Dealing With Coccyx Pain? Tailbone Injections For Pain Relief

The terminal spine segment, the coccyx, has 3–5 fused bone segments. It joins the sacrum via the sacrococcygeal ligament. Coccyx serves many purposes that muscles, ligaments, and tendons that support the pelvic floor and control voluntary bowel movements are inserted there. The coccyx and ischial tuberosities support a seated person as tripod legs. Coccyx supports the anus position. Tailbone injections for pain recommended by the doctors to treat coccyx pain. 

Different Tailbone Injections 

Tailbone pain is treated with a non-surgical tailbone pain relief method. Three popular tailbone injections:

• Steroid injections: Tailbone steroid injections that are anti-inflammatory and can reduce inflammation and pain at the site of inflammation.

• Sympathetic nerve block: Nerve pain can accompany musculoskeletal pain and inflammation. In a nerve block, the doctor applies a local anaesthetic like lidocaine to shut down nerves temporarily. When nerves "wake up" again after a few hours, they may be less sensitive and irritable. Thus, nerve pain can be greatly reduced or eliminated.

• If none of the other injections work, nerve ablation (destruction) can kill/deaden the nerves carrying pain from a specific site. If your tailbone nerves cannot carry pain signals to your brain, your quality of life may improve greatly.

Sequence of Injections

• Steroid injection: Tailbone pain specialists in Plano start with a local steroid injection, preferably in the patient's diagnosis area. If a distal coccyx bone spur is causing most of the pain, they would target it. If a dislocated or unstable (hyper-mobile) joint is causing most of the pain, they would target it. Thus, a proper diagnosis is crucial before injecting without knowing where the pain is coming from.

• A ganglion Impar sympathetic nerve block may be considered after a local corticosteroid injection. Tailbone pain management sometimes combines the steroid injection and ganglion Impar sympathetic nerve block to treat musculoskeletal pain/inflammation and nerve pain.

• Nerve Rupturing: Most patients get tailbone pain treatment with steroid injections or sympathetic nerve blocks. Nerve ablation is an option.

• Repeating injections: If you are living in Hillsboro, Tailbone steroid injection in Hillsboro can treat the pain that returns months or years later, an injection that provides great relief may be repeated.

Fluoroscopic Guidance

• Better relief: These injections can be done under fluoroscopic guidance so the doctor can place the medication where it will relieve tailbone pain.

• Reduced risks: Fluoroscopy helps doctors avoid injecting medication into dangerous areas.

The three tailbone pain injections above are the most common.

Procedure Details of Tailbone Injections For Pain

Following are the details of procedure:

Before the Procedure

Pain management in Plano will examine you and take a full history of your symptoms before referring you for coccygeal injections. They may order an X-ray, CT, or MRI of the affected spine to determine the cause of your pain. After painkillers, anti-inflammatories, and physiotherapy fail, coccygeal injections are considered.

What Should I Do Before my Procedure?

If you take blood-thinning medications, please let us know when you make your appointment so we can temporarily withhold them. Aspirin, clopidogrel, warfarin, apixaban, dabigatran, and rivaroxaban are blood-thinning medications.

Do not stop medication before consulting us. People with diabetes should monitor their blood sugar before and after the injection because the steroid medication can affect it for days. Make arrangements for someone to drive you to the hospital and home after the procedure. I recommend having someone stay with you for 24 hours after your appointment. After the procedure, don't drive for 24 hours.

What the Procedure Involves?

Coccygeal injections are outpatient hospital procedures under local anaesthesia.

You'll go home the same day without sedation or general anaesthesia. A radiologist will perform the procedure in a room with a fluoroscopy camera. The injections are quick, but the X-ray imaging can take 20 minutes. The procedure will be done on your front with a pillow under your pelvis to make you comfortable. Your doctor will then apply antiseptic and cover your back with sterile drapes.

The affected lower back skin will be injected with a local anaesthetic to relieve pain. The doctor will use live X-rays to position the needle. While in position, will inject local anaesthetic and steroid into the Ganglion Impar (group of nerves) in front of your sacrum/coccyx and around the junction. Removal of the needle follows.

You can usually go home 30 minutes after the procedure.

What Will I Feel After the Injection?

Local anaesthetic injections may improve symptoms immediately. It usually lasts 12–24 hours. Steroids usually take two to three days to work and peak at one to two weeks. Continue painkillers as needed.

Injection Frequency

The various types of coccyx injections provide excellent relief and quality of life for many patients with tailbone pain (coccydynia). Before injections, patients should be carefully assessed for the cause of their pain. If you are Mesquite residential, the doctors choose the best tailbone pain treatment in Mesquite, and an accurate diagnosis is crucial. Injections may be repeated to provide more complete relief or if the pain returns months or years later.

Some injections provide permanent pain relief. Patients often experience excellent relief for months, years, or even 3 years (or longer, depending on the injection). Some patients benefit from repeat injections every year or two. This varies by patient. If repeat injections improve quality of life and avoid addictive opioid/narcotic painkillers or invasive coccygectomy surgery (which can lead to postoperative infection and other complications), they can be repeated infrequently. Also, coccyx injections vary. Thus, if one injection does not provide enough relief or lasts long enough, it may be worth trying another.

Problems and Side Effects

Medicine is anything foreign, natural, or manufactured that alters body function. These changes usually cause various side effects and complications. Coccyx injection side effects include:

• Injection site pain

• Injection-site swelling or pain

• Headache

• Nausea

• Dizziness

• Face flushing

• Light abdominal cramps

Several people with diabetes have reported blood sugar changes after steroid injections. Some women reportedly experienced a temporary menstrual cycle change. If you are allergic to any medication or steroid, tell your doctor before the procedure. This prevents allergic reactions during and after injections.

Conclusion