get back to normal?

For some reason, I seem to break bones and not realize it until long afterward, although I suspect there's not much that is done for broken tailbones even if they are discovered early.

[Sk8tmum]

Not myself, but, I do know of others who have found it a miserable and lengthy recovery ... but, it varies.  Regardless, I would check out the skating safe tailbone crash pad - it protects the tailbone nicely, and may help your level of comfort both on and (if you wear it for sitting) off the ice.

[Bill_S]

Until now, I've been fairly immune to tailbone injuries despite numerous whacks to the rear side. Something must be changing biologically as I age (well, that's an obvious understatement!), so pads make sense.

Thanks for passing along the information about a "miserable and lengthy recovery" - (I think!).    It certainly echoes my experience.

[sarahspins]

I know this isn't what you want to hear but it was well over a year when I broke mine before it stopped hurting (and it hurt no matter what I did), however I was pregnant when it happened (I fell down a flight of stairs when I didn't realize they were wet and slipped on the top step) and I'm sure having a baby did NOT help the healing process at all!

I did a lot of laying around.. sitting anywhere, on anything was torture

[sampaguita]

Sorry to hear about your tailbone...I hope you get well soon.

Aside from the Skating Safe Tailbone pads, you might also find the Waxel tailbone pad an alternative. I've used and the thinnest one, which should be effective for jumps until the axel, has protected my tailbone from the pain of falling.

[Bill_S]

I did a lot of laying around.. sitting anywhere, on anything was torture

I've mastered the art of rolling onto a cheek to make life bearable.   Thank goodness standing (or skating!) doesn't hurt. I've been playing it fairly safe on the ice to reduce the chance of another fall.

Thanks everyone for the pad recommendations. I need to check them out, and toss yet another crash pad in my skating bag. Soon, I'm afraid that I'll look like a hockey player.  

[irenar5]

Bill,

I just came across this, thought you might find it of interest for healing faster.  Good luck!!!!! I know how frustrating injuries are!

http://www.betterbones.com/bonefracture/speedhealing.aspx

[SynchKat]

I was told when I was giving birth to my son that I must have broken my tailbone at some point in my life.  I can't tell you when but apparently it's rather deformed.

Hopefully yours will heal soon.  I injured mine when I was most likely in my teens.  I remember my last year of competitive skating being in a lot of random pain around that region.  Even still many, many years later it will start aching out of the blue.  I think it's once of those injuries that never quite go away unfortunately.  Have you tried sitting on an ice pack? 

I was also told when I was giving birth that if they had to break or dislocate my tailbone to get the boy out it would be at least 6 months of recovery--I opted for a c-section at that point. 

[Bill_S]

About ten years ago when I was considering a toe joint replacement, the foot specialist told me I had broken my ankle at one point in my life. I don't recall doing that, except that I did have some painful "sprains" in my teens. I had a broken hand once too, but it wasn't caught until later on x-rays. I escaped the tyranny of plaster casts.

This tailbone thing is going on for a long time, and from some of the previous comments, I'd just better get used to it. I sure feel my age trying to get out of the car after sitting for a long trip. Youch!

I did read the web article about steps to help mending. I'm pleased to see that I am already doing most of them. I eat well, and I haven't been taking any NSAID pain killers. I might start taking vitamin pills again to make sure I get the trace minerals mentioned. And some vitamin D without having to drink fortified milk.

[AgnesNitt]

It could be a bone bruise. I had that in my feet after being thrown from a horse. It was 6 months before I could wear anything other than squishy soled running shoes.

[Bill_S]

Well, it looks as if I should be patient regardless.

I'll just sit it out... no, wait! 

[turnip]

I've injured my tailbone several times, and i'm certain i broke it at least once, like you, because of the length of time it took to heal. It took many months before sitting for a long period of time didn't start to ache. Since i first broke it i think it made me more vulnerable to injuring it again (or it could be the fact that I didn't used to spend time on a hard, slippery surface balancing on strips of thin metal trying to do more than stand up  )i had a tailbone crashpad, but i think it was more a security blanket than anything else. Padded shorts might work better and stay in place easier.

[kck]

If it isn't too expensive or putting you out of time, I'd recommend at least seeing a doctor. I realize they may not be able to do too much, but there may be other things going on that this could be a symptom of. I mean, I'm no specialist or anything, but coming from experience where I thought something was going on and it turned out to be a bit more serious and I was lucky I had it checked out before it became a problem in my life. Nevertheless, much more great advice on here than what I have to give. Just my 37 cents.

