Tailbone pain can potentially disrupt your day-to-day habits. Also known as the coccyx, tailbone refers to the bottom end of the spine, which consists of 3-5 small bones. When tailbone pain (Coccydynia) occurs, you will feel a severe localised pain. Bruise becomes visible in this area when the tailbone injury is traumatic. The pain will also worsen when you are sitting for a prolonged period. Some forms of tailbone pain relief will definitely be helpful to manage pain.
While there are many ways to address the pain in your tailbone, we will focus on 10 exercises that you can do for tailbone pain relief.
#1: Child’s Pose
Source: Website
Child’s Pose helps to tone the muscles of the pelvis, stimulate blood flow to the pelvic organs and stretch the back. This allows the nervous system to be reset and the body to rejuvenate properly.
When you are doing it with your knees close together, this position helps to facilitate digestion and help to massage your internal organs.
By doing it with your knees apart from each other, your stomach can relax between them and giving it a good stretch as a result. It helps to open up the hips, reduces hip pain and keeps them in good condition.
To have a clear idea of how the Child’s Pose is done, you may take a look at this video:
#2: Bow Pose
Source: Website
A Bow Pose is a gentle stretch exercise that helps to strengthen your back, tailbone muscles, and the tendons simultaneously. Bow Pose position is suitable for beginners as it poses a lesser risk of collapsing into your lumbar spine.
The Bow Pose comes with many benefits. It reduces stress and anxiety with your adrenal glands well taken care of, regulating stress response and hormones. By strengthening various parts of your body through the Bow Pose, it improves the internal balance and harmony in the body and thereby improving your posture.
If you want to find out how to do a Bow Pose, view this video:
#3: Side Angle Pose
Source: Website
Also known as Parsvakonasana, the Side Angle Pose strengthens your legs while at the same time lengthen the side of your body. This exercise helps to activate the entire spine, stretching the tailbone and spine simultaneously.
The Side Angle Pose helps to improve blood flow to your joints and burn calories. Emotionally, it strengthens your determination and focus, aids you in moving forward.
Want to know how to do a Side Angle Pose? Watch this video to find out more:
#4: Sunbird Pose
Source: Website
While Sunbird Pose is rather a simple exercise to do, its effects are great. It helps to strengthen your back while stabilizing your spine and tailbone at the same time.
Other benefits include improving static balance, posture, as well as increasing your focus and concentration.
#5: Piriformis Stretch
Source: Website
This Piriformis Stretch helps to stretch your Piriformis Muscle that is right under your gluteal area. The Piriformis Muscle area is commonly known to be a common source of hip pain and tightness. Tailbone pain sometimes occurs when there is tension in the Piriformis Muscle.
Piriformis Stretch mitigates the painful symptoms in the tailbone and returns the patient’s range of motion.
To find out more on how the Piriformis Stretch is done, feel free to take a look here:
#6: Triangle Pose
Source: Website
Triangle Pose is also known as Trikonasana. This pose improves the strength of your legs and as a result, stabilizing the spine and tailbone while opening your hips. It also strengthens your hamstrings.
Doing the Triangle Pose comes with many health benefits. Other than relieving stress, improving digestion and constipation, it helps to alleviate back pain and symptoms of menopause. The pose is being used therapeutically for anxiety, infertility, neck pain, and sciatica.
As much as the Triangle Pose is beneficial to our health, you should refrain from doing this exercise completely if you are having diarrhea and low blood pressure.
You can view this video to find out more about how a Triangle Pose is done:
#7: Pigeon Pose
Source: Website
This iliopsoas and gluteal stretch help to open your hips as well as stretching the iliopsoas and gluteus muscles on the bent leg.
By doing this exercise, it stimulates your abdominal organs and facilitates your digestion. On a mental and emotional level, the Pigeon Pose tests our ability to sit uncomfortably as well as bringing up pent-up anger and fears.
The Pigeon Pose has a number of health benefits. However for those suffering from knee, ankle, and sacroiliac injury, you will definitely want to exercise caution when doing such strenuous move, or if possible, avoid it altogether.
Want to know how a Pigeon Pose is done? Watch this video to find out more:
#8: Cat-Cow Pose
Source: Website
Known as the Marjaryasana, the Cat-Cow Pose is a dynamic movement that helps to warm up your spine at any point on or off your mat.
This breath-synchronized movement comes with several health benefits. It lengthens the spine, which greatly improves the circulation to the discs between the vertebrae. This will in turn help to relieve stress from the back and calm your mind. The Cat-Cow Pose also strengthens and improves the flexibility of your spine.
If you are suffering from a neck injury, you should ask a professional for some tips or avoid this exercise.
To have a clear idea of how a Cat-Cow Pose is done, view this video :
#9: Cobra Pose
Source: Website
The Cobra Pose, also called Bhujangasana, targets specifically on your lower back. Doing this movement strengthens the spine and surrounding spine. While the Cobra pose is great for all types of back pain, you should be cautious and slow when doing this pose particularly if your lower back is less flexible or if you are new to this.
By doing the Cobra Pose, you will benefit greatly with improved blood and oxygen circulation, better digestion, heart invigoration, as well as helping to ease symptoms of asthma.
If you want to know more about the Cobra Pose, you may see how it is done in this video:
#10: Bridge Pose
Source: Website
When doing the Bridge Pose, it stimulates the abdominal muscles. It also helps to strengthen your back, hamstrings and stretches your thighs. You will become more alert both in your body and mind as you do this pose.
The Bridge Pose has a number of benefits to your well-being. It helps to alleviate stress and mild depression and relieve symptoms of menopause. It calms your brain and the central nervous system, soothing your mind in the process.
If your daily work requires you to be on your feet often, the Bridge Pose is perfect for you as it helps to rejuvenate your tired legs. It also helps to reduce fatigue, anxiety, and insomnia, which makes it a great exercise to cool down after a long and stressful day at work.
Find out more on how a Bridge Pose is done:
Supplement to help ease tailbone pain
Certain foods and supplements may help alleviate tailbone pain by reducing inflammation and supporting bone health. Many foods, like salmon, nuts, and flaxseed, are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. You can enjoy these foods directly or take them as supplements. Omega-3s not only help reduce joint inflammation but also keep your joints well-lubricated. Omega-3 fatty acids help reduce joint inflammation as well to lubricate the joints. Vitamin D and calcium-rich foods, such as dairy products, leafy greens, and fortified cereals, support bone strength and may help prevent further discomfort. Additionally, supplements like turmeric or curcumin, known for their anti-inflammatory effects, and glucosamine or collagen, which support joint and tissue health, could also help reduce tailbone pain over time.
As holiday seasons is approaching please choose your food choices wisely and eat in moderation. Avoid too much alcohol and make sure you are sleeping well .
Of course. When in doubt, always seek professional advice from your primary care provider or family Physician.
Conclusion
We hope that these 10 exercises and stretches will be of great help in alleviating your tailbone pain. Of course, you can do more for your tailbone by booking an appointment with us.
We provide chiropractic treatments, sports massage, spinal decompression therapy and dry needling as alternative pain treatments for various issues such as back pain, neck pain, slipped disc, and tailbone pain, that adults often face in life.
With these treatments, you will experience a better quality of life with your body restored of its balance and stability. You would definitely not need to spend a huge amount of money on surgery.
For more enquiries on our tailbone pain treatments, please contact us.
Dr. Jenny Li is America trained chiropractor who specialises in sports injury, sports performance, and spinal health. She graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in United States, upon completion of the her post graduate program she practiced in Hong Kong and currently is practicing in Singapore.
