Coccyx injury
Tailbone trauma is an injury to the small bone at the lower tip of the spine.
Actual fractures of the tailbone (coccyx) are not common. Tailbone trauma usually involves bruising of the bone or pulling of the ligaments.
Backward falls onto a hard surface, such as a slippery floor or ice, are the most common cause of this injury.
Symptoms include:
For tailbone trauma when no spinal cord injury is suspected:
If you suspect injury to the neck or spine, DO NOT attempt to move the person.
DO NOT attempt to move the person if you think there may be injury to the spinal cord.
Call 911 or the local emergency number for immediate medical help if:
Keys to preventing tailbone trauma include:
Bond MC, Abraham MK. Pelvic injuries. In: Walls RM ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 46.
Vora A, Chan S. Coccydynia. In: Frontera WR, Silver JK, Rizzo TD Jr, eds. Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: Musculoskeletal Disorders, Pain, and Rehabilitation. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:chap 99.
BACK TO TOPReview Date: 2/8/2024
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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06/01/2025
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