Injury
Vol. 28, No. 8, 549-550, 1997
M. E. Jones, A. Shoaib and M. D. Bircher
Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, St George's Hospital, Blackshaw Road, London, SW17 ODQ, UK
Abstract
Towards the end of the second stage of labour, a 32 year old woman developed marked coccygeal pain, the onset of which coincided with a loud audible 'crack' which was easily heard by all present in the delivery room. For several weeks afterwards she was unable to sit at all. Radiographs showed that the coccyx was deviated to the right, there was mild subluxation of the sacrococcygeal articulation and there was a transverse crack of the last segment of the coccyx. Following a 3 week course of physiotherapy and ultrasound her symptoms improved and she was discharged from the clinic.
It is our belief that the 'crack' heard represented the fracture between the second and third coccygeal segments and their supporting ligaments.