I’m here to say that YES – Coccyx Pain can be relieved by Bowen therapy.

What and where is the coccyx:

The coccyx is a small wedge shaped bone consisting of 3 spinal bones and sits right at the bottom of the spine.

Causes of coccyx pain:

• Falling on the coccyx is the most common cause
• Childbirth – during birth the pressure on the coccyx is extreme and can cause it to partially dislocate or even fracture at times. This is more of a problem when giving birth on your back – (remember it has 3 bones in it).
• Horse-riding or motocross can also cause it from the constant  jarring impact on the coccyx.
• Rowing and cycling due to the constant stretching and leaning forward from the lower back. This can cause RSI (repetitive strain injury) to the area.
• Obesity causes this when you are sitting down due to the body adjusting to the altered physiology
• And being too thin can also be a problem due to the lack of any padding to protect it when sitting.

• Pain in the butt
• Painful sitting and walking
• Tiredness
• Menstrual pain and gynecological problems
• Headaches and Migraines
• TMJ problems (jaw)
• Neck pain
• Constipation

I’ve also noticed that the sacrum is often ‘lumpy’ having calcium growths and ridges.

What I’ve noticed is that there’s often a relationship between coccyx damage and the TMJ (jaw). This – I believe – is because when you fall on your coccyx a shock wave goes through the body from the bottom of the spine to the base of the skull and impacts the jaw causing headaches, jaw pain and migraines.

There is speculation that coccyx damage affects the flow of CSF (Cerebro Spinal Fluid) but since the spinal canal ends at about L1 or L2 I’m not sure how that could be unless the nerves are involved.  It’s still quite an unknown area.

The process I go through is to realign the spine, which takes the tightness and stress out of the body.

Then release the muscles and ligaments surrounding the pelvis and neck and release the coccyx itself when everything else is relaxed.

I have found that people often feel a rush of energy running through their body as it comes back into alignment. The body relaxes , breathing is easier and  the state of panic that this sort of injury can cause often disappears.

If we are dealing with migraines I’ll always check out the tailbone as well as the jaw. It isn’t a ‘given’ that the coccyx will cause migraines but certainly worth looking at.

I damaged my tailbone when I was 8 years old falling down wet stairs – it’s a pain I have never forgotten. I couldn’t sit down for weeks. My tailbone now points inwards and prior to discovering Bowen I had chronic neck pain, PMT (pre-menstrual tension), tiredness and constipation.

 

After Bowen my energy levels are much better, PMT was a lot less – and I had almost no menopause symptoms at all, also I now have no neck pain or wry-neck at all (this was a regular occurence) and my bowels move beautifully.

There are times when people have had their coccyx removed and I have this to say on it – Don’t.

One of my clients had his removed and as a result had almost every other organ inside his pelvis removed as well!

When you consider the muscles, ligaments and fascia that are holding everything together down there – once the coccyx is removed with all it’s attachments – what’s holding everything in place? I’m guessing the bowels and every other internal organ, plus the spine is almost floating free in some places.

I agree that there are times that surgery is necessary – but try something else first – it’s a very radical move to take and will affect the rest of your life.

How to manage coccyx pain:

• Rest
• Have some Bowen Therapy treatments
• When you are sitting use a round cushion with a hole in the middle or a rolled-up towel in a U-shape with the open end under your coccyx (no pressure on it that way)
• When sitting on a lounge ensure you are as comfortable as possible supporting your lower back with a pillow and taking as much pressure as possible off the coccyx.
• Lean forward when sitting down
• Take pain killers if needed – but stay off the heavy ones – they mess with your liver and kidneys way too much.

The pain will go away and I’ve noticed that Bowen Therapy shortens the length and severity of pain.

For more advice on lower back pain here’s a previous article I’ve written.