[JoJoZoo]

I am new to this site and would appreciate any help you can give. I recently started having severe tailbone pain. My doctor put me on prednisone, but it hasn't helped. He said the next step would be an MRI. I didn't fall or injure it in any way. I recently read on the internet that injections can be given for this. Is anyone familiar with this or had the injections? Also, does anyone know of a doctor in the Columbus, Ohio area that gives tailbone injections? Thank you so much.

[Koala77]

I think it's important to get to the source of the pain before looking at possible treatments. I daresay your doctor tried the Prednisolone (which is an anti-inflammatory medication) incase you were having an acute attack of arthritis, tendonitis or similar... in that area. With any acute joint condition, Prednisolone would be usually be the first line intervention.

I think an MRI would be an excellent idea. MRI scans show not only the bones, but all the nerves as well. Other scans and XRays won't give you that much information, and before you treat any symptoms (pain in this case), it's always good to find out what's causing them.

The injections you speak about would probably be cortisone injections..... like the oral prednisolone you already tried, but by injection and straight into the most painful area.

I've heard that this type of cortisone injection has quite a good success rate, as far as pain relief goes.

[Jomar]

I found this link & info years ago when I was searching for various therapies - I wonder if something like it would be of help for you.

http://erikdalton.com/articleduramat...#Introduction_

[Kathi49]

JoJoZoo,

I have two fractures in my tailbone and NEVER knew it. In any event, they can block the ganglion impar. I had that done and it really helped. But I also went into pelvic floor PT shortly thereafter. You may or may not have Coccydynia. But to answer you, yes, the block helped..immensely. Oops, forgot to add, I also had an MRI done from lumbar on down. If I remember correctly, it was two different scans as they couldn't get it all without doing so.

[watsonsh]

Definitely look at pelvic floor dsyfunction, it plays a big part in low back and pelvic pain. There is a great book called A headache in the pelvis.

[Leesa]

Hi JoJo ~ DEFINITELY have an MRI with and without contrast material before you have anything else done. Injections can be dangerous. If the doctor isn't extremely adept at doing these, serious problems can occur. Also, anything that is introduced into the epidural space CAN cause arachnoiditis, which is a chronic and incurable disease and very painful. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen. The success rate of these injections isn't very high either so I'd think about it. I've been to 3 pain clinics and each one INSISTED that i have epidurals, and not ONE gave me any type of relief.

I hope you can find some type of relief for your pain. Best of luck and God bless. Hugs, Lee

[Kathi49]

Agree Shelley, pelvic floor PT was an immense help. Btw, a block of the ganglion impar is not the same as an ESI (in the epidural space). This may help to understand it a bit better.

"Ganglion Impar Block One place for this type of block is at the ganglion impar, a cluster of nerve cells in front of the joint between the sacrum and the coccyx. To get to this ganglion, a curved needle may be passed up from underneath the coccyx, or a needle may be passed through the sacrum/coccyx joint itself. Patrick Foye, director of the Coccyx Pain Service, UMDNJ: New Jersey Medical School, has found that these blocks can be very successful in treating coccyx pain."

[lulabelle]

I have had tailbone and coccyx

for the last two years, I have complex regional pain syndrome I was having a really bad flareup and had to lay flat on my back for a few weeks. Then my tailbone really started hurting and I started having nerve pain around it and down it. I got a little sore on it. The source of course healed after a few weeks, but I've continued to have pain on my coccyx for the last year and a half. My coccyx sticks out really really far. Because of my arm pain -- I have CRPS in both of my arms and I cannot sleep on my stomach without having to prop myself up in a very elaborate manner, which I started to do when my tailbone really started to hurt -- I have had to sleep on my back for the last six years. I always assumed that my tailbone started hurting because over time all the sleeping on my back started to where away at the bone. But now reading your posts I don't know what's going on. I'm definitely going to ask my PT when I go in next week. I suppose it could even be that the bundle of nerves there could just be angry still -- angry of course meaning CRPS. I hope that you discover the source of your pain.