How to Relieve Tailbone Pain by Stretching?

Most of the time, tailbone pain isn't serious. It can sometimes be a sign of an injury. In some rare cases, tailbone pain can be a sign of cancer.

Supporting your pelvis, the tailbone (also known as coccyx) sits on the lowest end of the spine. Some people injure or fracture the tailbone, causing inflammation and pain. Persistent tailbone pain is known as coccydynia. Here are some tips on how to relieve tailbone pain:

How to Relieve Tailbone Through Yoga?

Why you have tailbone pain:

• Your tailbone might have started hurting after sitting on a hard bench or from falling and other traumas. Such instances can bruise, dislocate, or break your tailbone.
• Joint damage from repetitive motions.
• Aging and long term wear and tear.
• During the last trimester of pregnancy, the ligaments connected to and around the tailbone naturally loosen to make room for the growing baby that has to one day be pushed out. Hence, women are about five times more likely than men to experience tailbone pain.
• You're also more prone to tailbone problems if you're overweight.
• However, if you lose the weight quickly, you'll lose the padding that protects your tailbone and may be more likely to injure it.
• In rare cases, the pain could arise from an infection or tumor.

What should I do if my tailbone hurts?

Call your doctor if the pain is getting worse or lasts more than a few days.

Most of the time, tailbone pain isn't serious. It can sometimes be a sign of an injury. In some rare cases, tailbone pain can be a sign of cancer. In other cases, stretching your body helps to relieve tailbone pain. Incorporating this routine will help to prevent other lifestyle issues.

How to relieve tailbone pain through stretches:

We all know that waking up in the morning with a good stretch is natural for humans as it is for dogs - and guess what? These simple stretches to relieve tailbone pain should also be natural and inviting. It's in our DNA to stretch. What's not in our DNA is sitting for long periods of time which is why the tailbone hurts as if something is putting pressure on the lower spine. As we've grown accustomed to constantly sitting, we have now gotten used to sitting in the wrong posture, therefore stretching and other treatment should reduce inflammation and ease muscle tension.

A recent study found that people with coccydynia were positively affected by exercises to increase thoracic spine mobility and to stretch the piriformis and iliopsoas muscles in the buttocks and hips. Such stretches reduced the participants' back pain while sitting and increased the amount of pressure that they could withstand on the lower back before feeling pain.

Follow any one of these stretches to relieve tailbone pain:

Iliopsoas and glute stretch (Pigeon Pose)

The pigeon pose is a yoga pose that helps to open the hips by stretching open the iliopsoas, as well as the glute muscles on the bent leg. This yoga pose is not ideal for people with knee problems.

• Start on all fours with the hands slightly in front of the shoulders and shoulder distance apart.
• Bring the left knee forward
• Keep it slightly behind and to the left of the left hand
• Keep the ankle pointing toward the right hip bone.
• Slide the right leg back and hold it straight
• Your thigh should face down toward the floor.
• If the hips are not square, tuck the back toe under as this is the right form.
• Lower the torso forward and rest on folded arms to help increase the stretch.
• Remain in this position for 30 seconds, then do the same on the other side.
• This can be done before you sleep.

Kneeling psoas stretches

Stretching the joined iliacus and psoas muscles placed on the hip, help to relieve tailbone pain. Stretching is very important as they often become stiff with prolonged sitting.

• Kneeling upright on the floor, move one leg in front of you and place the foot flat on the floor.
• Your thigh should be kept at a 90-degree angle to the shin.
• Rest the shin and knee of the back leg on the ground.
• Let your toes be pointing backward.
• Keeping a towel under the back knee may be necessary for comfort.
• With the chest upright, place your hands on the hips for stability.
• Gently tuck the pelvis under and lean forward a bit.
• Remain in this stretch for 20–30 seconds.
• Do the same on the other side.

Single leg knee hug

This stretches the piriformis and the iliopsoas muscles. Both of these muscles can become tight and limit mobility in the pelvis. The piriformis originates from the tailbone and can irritate the sciatic nerve upon becoming inflamed. Gently increasing the stretch over time will let your range of movement expand.

• Lie down on your back and extend the feet straight out.
• Bend one knee toward the chest.
• Hold onto the bent knee and pull it gently towards your chest.
• Remain in this position for 30 seconds, then do the same on the other side.
• This can be done before you sleep.

Piriformis and glute cross leg stretch (thread the needle)

thread the needle stretch opens up the piriformis as well as the glutes. The glutes are attached to the tailbone and walking or running can cause them to tug on it.

• Lie down on your back.
• Lift the knees toward the ceiling, keeping the feet flat on the floor.
• Bend the left leg closer into the body
• Rest your left ankle across the right knee.
• Loop the hands around the right thigh and gently pull it toward the chest for 20 to 30 seconds.
• Do the same on the other side.
• This can be done before you sleep.

Kneel and twist

A tight, immobile lower back can lead to lower back pain. This simple exercise stretches the iliopsoas. It also helps in improving mobility through the lower back. Immobility can result in other muscles, such as the pelvic floor and hip-opening muscles, becoming tight to compensate for lack of lubrication.

A sore tailbone, overactive pelvic floor and hip-opening muscles will worsen these symptoms.

• Start with the front leg bent at a 90-degree angle in front of the body and the knee and shin of the back leg on the ground.
• Keeping the body upright, lift the arms to shoulder height out to the side.
• Focus on tucking the shoulder blades down and back too.
• This will prevent the shoulders from rising.
• From the torso rotate slowly shift towards the left side of the body until the arms are almost in line with the legs. Then slowly come back to the center and rotate toward the right side.
• Rotate 4–5 times on each side but turn as far as possible without any pain.

Takeaway:

Along with all stretches and exercises, it is crucial to remain within a range of motion that does not cause pain or injury. In addition to these exercises, other treatment methods will help to avoid tailbone pain from occurring in the future. These include:

• sitting for lesser periods of time
• cushioning seats
• massaging and manipulating the area
• having local injections of steroids or anesthetics
• making postural adjustments like sitting straight