How Does a Person Break Their Tailbone?

The tailbone (or coccyx) is a part of the human skeleton that we tend to forget until we somehow injure it. Tailbone pain (known by the medical term coccydynia) can either feel like mild discomfort or blinding pain that is nearly incapacitating.

The most common cause for a tailbone injury occurs when a person falls onto their buttocks, usually landing on a hard surface such as concrete or asphalt. Such a fall may have resulted from a slip-and-fall accident on a slick surface. Tripping and landing in a seated position can also result in minor and severe tailbone injuries.

Tailbone fractures have been known to occur in the act of childbirth.

Biking, rowing, and other strenuous activities performed while seated can put a lot of strain on the tailbone area, potentially resulting in injuries.

Other tailbone injuries are caused by engaging in contact sports, such as football, rugby, or wrestling. Other sports not typically known as ‘contact sports’ can also result in tailbone injuries if an athlete falls unexpectedly. Broken tailbone injuries have affected athletes involved in ice skating, gymnastics, and other competitions.

In addition to injuries caused by falls, car accidents can also cause broken tailbones. If someone else’s negligence caused the accident, the accident victim might have a valid personal injury case.

What Does a Broken Tailbone Feel Like?

If you’re in pain following an accident, you should seek medical assistance without delay. In the absence of a professional medical opinion, it may prove difficult to ascertain whether you have suffered a bruised or broken tailbone injury. The symptoms of both a bruise and a break are relatively similar and can be equally debilitating for a period of time.

Symptoms of tailbone injuries can include:

  • Bruising around the tailbone and the base of the spine.
  • Constant pain, which ranges from mild discomfort to absolute misery. This pain could be much worse while seated.
  • Crouching can feel unbearable.
  • Loss of bladder control.
  • Pain during sex.
  • Pain in the buttocks.
  • Painful bowel movements.
  • Sleeping can be difficult, as some injury victims complain of pain while lying down.
  • Swelling in the coccyx region.
  • Throbbing pain in the lower back.
  • Weakness in the legs. Numbness is not uncommon, either.

What Problems Can Tailbone Injuries Cause?

Medical doctors refer to constant tailbone pain as ‘chronic coccydynia.’ This pain can be life-altering for those it affects, leaving them in a constant state of agony and forever limiting their ability to live life to the fullest. Simple acts that many people take for granted, like sitting in a chair, eating at the kitchen table, using the restroom, and sleeping without discomfort, can be made impossible with a chronic coccydynia diagnosis.

Even if the injury is short-term, it can dramatically impact the activities the victim can perform while they recover. Work, play, socializing, and basic self-care could all be negatively affected by a broken tailbone.

Certain remedies may either reduce or completely relieve the pain, but they can be expensive. If other parties caused a person’s accident, they should seek compensation via a personal injury lawsuit. It is unfair for an injured victim to pay the expensive medical bills required to limit their suffering.

How Long Can Broken Tailbones Take to Heal?

If your tailbone injury is a bad bruise, it may take approximately a month to heal. During this time, injured victims can relieve symptoms by stopping or reducing activities that cause extra pain. The more you take it easy, the faster your injured tailbone will recover. If forced to sit, injured people should consider using padding or a donut cushion. Icing can also help relieve pain.

If the tailbone is broken, the injured individual should expect a more extended recovery period. Tailbone fractures can take somewhere between eight to 12 weeks to heal, and that’s provided that the injury is properly addressed and tended to.

Medication can be used to relieve painful symptoms, but it is important not to rely upon pain relievers for too long. Surgery is also available for especially painful cases. Some injured victims may also benefit from physical therapy. To learn what could hurt or help your recovery process, please speak with a medical professional.

Can You Sue for an Accident Which Broke Your Tailbone?

Accidents and injuries can negatively impact your day-to-day life, your sense of well-being, and your bank account balance. If you suffered an injury – any injury – in an accident caused by another person, you might have a solid personal injury claim. The cost of recovering from injuries should not fall on the accident victim but rather on the at-fault parties. Before you panic about how much your injury is going to cost you, consider speaking with an experienced personal injury lawyer to discuss how you may go about pursuing financial compensation.

Our law firm’s legal team prides itself on putting clients first and doing its utmost to bring their cases to a satisfactory conclusion. We have years of experience building winning cases for accident victims in Louisiana and helping them recover the maximum compensation for their personal injury claims.

If you’ve suffered a broken tailbone injury in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, please speak with Babcock Injury Lawyers for legal guidance about how to proceed with your case. You may contact our law office for a free case consultation by calling us at: (225) 240-4053.