Brenda
Original posting from Brenda, 2003-06-08:
I injured my tailbone somehow 4 months ago. It wasn't anything I could put my finger on, but the pain gradually increased in intensity pain until I had to completely forgo my workout program, as sitting at any weight station was painful. Shortly before that I had returned to work after a year's maternity leave, and had great difficulty as I am a bookkeeper and spend the day sitting at a computer.
Chiropractic adjustment of my lower back worked quite well initially to relieve the pain, but it came back, and further treatments didn't relieve the pain any further. Massage didn't seem to help, so I decided to insist that my doctor do x-rays and refer me to a specialist.
Four days before my doctor's appointment, I saw my massage therapist once more, and he asked if I would like him to try an adjustment by manipulation. This was applying pressure and "cupping" the coccyx with a finger externally (not inside the rectum but above it) and pulling the coccyx backward while I sat upright from a leaning over position. The relief was immediate, and I have performed it on myself several times since then, when I feel pain.
You sit down on a chair and lean forward, put your arm behind your back, then place a finger on your coccyx and pull it backwards, and then straighten your back up so that you're sitting upright. You need to apply quite a lot of pressure in order to get your finger to a position where it can pull back on the tip of the coccyx, and then keep the pressure applied under it and upwards in order to maintain contact with the tip of the coccyx. Sometimes I need to find the tip of my coccyx first, maintain that contact and then lean over to begin the manipulation. I don't know if it will be possible to figure this out by reading about it and not having someone show you how, but if it might possibly be of help to anyone, it's worth a try.
The following day I did the manipulation three times, the day after, once, and since then, sometimes not at all. I have high hopes that it will get to the point that it is realigned permanently and require no adjustment. I can finally sit on the floor with my children again.
It is such a relief, I had hoped it might be of help to readers of this site. I don't know if this would help everyone, but it is certainly a non-invasive method that is worth a try.
Addition from Anonymous, 2004-01-04:
I read what Brenda wrote and tried it on myself, and now I am almost pain free. I had been having a great deal of pain for 18 months for no apparent reason. I had visited doctors, had x-rays done, and taken anti-inflammatory medications. Nothing seemed to help. After reading the procedure Brenda described, I tried it and now I am much better. Some days I don't even think about my coccyx!
In addition to what Brenda described, I have been sitting on a coccyx pillow at home and I carry a buckwheat neck pillow to sit on away from home. But most of the time, now I can sit in a regular chair and drive without a pillow. Your site has greatly helped me and I truly appreciate the work you do to keep it updated.
Update by Jon Miles, 2008-08-17:
Brenda writes that she has had many emails from happy people who have tried self-manipulation successfully. She was concerned to read Anonymous's experience, who found the manipulation made the pain worse. Brenda suggests that the reason is that Anonymous pushed on the coccyx, instead of pulling. It is essential to pull the coccyx backwards.
See also Manual treatments for coccyx pain, Kay's experience, Lee's experience, Atmaram's experience, Anonymous's experience, Richard Bishop's experience, CE Forman's experience, Balkrishn Kamath's experience, Ben's experience, Leigh's experience, Hengsoon's experience, Jaqueline's experience.