You will probably spend a lot of time lying down. Most people have to lie on their side. People with the worst coccyx pain may have to lie face down. As with other positions, you need to move from time to time to avoid extra aches and pains.
A good comfortable bed is a great help. Some find that a pillow between the knees makes it more comfortable.
Tom (jtwent@msn.com) wrote: After 10 years of searching and trying many different types, in my case the best mattress turned out to be cheap! I tried Tempurpedic types in the store and bought a $500 topper about 2" thick to no avail.. I have a $1500 mattress, a foam topper, and an air topper with electric pumps and dual control, and none of them work.
I ended up finding a 9 inch thick camping type air mattress and tried it half full of air. That is the perfect solution for me. It must be 9 inches thick, and only have enough air to keep me just above the floor or mattress. It molds to the body shape and keeps the spine straight. I put mine on top my bed.
All I need is the air mattress and I take it wherever I go to put on top an existing bed or right on the floor - it is heaven.
(Note from Jon Miles: There have been complaints on the internet about the sales methods used for one type of air mattress - not the camping type described by Tom.)
Natalie wrote: I would strongly recommend Tempur mattresses. They were designed by NASA apparently and are visco-elastic which basically means when you lie on it, it reacts with the heat in your body and moulds to your shape! It also means you have no pressure points on any of your joints which is heaven! I have had spinal fusions and my coccyx removed (still can't sit without pain so I wouldn't bother trying that!) and that mattress has been a godsend. When I first had my coccyx pain I found this mattress and could have weeped with happiness when I tried it in the shop, it was that much of a relief! They are very expensive so if you don't want to shell out for one there are alternatives that are just as good that are designed in the same way. I got my tempur copy from John Lewis (UK). It's called "Impressions". It was about £600 as opposed to Tempur which would have been £1500 or something.
Another patient wrote: I bought mine from Ebay for just £150 (including delivery) and I'm very happy with it! I understand the quality might not be as good as a Tempur's one, but I get no pain from lying on it.
Note from Jon Miles: To find such mattresses on a search engine, try searching for memory foam mattress, visco-elastic mattress, tempur mattress or tempur-pedic mattress. See the Epinions website for comments on the Tempur-pedic mattress
If lying down is making other parts of you sore, it may help to get a 'mattress topper' of soft foam with an eggbox pattern, as used in hospitals for preventing bedsores.
Tim found that sleeping lying face down on a body cushion cured his coccyx pain:
An alternative is the Comfy Rest, pictured below:
You can even lie face down to work, using a massage table. See Fritz's story.
Updated 2006-11-19