[AgnesNitt]

Bill, is it such that you could use one of those post surgery doughnuts? That might relieve the pain.

Also, if it's a bone bruise, an ice pack would help.

[irenar5]

At this point, you may want to apply heat, not ice.  Ice is used when the injury first happens to slow down onset of inflammation.  Heat at that time will increase blood flow to the area and increase inflammation.  After a few days you actually need to put heat on it to bring more blood flow to the injury so healing can continue.  The better the blood flow- the speedier the healing.  Tailbones are tricky in that they are made up of fairly dense bone that is not rich with blood vessels, so anything that can increase blood flow to the area will promote healing.  That dense nature is what makes tailbone healing so long.  Hang in there!

[Bill_S]

I haven't been to the doctor because..., well, because.

I am one of those people who procrastinates going to doctor's offices. It's probably been a couple of years since I've been to my GP. I'm considering a visit because I might be able to bundle a couple of other nagging issues with the tailbone issue.

I thought seriously about the donut seat pads in the first two or three weeks after injury, but I mustered by without them. At this point, it's a dull pain, substantially reduced from the first few weeks, and how I position my weight when sitting helps a lot. Long car trips still bother me though. You can't shift your weight and still drive well in traffic!

[FigureSpins]

I would get the donut cushion for the car rides, but we like road trips, so I'd be miserable if I had a bum tailbone.

Try one of the pain-relieving patches that are made for muscle aches and pains.  They adhere to the skin and release pain medication and muscle relaxants for hours.  I like the ones that provide heat more than the cooling ones for my knee.

Get the smallest-sized patches to fit that location; you can't cut them to fit.

http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/catalog/shop_product_detail.jsp?filterBy=&skuId=818154&productId=818154&navAction=jump&navCount=3

[Leftyspinner]

I haven't officially broken my tailbone (never went to Dr. for it)  but I'm pretty sure, because it hurt for over a year.   Getting out of a chair was misery.  BTW, I did this trying to learn a snowplow stop from library books.  At least it convinced me to sign up for lessons! 

[Bill_S]

Yes, getting out of chairs still is a miserable experience. I do it very slowly.

The remaining effects will take a while to go away, I'm sure. Everyone keeps saying so, and my experience 3 months later reflects that.

[Doll]

I broke my tailbone in a car accident when I was pregnant with my daughter (yeah, I don't understand either how that happens when your butt is against a cushy seat - but apparently it's a quite common injury with pregnant women and car accidents!).

It was about a year and a half before I had absolutely no pain - it was about 3 months before I could sit in a cushy chair comfortably, 9 months before I could sit on a hard chair (but not for too long) and about a year/year and a half before I had no more pain at all.  But again - I injured it while I was pregnant and had to push a baby past that tailbone 3 months post-injury so my healing time was definitely affected by that.

Honestly I would not bother going to the doctor.  I was told they wouldn't even do an x-ray (even after I wasn't pregnant anymore) because regardless of what they found they wouldn't be able to do anything about it.  They said the only way they will even do an x-ray is if the pain shows little improvement at a year post injury.

The key is avoid pressure on it whenever possible.. if you have to sit, lean forward so you're not putting pressure on it, get a donut cushion for sure.  The best thing to buy actually is one of those seat cushions with the cutout at the spine.  You will feel like a bit of an idiot, but seriously, carry it wherever you go where you will have to sit.  You will heal a LOT faster.

[Bill_S]

Thanks for the picture. From the photo's url, I see it is sold by Meijer online.

I think I'll get one because I fell on my tailbone again in February before the first injury was healed, plus they switched chairs at the office and I'm having considerable difficulty working in the new one.

I wish this injury would go away. It has reduced my incentive to skate, and I'm putting in only about 2 hours practice per week. As a result, my skills have taken a nosedive.

EDIT: I ordered one of the seat cushions shown above. $30+$8 shipping and tax. I might get another if this one works out. (It's riding mower time, and I've got 1-1/2 bumpy hillside acres  to mow. I had an awful time last week.)

[Doll]

I hope it helps you!  You can usually pick up seats like that at the pharmacy or walmart as well, just so you know - you might not have to order it online.

It will help you immensely!!

[Orianna2000]

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?

[sampaguita]

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 fell on my butt hard on the ice once. I'm lucky I didn't break my tailbone. A bad fall to the hip made me buy padding to hips, tailbone and knee. Padding is ugly on ice, but I don't regret wearing it, especially because I have fallen bad a few times on my hip since then and the crash pads saved me from a lot of pain.

[Orianna2000]

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.