Links to helpful information for coccyx pain sufferers

Online information

Coccydynia: an introduction. Detailed discussion by Dr Jean-Yves Maigne (Paris, France), who has published many medical papers on the subject (see Medical Papers).

Tailbonedoctor. Detailed discussion by Dr Patrick Foye (New Jersey, USA), who has published many medical papers on the subject (see Medical Papers).

The American Spine and Chronic Pain Association, Ltd. A US public charity set up to increase awareness and provide information concerning the treatment of chronic nerve pain, in particular from coccydynia.

Kemper Tailbone Injury Foundation. Foundation set up to help those affected by tailbone or coccyx injuries and train physicians in manual treatments.

The E-medicine site has a detailed discussion of coccydynia intended for doctors, including 11 sections.

There is a balanced and clear discussion of coccydynia on 6 pages of the Spine Health site: Introduction and history, Coccyx anatomy, Causes of coccydynia, Diagnosis, Conservative treatments, Surgical treatments.

Forest Tennant is a pain specialist who runs a website providing self-help information for pain patients.

There is general information about pain and its treatment on the websites of The American Chronic Pain Association, Pain-topics.org and The British Pain Society.

Pain Support - Site run by a pain sufferer, with helpful tips on living with pain.

The Tragedy of Needless Pain Article in Scientific American by Ronald Melzack arguing that morphine should be used more widely to treat chronic pain.

American Society for Action on Pain Campaigning site on pain treatment.

Books recommended by sufferers

Heal Pelvic Pain by Amy Stein. This book has the subtitle "The Proven Stretching, Strengthening, and Nutrition Program for Relieving Pain, Incontinence, and I.B.S, and Other Symptoms Without Surgery". Recommended by Mike. Amy Stein is listed among specialists in the USA (New York).

A Headache in the Pelvis by David Wise and Rodney Anderson. Subtitled "A New Understanding and Treatment for Prostatitis and Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndromes". Recommended by Richard.

Pain - The Science of Suffering by Patrick Wall. Despite its forbidding title, this is a very clear and up to date book explaining pain for the non-specialist. If you want to understand how chronic pain occurs and why different treatments are used, I recommend it. Patrick Wall wrote this book in his seventies while suffering the pain of prostate cancer. He was one of the principal scientists researching pain, and founded the journal Pain. He died in August 2001. Published by Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London, 1999. ISBN number 0 297 84255 2.

Healing Back Pain by John E. Sarno. Professor Sarno suggests that a lot of chronic back pain is caused not by structural abnormalities but by Tension Myositis Syndrome - the result of the mind's effort to repress emotions. The pain is real, but can best be treated by psychological methods. Before trying this method, I suggest that you read the What is coccydynia? section and visit your doctor to have the source of your pain investigated. In most cases of coccydynia, there is a physical cause, such as a dislocating coccyx.