Fractured Tailbone or Broken Coccyx?

Has your doctor told you that your tailbone was fractured? If so, you can be sure that there is something abnormal with it. Yet, you will be surprised to learn that a broken tailbone does not usually prevent you from finding relief. In fact, the "fractured tailbone" diagnosis is very misleading and is usually incorrect.

How can this be? After all, you know that the time you landed on your buttock was when your problems began, right? You saw the x-ray that clearly showed that the tailbone was bent, buckled, broken, hooked or fractured. So if your tailbone is not "broken" why has it given you so much pain?

Your coccyx, in all likelihood, was not "broken or fractured" at all. It was probably dislocated and only appears broken. You ask, "Ok, what is the difference between a tailbone fracture and a tailbone dislocation?"

The answer is; There really isn't any difference. Whether the tailbone is broken, dislocated or fractured what is important is that coccygeal motion is restored. Let me explain:

The tailbone, or coccyx, is comprised of 3 highly flexible segments with cartilage discs and flexible ligaments connecting them. The tailbone is the flexible anchor for the spinal cord and its tough outer layer. The coccyx is an important part of the pelvic floor. It is also the origin of several muscles and ligaments and plays a vital role in your health. The unique function of the tailbone is movement. The coccyx also connects the right and left hips (ilia) as well as the front and back of the pelvis (sacrum and pubic bones).

Regardless of how it was injured it is irrelevant to debate whether it was fractured, dislocated or broken. What matters is that it be brought back into full, pain-free motion. There is treatment that can and usually does correct coccygeal function.

You have probably been diagnosed with a "fractured or broken tailbone". Or possibly, you have been told you have arthritis in your coccyx. Okay, so what? If you broke your finger, what would your doctor do? Would he or she just ignore it and not provide treatment? Would your doctor recommend that you never move it again? Would your diagnosis, for the rest of your life, be "broken finger" or "fractured finger?" Certainly not! The doctor would recommend that you ice it, support it and make absolutely certain that you regained your finger's full, pain-free range of motion. If you couldn't get the motion back yourself, the doctor would recommend therapy to insure that you did not end up with a stiff painful finger for the rest of your life.

So why is there so much confusion about how to treat a broken tailbone? Why does a coccygeal "fracture" carry such a hopeless prognosis? Why isn't there a standard and effective treatment to restore the fractured, broken or dislocated tailbone back into normal pain free function? For many here is the good news! Dr's. Kemper and Wooley have developed a treatment protocol that reliably and safely restores function to the fractured or broken and dislocated tailbone. We call symptoms associated with the injured coccyx the " SacroCoccygeal Syndrome ". The syndrome describes the set of joint, muscle and nerve pains that can occur. In most cases, 1-6 treatments of the tailbone, along with pelvic alignment and exercise is all that is needed to provide a cure or significant improvement for the many symptoms that inevitably result from an injured tailbone. Results vary with the length of time the coccyx has not been able to move normally and the fitness of the patient.

Why aren't more doctors familiar with SacroCoccygeal Syndrome and how to treat it? The answer is that most physicians were not trained to examine the coccyx to determine its orthopedic range of motion. Once more, most physicians don't read their own x-rays. They rely heavily on the radiologist's report. Of course, radiologists never perform physical examination of patients. The radiologist expects the examining physician to know what to do based on physical findings. The irony is, when it comes to fractured or dislocated tailbones , the physician usually depends on the radiologist to diagnose the injury.

Herein lies the problem. Since most physicians usually do not physically test the motion of the coccyx, they are not familiar with "normal verses abnormal" tailbone function. For this reason, there is much confusion about how to diagnose and treat fractured or dislocated tailbones.

The truth is that the tailbone is a lot like a finger. It has 3 joints (rarely a coccyx will have 2 or 4 joints) and normally has 50 to 120 degrees of naturally motion. Any obstetrician will tell you that the normal tailbone will extend out of the way of the baby during the second stage of labor. He or she will also tell you that if the tailbone was broken, fractured, dislocated or otherwise restricted from its full natural range of motion, the baby will not pass normally through the birth canal. This will make delivery long, painful or impossible.

