Coccygodynia (Tailbone Pain)
Tailbone pain that makes sitting nearly impossible, hurts when standing up from a chair, or causes constant discomfort at the base of the spine is a recognized and treatable chronic pain condition — not simply something to live with.
What Is Coccygodynia?
Coccygodynia is a clinical term for persistent pain in the coccyx — the small triangular bone at the very base of the spine, commonly called the tailbone. The pain is typically sharp or aching and is most prominent when sitting, transitioning from sitting to standing, or when direct pressure is applied to the tailbone area. It can significantly disrupt daily activities, work, driving, and sleep.
Coccygodynia most commonly develops after a fall or direct blow to the tailbone, after difficult childbirth, from prolonged sitting on a hard surface, or in the context of degenerative changes at the coccygeal joints. In some patients no structural cause is identified. Regardless of the underlying cause, the pain mechanism frequently involves nerve sensitization in the coccygeal and pelvic region — which is why targeted nerve procedures can be effective even when imaging findings are normal or minimal.
How We Treat Tailbone Pain
A ganglion impar nerve block is one of the most effective interventional treatments for coccygodynia — targeting the ganglion impar, a sympathetic nerve ganglion located at the base of the coccyx that transmits pain signals from the pelvic and coccygeal region. The procedure is minimally invasive and can provide both diagnostic clarification and meaningful therapeutic relief. Coccygeal joint injections may also be appropriate when the pain has a structural joint component.
Medication management targeting nerve pain plays a supportive role. A consultation is the right starting point to evaluate your specific pattern of tailbone pain and determine which interventional approach is most likely to be beneficial.
Common Questions
Schedule a Consultation
Our clinical team will evaluate your tailbone pain and determine whether interventional treatment can provide meaningful relief.