Treatments For Tailbone Pain

Coccygectomy

When all other treatments have failed, it may be necessary to obtain a coccygectomy, which is a surgical procedure designed to actually remove the coccyx. If the trauma or injury is severe enough, the tailbone may be unable to properly heal, which makes it advisable to remove the entire tailbone. This bone actually isn't needed within the body, which means the procedure is a relatively safe one. Since the entire bone is removed with this treatment, the patient's pain should be eliminated completely. When patients elect to receive this treatment, an incision will be made along the tip of their coccyx down to the joint around the sacrum. The coccyx is cut off at the joint with the surrounding tissues remaining intact. When the coccyx is removed, it's possible the tip of the sacrum is rougher than it should be. If this is the case, it will be filed down before the incisions are closed. Patients will then go through a somewhat lengthy recovery process that can last anywhere from three months to a year.

Try Antidepressants Or Anti-Epileptic Medication

More and more research is showing certain antidepressants and anti-epileptic medications can be used to treat pain. While they aren't typically applied in situations where the pain is injury-related, they have shown promise in the treatment of chronic pain. If individuals have chronic tailbone pain with or without other chronic back pain, one option is to try antidepressants or anti-epileptic medications. Tricyclic antidepressants can be used to treat neuropathic pain due to their analgesic effects. First and second-generation antiepileptic drugs like carbamazepine, phenytoin, gabapentin, and pregabalin can treat neuropathic pain. There's some research showing tricyclic antidepressants can treat fibromyalgia and lower back pain, including tailbone pain.