[Suomi1975]

#31852

Hi there,

I’ve been suffering from wierd coccyx-area pain for a few months now. 44 year old relatively fit male & basically..

1. Pain brought on by sitting & relieved almost instantly by standing or lying. Obvious significant pain in coccyx area but also some sensation in glutes, especially on left side. Also vague sensation over sacrum – best described as mild sunburn.
2. Deep glutes ache on both sides when coccyx area has been sore, but left far worse. Sore to sit on or press. I also get a strange sort of burning sensation around rectum/anus for a few hours afterwards, similar to that over sacrum.
3. When pain is at worst, coccyx is often very sore to touch. But then when relieved by standing, coccyx is not tender at all to touch.
4. No pain at night or at all when walking.
5. Lower back has been sore for years but for about 6 months I’ve been able to “self-adjust” what feels like either my lower spine or SI joint. I can do this either by resting weight on lower back but supporting body weight on arms, or simply by the classical back rest position. Often this helps with the coccyx pain. When I do this I feel & hear a significant click from somewhere deep on left side, like something has slipped downwards under the weight. If I’m sitting & press left leg into floor I can also get a similar click.
6. I also seem to be able to modify the pain by shifting back position. But glute ache persists for a while afterwards.
7. I’m really stiff when getting up from sitting from some time & when sitting I struggle to sit comfortably. No pain really just no obvious comfortable position!
8. Bowel movements had caused an ache in coccyx area, but I can relieve this by changing back position. Not an issue now.

No GI issues by the way, apart from some internal haemorrhoids.

I should add that I have had years of vague issues – random sporting injuries, tendonitis in wrists & hamstrings, flat feet that need shoe supports, rib pain & thoracic spine pain. Nothing major but worth mentioning I thought.

Do I go see a Rheumatologist or a Spine expert?

Thanks for any opinion!

[Donald Corenman, MD, DC]

#31854

Your pain could originate from the coccyx (coccydynia) or from a lumbar disc as both will cause pain with sitting that would be relieved with standing. The click you feel is from a loose facet or possibly SI joint. Probably irrelevant to your condition. Start the diagnosis with an MRI and X-rays. You will probably be better served by a spine expert.

Dr. Corenman

PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
 
Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.

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