Why is Dr. Chris Kemper, D.C. uniquely qualified to diagnose and treat your tailbone injury?

For nearly 20 of his 27 years of practice Dr. Kemper has routinely evaluated his patient's tailbones. He has evaluated thousands of patients, of all ages, with the SacroCoccygeal Syndrome. Over the years he amassed experience and knowledge about tailbone function, both normal and abnormal. Back in the 80s, after Dr. Kemper evaluated his first several hundred patients with tailbone injuries , it became clear that the coccyx is one of the most flexible vertebrae of the spine. After thousands of evaluations, it became a fact that tailbones are naturally supple and spring-like. Dr. Kemper and his associates discovered that pain-free flexibility could be restored in most patients. They carefully and gradually developed a proprietary treatment protocol that was uniquely effective, long lasting and safe. It was documented that with proper pelvic alignment and exercise, tailbones were usually resilient and did not need to be removed surgically. Dr. Kemper's group rarely saw a case where surgery was needed. This fact was true even when the tailbone had been fractured or dislocated. A wide variety of other types of treatment were available, but none were safer, relieved more symptoms or were more effective.

For many years the doctors carefully studied each component of normal pelvic function and arrived at the key factors necessary to regain normal tailbone function. The term SacroCoccygeal Syndrome was needed to describe the many nerve, muscle and joint symptoms created in the pelvic and spine when the tailbone didn't function properly. The fact that the true function of the tailbone was not fully appreciated until now explains why, to this day, the coccyx is considered to be an unnecessary "orthopedic appendix". However, Dr's Wooley and Kemper have proven clinically that, unlike the appendix of the bowel, the tailbone is a vital component of the spine. Their clinical trials have provided evidence of how an injured tailbone causes an abnormal "pull" or "tension" on the spinal cord. Inflexible tailbones were also shown to weaken the pelvic floor muscles. The fractured or dislocated coccyx can also cause secondary problems in the bowel such as hemorrhoids, IBS or constipation by creating a "restriction or kink" in the rectum. Other secondary problems include the following: inability to deliver vaginally, painful or unfulfilling sexual function, reduced circulation to the prostate, piriformis syndrome and inability to respond to other therapies.

Regardless of whether the tailbone is fractured, dislocated or just unable to move normally, it will very often weaken pelvic and thigh muscles, reduce back flexibility and cause nerve irritation. The good news is that these symptoms , of the SacroCoccygeal Syndrome, are usually spontaneously eliminated when the tailbone is set back into motion. The doctor literally means spontaneously. It is an orthopedic breakthrough to have documented spontaneous or instantaneous reversal of tailbone injury symptoms. It is not claimed that every symptom is relieved 100% instantaneously. Yet the severe weakness of pelvic muscles and the impaired ability to bend over to touch your toes usually does improve measurably after the first treatment. How can this be?

To be brief, injured tailbones can cause a serious irritation to the spinal cord and its many nerves. This commonly results in measurable weakness of muscles and a significant reduction in spine flexibility 1,2,3 . Clinical evidence is now well documented showing how the coccyx can usually be restored to normal function and how weakness, stiffness and pain can be reduced or eliminated. Although the doctors have conducted research aimed at raising awareness of their successful treatment for the tailbone, it is only now (1998-2005) coming to be known. This explains why few doctors are yet familiar with the SacroCoccygeal Syndrome or the Wooley-Kemper protocol.

The bottom line is that presently doctors are not formally trained in diagnosis and treatment of the syndrome. They are only trained to provide therapy or surgery. Chiropractors have the best education, inasmuch as they are taught to manipulate the coccyx. However, the manipulation is usually applied externally rather than internally, which is significantly more effective. External manipulation is sometimes, but not usually, effective because it cannot unbuckle the tailbone when it is dislocated or broken forwards or upwards.

