Our team of pain doctors provides a quick recovery from pain in the tailbone or low back region using conservative treatments like anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy, chiropractic adjustments before using coccyx injection. The coccyx injections provide immediate pain relief. It can be incredibly effective, offer long-lasting relief, and can be completed in our office. The painkilling effect with coccyx injection, like all corticosteroid injections, is not permanent. It can last from several weeks to months and even years. Side effects are minimal, and some patients notice a slight facial flushing, nausea, or mild abdominal cramps. Visit our pain management practice and meet our physicians to get the pain under control in the safe, reassuring hands of New York’s best pain doctor, Dr. Raj Raval, MD, located in Downtown Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan.
Chronic coccyx pain , otherwise known as tailbone pain, coccydynia, or coccygodynia can make it difficult to walk, stand, and even sit. The severity of your pain can range from aggravating to downright unbearable and there’s no reason to continue suffering. Downtown Pain Physicians in New York City, NY is here to diagnose your pain symptoms and come up with the right treatment plan for you.
Coccyx is the very end of your spine and it’s commonly referred to as your tailbone. One of the most common treatments for coccyx pain is a coccyx injection or a coccygeal injection. This is a safe and effective way to relieve your pain and provide you with lasting relief. During your visit to the office, our doctors will give you a thorough examination to pinpoint your specific diagnosis. From there, a treatment plan will be discussed. Your doctor will only recommend treatment options when there is evidence that they have the potential to be successful. People with serious and chronic tailbone pain have had them removed and recovered without issue.
Anyone who experiences significant pain in their tailbone region or even their low back might be a good candidate for a coccyx injection, but not as a first course of care.
What is the Coccyx?
Your coccyx is the very end of your spine and it’s commonly referred to as your tailbone. It consists of fused vertebrae and is attached to various muscles, tendons, and ligaments in your body. The purpose and necessity of a coccyx is often debated and people with serious and chronic tailbone pain have had them removed and recovered without issue.
There are a variety of different treatment options for tailbone pain which is why having an accurate diagnosis from Downtown Pain Physicians is so important. Your treatment plan will be based on what caused your injury or pain and what type of symptoms you’re experiencing.
Coccyx Injections for Tailbone Pain
One of the most effective solutions to tailbone and low back pain is a coccyx injection or a coccygeal injection. These injections contain an anesthetic and steroid. The anesthetic temporarily reduces pain so the steroid can go to work and decrease inflammation.
Who is a Candidate for a Coccyx Injection
Anyone who experiences significant pain in their tailbone region or even their low back might be a good candidate for a coccyx injection, but not as a first course of care. Your doctor will first begin with more conservative treatments like anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy, chiropractic adjustments, and other less-invasive approaches. If those steps do not provide significant relief from your pain symptoms, then a coccyx injection is a good option.
It is important to note that women who are pregnant should not have a coccyx injection. Because an x-ray is often used to guide the needle, this is not a good option during pregnancy.
Why People Choose to Have a Coccyx Injection
Coccyx injections offer significant relief to most people who are suffering from chronic low back and/or pain in the tailbone region. While these injections are typically not a first line of treatment option, they are incredibly effective and can offer long-lasting relief.
Coccyx injections are also a relatively easy procedure for the patient. It can be completed in the office and does not require any downtime from your normal daily activities. This means there is no recovery period as there would be with surgery.
The pain you might feel during the injection is reduced by a local anesthetic. There can be pain or discomfort for a few days after the injection as it begins to work but the results should dramatically reduce the chronic pain the patient was experiencing.
What to Expect with a Coccyx Injection
A coccyx injection can be administered in our offices and takes very little time at all. You can resume all normal activities after the injection.
Your doctor will numb the area with a local anesthetic first. Then they will typically rely on ultrasound or an x-ray to guide them as they insert a thin needle into the coccyx to deliver additional anesthetic and a corticosteroid.
You will immediately begin to feel better, but that relief is from the anesthetic. It takes a few days for the injection to really produce noticeable changes in your comfort levels.
Even though you feel better, it’s best to keep your movements and exercise within previous levels of comfort. A physical therapy plan or some exercises may be prescribed to help you build muscle and flexibility to prevent future problems.
How Long Will a Coccyx Injection Last?
Because each person responds a little differently, there is no precise length of pain relief from a coccyx injection. Some people will have pain reoccur in a few weeks, others find that the injection lasts for several months, and some people are pain-free for years.
A few people feel that there is a bit more pain for a few days after the injection, but then it begins to work and they find relief.
Coccyx injections, like all corticosteroid injections, are not permanent solutions and repeated use can cause thinning of the tissues in that area. Your doctor will typically not prescribe a long-term treatment plan that includes multiple steroid injections. Fortunately, the long-term outcomes are generally very good.
Coccyx Injection Side Effects
There are very few side effects when corticosteroids are administered with a coccyx injection. But you should expect to have some soreness at the injection site, just as you would with any injection.
Some patients do notice a little facial flushing, nausea, or mild abdominal cramps for a few days following the injection. Diabetics may discover that the steroid alters their blood sugar slightly for a few days so they should monitor their levels closely. Some women have reported that they have temporary disruptions with their menstrual cycle.
As with all medications, if you have an allergy or have had a reaction to a steroid in the past, this information needs to be relayed to your doctor.
Coccyx Injection After Care
Your Downtown Pain Physicians doctor will have specific instructions about your aftercare plan. They will take your lifestyle, diagnosis, and symptoms into consideration as they curate your treatment plan from the first time you’re seen, through treatment, and including aftercare.
While a coccyx injection only involves a local anesthetic, it’s usually a good idea to plan to rest or have an “easy” day for the next 24 hours. You may find your doctor suggests you use ice and pain medications for the first day or two to ease the pain around the injection area.
After that, they’ll want you to ease back into normal life, a few exercises may be prescribed, and you’ll be asked to pay attention to any pain you experience.