Coccydynia

Coccydynia is a medical term meaning pain in the coccyx or tailbone area, usually brought on by sitting too abruptly. Coccydynia occurs in the lowest part of the spine, the coccyx, which represents a vestigial tail, or in other words the “tail bone”. The name coccyx is derived from the Greek word for cuckoo due to its beak like appearance. The coccyx itself is made up of 3 to 5 fused vertebrae. The ventral side of the coccyx is slightly concave where as the dorsal aspect is slightly convex. Both of these sides have transverse grooves that show where the vestigial coccygeal units had previously fused. The coccyx attaches the sacrum, from the dorsal grooves with the attachment being either a symphysis or as a true synovial joint, and also to the gluteus maximus muscle, the coccygeal muscle, and the anococcygeal ligament.

 


Considering
Surgery
Conditions affecting
the spine
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Consent