For these reasons, the reader is cautioned to not try surgery until you have tried the statistically safer, less expensive and more successful Wooley-Kemper method , which is available.

How do you find out if your painful broken or dislocated tailbone can be treated successfully? For simplicity I have listed 9 factors that you need to know. There are 3 key physical examination findings, three key X-ray findings and 3 main symptoms that are most indicative of the need for treatment:

Physical findings:

.  Range of motion: An experienced physician must physically and firmly attempt to move the coccyx back and forth to assess how much motion is present. The tailbone functions like a heavy spring. For this reason, it takes a good deal of pressure to determine if and to what degree the coccyx can move. Caution: only an experienced physician can insure a proper examination, while not irritating or otherwise harming the rectal lining.

.  Weakness: In approximately 90% of dislocated, broken, restricted or fractured tailbones a severe weakness will be present in the thigh(s). Most people will be unaware that the weakness is so severe. The internal or external thigh rotator muscles are most often affected. The hamstring is occasionally affected. The weakness ranges from 20-80%.

.  Spine and/or thigh flexibility: Many patients with fractured or broken tailbones will not be able to freely touch the floor when they stand with their feet together and with their knees locked. While bending over, look at the distance between your chest and your knees. If it is greater than 6-8 inches the probability is that your lower back is chronically tight due to tension created on the spinal cord and meninges by the restricted coccyx.

X-ray findings:

.  A bent, hooked, displaced, misaligned, irregular, fractured, broken or otherwise injured appearance highly suggests that the tailbone has lost its natural motion.

.  Deterioration, degeneration, arthritis or fusion of one or more or the coccygeal joints.

.  Absence of dislocation, fracture or arthritis does NOT mean that the coccygeal range of motion is normal. Only physical examination by a qualified physician can determine if the coccyx is functioning abnormally. In other words, you can have the symptoms of the SacroCoccygeal Syndrome even if your tailbone X-ray looks normal. You need not have broken, fractured or dislocated your coccyx to have lost the spring-like function that keeps you pain free. This fact is most responsible for tailbone injuries going undiagnosed.

Symptoms:

.  Pain anywhere around the tailbone, hips, pelvis or lower back. Most coccygeal fractures or dislocations that impair the natural motion of the tailbone do not cause pain directly at the tailbone. The pain usually refers up, down or away from the tip of the spine.

.  Inability to stand still or sit for long.

.  A feeling of tension in the legs or back. This unusual "tension" often mimics sciatica or restless leg syndrome.

Summary

The tailbone is an important part of your spine. If it is injured it may have lost its full flexibility. It makes sense to have it evaluated by an experienced physician.

The point is that the tailbone must be fully evaluated for impaired range of motion if it is to be diagnosed and treated successfully. Normal coccyx range of motion is 50-70 degrees in men and 70-120 degrees in women. It is not important whether the tailbone was fractured or dislocated. What matters is that the coccyx is restored to full and optimal range of motion. Absent full natural range of motion, many problems usually develop immediately or over time. Of course, tailbone injuries can cause pain at or around the tailbone. However most tailbone injuries have other affects including but not limited to leg pain, back pain and stiffness, disc bulging and herniation, chronic pelvic pain, inability to deliver a baby, loss of the ability to freely touch your toes as well as other muscle, joint and nerve pain for which no cause can be found.

All joints have a range of motion. When injured, all physicians agree that the joint(s) should be brought back into full and normal function. The fact that you have had one or more injuries to your tailbone should make it no surprise that you are having unexplained problems. There is an answer. It is not all in your head. You are not imagining it.

A simple, fast, safe and effective procedure(s) is available. Most doctors are not yet aware of the SacroCoccygeal Syndrome or how best to treat it. This, with great probability, explains why you continue to suffer.

If you have pain that cannot be explained and you have not had your tailbone range of motion fully tested , call Dr. Kemper for a no-charge consultation before you give up or take drastic measures.