Coccyx (tailbone) pain - help!

Miss Pootle

Not sure where else to post this... I've just started getting intense coccyx pain when cycling, which I've never had before. Any ideas what is causing it and how to prevent it? By way of background I took my very old mountain bike type thing on holiday (I don't worry about what might happen to it and it's useful to go offroad). The saddle is very wide and one of my (shorter) friends has ridden it a few times. Could the problem be the saddle is too wide and squishy, and maybe I haven't raised the saddle high enough again after my friend rode it? Should I get a saddle with a cut-out. Seat bone pain would be fine, but this is a new and unbearable kind of pain. I just hope it isn't a permanent state of affairs. I am going to go out on my road bike later today or tomorrow to test my theory about the saddle, but I wondered if anyone else has any tips. (BTW, I am female but haven't had children, in case this makes a difference to any advice...)

dw300

I don't know how your coccyx could touch the seat. Maybe check you haven't got an infected saddle sore or something like an ingrowing hair.

Ringo 68

I have had a painful coccyx for years and find it very uncomfortable to sit down for long periods of time. This was caused by a cheap computer chair and my coccyx has never recovered.

However, due to the nature of the riding position on a bike my coccyx causes me no trouble at all whilst riding because there is never any pressure on it.

Check for an ingrowing hair as mentioned above. If this is causes the pain you will want to get it sorted out as quickly as possible before it turns into something far worse (that I can't spell)

Calpol

Ringo 68 wrote:

I have had a painful coccyx for years and find it very uncomfortable to sit down for long periods of time. This was caused by a cheap computer chair and my coccyx has never recovered.

However, due to the nature of the riding position on a bike my coccyx causes me no trouble at all whilst riding because there is never any pressure on it.

I get this. Started riding about a year ago and noticed coccyx discomfort (ache) after sitting down either at work or in car on soft seating. Doesn't hurt on the bike presumably as I am always leaning forward so no pressure on it. Its manageable and not getting worse so I figure I will have to live with it. Am hoping some good core work and stretching will help eventually. NSAIDS help but can always be taking them!

ut_och_cykla

Coccyx pain froma bike saddle alone sounds unlikely - smutty comments aside - are you sure you mean coccyx and not pubic bone. Having kids doesnt usually damage coccyx (at least not in isolation either).
I damaged my coccyx sitting down on the edge of chair and it was very painful for weeks - until I gritted my teeth & went to the gym and did back extensions - which were very soothing and - ta da - fixed the pain immediately. But I would definitley get it checked out before taking loads of NSAIDS, DIY back extensions etc.

Miss Pootle

No, I definitely know my coccyx from my, er, other bits. I took a tumble on it many, many years ago, so I know what it feels like! I haven't ridden now for a few days and there is no pain, so it is definitely bike-related and not an ingrown hair. I wonder if it is to do with the more upright riding position on the mountain bike and the fact that the saddle is a bit squishy, meaning the sit bones are sinking into it. This could be causing the coccyx to come into contact with the saddle and / or squashing the flesh (or, more likely, fat) up against it. Sorry to be a bit graphic, but that was my theory.

ut_och_cykla

Yes perhaps you're right - its your body after all. I'd get it checked if it were me though. And change the saddle or its fore/aft position? A lower saddle is also more forward - raising back to where it was would also move it backwards which might mean you sit relatively further forward when it s right and are now sitting too far back on it? Hope you get it sorted anyway.

Miss Pootle

That'll teach me to lend my bike to friends!

notsobigmama

You can get coccyx pain from childbirth - apparently it is the most common cause. I, however, broke my tailbone when I fell downstairs while pregnant with my third child. More concerned about the baby, I didn't mention the tail end until many years later, when an X-ray confirmed the injury.

Having recently returned to cycling, I can also confirm that the "comfort" saddle on my Pendleton bike really aggravates this injury to the point where I dread relieving the pressure when I get off the bike.

Having done a bit of research this morning, there are potential solutions out there. I just did a search on coccyx relief bike saddles and have found a couple of options that I will try. I am in the process of buying a proper bike and not just one that looks good and will hopefully find something to suit that.

Vamper.cc

I’m now entering the second month of being ‘off-bike’ having received definitive medical advice to remove my posterior from the bike saddle for a prolonged period, lasting as long as three months.

Why? A nasty case of Coccydynia.

Here is my potted history: https://vamper.cc/very-real-pain-in-the ... occydynia/

mugensi

I broke mine a few years ago, I'll not say how but I knew it when it happened. I had intermittent pain in it depending on how I was seated and other things I'll not mention but it was never sore while on the bike. Sometimes it ached afterwards while sitting but it wasn't unbearable. My injury was undetectable under x-ray but showed up on an MRI. I'd say it took the best part of 8 or 9 months to completely heal. I haven't had any problems since, thankfully.