Tailbone Disorders

Summary

The tailbone is the small bone at the bottom of your backbone, or spine. Tailbone disorders include tailbone injuries, pain, infections, cysts and tumors. You rarely break your tailbone. Instead, most injuries cause bruises or pulled ligaments. A backward fall onto a hard surface, such as slipping on ice, is the most common cause of such injuries. Symptoms of various tailbone disorders include pain in the tailbone area, pain upon sitting, pain or numbness in the arms or legs due to pressure on nerves in the tailbone area, and a mass or growth you can see or feel.

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Find an Expert

• American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons
• National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Diagnosis and Tests

• Bone X-Ray (Radiography) Radiological Society of North America
• Computed Tomography (CT) Scan of the Spine Radiological Society of North America
• Spine MRI Radiological Society of North America

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Pilonidal Sinus National Institutes of Health

Specifics

• Levator Syndrome Merck & Co., Inc.
• Pilonidal Cyst Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Pilonidal Disease American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons
• Sacral Dimple Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Tarlov Cysts National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Children

• Pilonidal Cyst (For Parents) Nemours Foundation
• Treating Pilonidal Cysts (Gips Procedure) (For Parents) Nemours Foundation

Patient Handouts

• Pilonidal cyst resection Medical Encyclopedia
• Pilonidal dimple Medical Encyclopedia
• Tailbone trauma Medical Encyclopedia
• Tailbone trauma – aftercare Medical Encyclopedia

Journal Articles

• Tailbone Disorders

Start Here

• Tailbone Pain: How Can I Relieve It? Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research