Coccygeal Injury, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions

By Kenneth Kee

This book describes Coccygeal Injury, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases
Coccygeal Injury is the injury (dislocation, fracture) of the coccyx bone bending forward after falls on the coccyx or repetitive injury to the coccyx.
The coccyx is at the bottom of the vertebral column.
The coccyx is the triangular bony structure sited at the end of the spine.
It comprises 3-5 segments which angulate forward to an inconsistent degree and are held in place by joints and ligaments.
The majority of coccyx injuries happen in women since the female pelvis is broader and the coccyx is more exposed.
Causes
Most coccyx injuries are caused by trauma to the coccyx area.
A fall onto the coccyx in the seated position, normally against a hard surface or on the stairs, is the most frequent cause of coccyx injuries.
A direct blow to the coccyx, such as those that happen during contact sports, can injure the coccyx.
The coccyx can be damaged or fractured during childbirth.
Repetitive straining or friction against the coccyx (as happens in bicycling or rowing) can damage the coccyx.
Occasionally, the cause of coccyx injuries is not known.
Less frequent causes of coccyx injuries are:
1. Bone spurs,
2. Compression of nerve roots,
3. Injuries to other parts of the spine,
4. Local infections, and
5. Tumors.
Symptoms:
The start is normally gradual unless due to acute trauma.
A coccyx injury causes pain and discomfort in the tailbone area (the disorder is called coccydynia).
These injuries may produce a bruise, dislocation, or fracture (break) of the coccyx and cause:
1. Pain when sitting on the coccyx
2. Pain is exacerbated by slumping or sitting on a hard seat
3. Pain is also exacerbated by constipation
4. The symptoms are more frequent in women.
Serious localized pain and tenderness may be felt in the coccyx area.
If the injury is traumatic, a bruise may be seen in this region.
The pain is normally worse when sitting for prolonged periods of time, or with direct pressure to the coccyx area.
Bowel movements and straining are often hurting.
Some women may feel pain during sexual intercourse.
It may be essential for the doctor to decide if the injury is traumatic or if the pain is produced by other, more severe, disorders.
Injuries to the region of the coccyx seldom necessitate a visit to the emergency department.
Diagnosis:
The cause of a coccyx injury is largely decided based on a medical history and a physical exam.
1. Local tenderness on palpation of the coccyx bone and the side soft tissues
2. Deformity of the coccygeal bone
Occasionally, X-rays may be taken to find out whether there is a fracture or dislocation.
Osteoarthritis may be observed at the sacro-coccygeal joint.
The complete vertebral column (spine) should be examined.
A neurological examination may be done.
A rectal examination may also be done.
The doctor inserts a finger into the rectum to palpate the region of the coccyx and feel if there is a dislocation or a fracture that can be felt and if direct pressure against the coccyx produces the pain.
Treatment
Coccyx injuries are often excessively painful, so home remedies are directed to regulate pain and prevent further irritation to the region.
The patient should avoid sitting down for long periods of time.
When seated, the patient should avoid sitting on hard surfaces and alternate sitting on each side of the buttocks.
Also, the patient should lean forward and direct the weight away from the coccyx.
For traumatic injuries, the patient should apply ice to the coccyx area for 15-20 minutes
The patient can sit on a "doughnut" cushion or pillow with a hole in the middle
Surgical excision of coccyx is done only if there is severe pain

TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Coccygeal Injury
Chapter 2 Causes
Cha

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kenneth Kee
• Release date: Sep 10, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463408117

Kenneth Kee

Medical doctor since 1972.Started Kee Clinic in 1974 at 15 Holland Dr #03-102, relocated to 36 Holland Dr #01-10 in 2009.Did my M.Sc (Health Management ) in 1991 and Ph.D (Healthcare Administration) in 1993.Dr Kenneth Kee is still working as a family doctor at the age of 74However he has reduced his consultation hours to 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours inthe afternoon.He first started writing free blogs on medical disorders seen in the clinic in 2007 on http://kennethkee.blogspot.com.His purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of his patients which is also his dissertation for his Ph.D (Healthcare Administration). He then wrote an autobiography account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.comThis autobiography account “A Family Doctor’s Tale” was combined with his early “A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders” into a new Wordpress Blog “A Family Doctor’s Tale” on http://ken-med.com.From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 1000 eBooks.He apologized for typos and spelling mistakes in his earlier books.He will endeavor to improve the writing in futures.Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.The later books go into more details of medical disorders.He has published 1000 eBooks on various subjects on health, 1 autobiography of his medical journey, another on the autobiography of a Cancer survivor, 2 children stories and one how to study for his nephew and grand-daughter.The purpose of these simple guides is to educate patient on health disorders and not meant as textbooks.He does not do any night duty since 2000 ever since Dr Tan had his second stroke.His clinic is now relocated to the Buona Vista Community Centre.The 2 units of his original clinic are being demolished to make way for a new Shopping Mall.He is now doing some blogging and internet surfing (bulletin boards since the 1980's) startingwith the Apple computer and going to PC.The entire PC is upgraded by himself from XT to the present Pentium duo core.The present Intel i7 CPU is out of reach at the moment because the CPU is still expensive.He is also into DIY changing his own toilet cistern and other electric appliance.His hunger for knowledge has not abated and he is a lifelong learner.The children have all grown up and there are 2 grandchildren who are even more technically advanced than the grandfather where mobile phones are concerned.This book is taken from some of the many articles in his blog (now with 740 posts) A Family Doctor’s Tale.Dr Kee is the author of:"A Family Doctor's Tale""Life Lessons Learned From The Study And Practice Of Medicine""Case Notes From A Family Doctor"

