Tailbone Surgery

Pain in the area of the coccyx (tailbone) can arise from various causes, but the treatment is usually by conservative means (which we will detail below) and pass with time. It is a different matter, however, if there is neurological damage: neurological pain caused by damage to nearby nerves or due to persistent pressure on them necessitates surgical intervention – tailbone surgery.

At Herzliya Medical Center Hospital, expert Neurosurgeons operate, with extensive experience in such operations, who have succeeded in achieving a significant and rapid reduction in pain.

Reasons for the development of pain of the tailbone, and its treatment

The tailbone (coccyx) is located at the end of the spine. It is a bone considered by many to be a useless evolutionary vestige, but in fact, it ensures the proper function of many tendons, ligaments, and muscles in the area of the lower half of the body, mainly around the pelvis.

There are several possible reasons for the development of pain of the tailbone:

• External trauma (as the result of falling backward, for example)
• Prolonged sitting
• Sports injury
• Development of a tumor in the region
• Childbirth
• Radiation of pain from nearby areas.

As already mentioned, the pain will usually be treated by conservative means: physiotherapy, avoidance of postures that encourage the occurrence of the pain. These can reduce the load on the coccyx and thus bring about the disappearance of the symptoms, or at least significant relief. However, there are instances in which conservative treatment does not bring about substantial improvement – mainly when the source of the pain is damaged nerves. In such a case, tailbone surgery will be the best and most effective solution.

How is nerve damage caused in the area of the tailbone?

Damage to nerves is usually caused by external trauma causing partial or complete severance of the nerve, or due to persistent pressure on the nerve, causing destruction of tissue at the point where the pressure is exerted. The cause of the pressure on the nerve can be external (due to prolonged sitting for instance) or internal (resulting from the development of a tumor, for example).

Whatever the cause, tailbone surgery will focus on treating the damaged nerves: the source of the pressure, if any, will be removed; scars that were created on the nerve tissue due to the pressure and impaired its normal function will be removed from it; if there is complete of partial severance of the nerve, it will be repaired by grafting healthy nerve fibers taken from elsewhere in the body, or its edges will be sutured.

Are you dealing with severe pain in the region of the tailbone? Neurosurgical intervention may be needed. Contact us today at Herzliya Medical Center Hospital and receive the highest standard of medical care.