Book preview

Coccygeal Injury,

A

Simple

Guide

To

The Condition,

Diagnosis,

Treatment

And

Related Conditions

By

Dr Kenneth Kee

M.B.,B.S. (Singapore)

Ph.D (Healthcare Administration)

Copyright Kenneth Kee 2019 Smashwords Edition

Published by Kenneth Kee at Smashwords.com

Dedication

This book is dedicated

To my wife Dorothy

And my children

Carolyn, Grace

And Kelvin

This book describes Coccygeal Injury, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases which is seen in some of my patients in my Family Clinic.

(What You Need to Treat Coccygeal Injury)

This e-Book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-Book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader.

If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Introduction

I have been writing medical articles for my blog: http://kennethkee.blogspot.com (A Simple Guide to Medical Disorder) for the benefit of my patients since 2007.

My purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of my patients.

Health Education was also my dissertation for my Ph.D (Healthcare Administration).

I then wrote an autobiography account of my journey as a medical student to family doctor on my other blog: http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.com.

This autobiography account A Family Doctor’s Tale was combined with my early A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders into a new Wordpress Blog A Family Doctor’s Tale on http://kenkee481.wordpress.com.

From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 800 eBooks.

Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.

For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.

The later books go into more details of medical disorders.

The first chapter is always from my earlier blogs which unfortunately tends to have typos and spelling mistakes.

Since 2013, I have tried to improve my spelling and writing.

As I tried to bring the patient the latest information about a disorder or illness by reading the latest journals both online and offline, I find that I am learning more and improving on my own medical knowledge in diagnosis and treatment for my patients.

Just by writing all these simple guides I find that I have learned a lot from your reviews (good or bad), criticism and advice.

I am sorry for the repetitions in these simple guides as the second chapters onwards have new information as compared to my first chapter taken from my blog.

I also find repetition definitely help me and maybe some readers to remember the facts in the books more easily.

I apologize if these repetitions are irritating to some readers.

Chapter 1

Coccygeal Injury

What is Coccygeal Injury?

Coccygeal Injury is the injury (dislocation, fracture) of the coccyx bone bending forward after falls on the coccyx or repetitive injury to the coccyx.

The coccyx is at the bottom of the vertebral column.

The coccyx is the triangular bony structure sited at the end of the spine.

It comprises 3-5 segments which angulate forward to an inconsistent degree and are held in place by joints and ligaments.

The majority of coccyx injuries happen in women since the female pelvis is broader and the coccyx is more exposed.

What are the causes of Coccygeal Injury?

Causes

Most coccyx injuries are caused by trauma to the coccyx area.

From Wikipedia

A fall onto the coccyx in the seated position, normally against a hard surface or on the stairs, is the most frequent cause of coccyx injuries.

A direct blow to the coccyx, such as those that happen during contact sports, can injure the coccyx.

The coccyx can be damaged or fractured during childbirth.

Repetitive straining or friction against the coccyx (as happens in bicycling or rowing) can damage the coccyx.

Occasionally, the cause of coccyx injuries is not known.

The cause of Coccygeal Injury can be due to:

1. Injury or trauma to the coccygeal bone from falls on the buttocks

2. Repetitive pressure on the coccyx during delivery of the baby during childbirths.

Fibrosis and stiffness of the coccyx may happen from the pressure on the coccyx.

3. Sitting in a slumping position may induce the tip of the coccyx to press upwards giving rise to pain.

Less frequent causes of coccyx injuries are:

1. Bone spurs,

2. Compression of nerve roots,

3. Injuries to other parts of the spine,

4. Local infections, and

5. Tumors.

What are the symptoms and signs of Coccygeal Injury?

Symptoms:

The start is normally gradual unless due to acute trauma.

A coccyx injury causes pain and discomfort in the tailbone area (the disorder is called coccydynia).

These injuries may produce a bruise, dislocation, or fracture (break) of the