Found relief after a long trip to Sydney
Anonymous, Australia
Posted 2021-04-18
I am based in Newcastle, NSW, Australia. My coccyx story began in September 2019 approximately 3 months after my second c-section.
September 2019: One day after sitting I stood up and noticed a slight pain around my coccyx, thinking nothing of it and that it would go away, I left it for about 2 months. However, it only got worse, so I saw my G.P who recommended a cushion. The cushion unfortunately only made things worse and more painful. I also wasn't able to complete any exercise as it would cause more pain in that area the days after exercising. I had an XRAY completed that showed the tailbone slightly bent upon sitting, as I did not have a fall to cause this injury I didn't feel that the position of the coccyx would be related.
January 2020: By now the pain was significant when standing and really impacting everything I did. My G.P. recommended that I receive a CT guided cortisone injection into the sacrococcygeal joint. The CT scan showed that there was arthritis in the sacrococcygeal joint and I felt that this could be the source of my pain.
March 2020: The injection was about 90% effective for 5 weeks, then the pain returned significantly worse than before. I returned to work from maternity leave and was required to sit for 8 hours at my desk job. I was in agony and didn't know how I was going to sit in an office all day. I commenced pelvic floor physiotherapy at the recommendation of my G.P. Pelvic floor worked on relaxing pelvic floor muscles and stretching. I attended weekly or fortnightly.
May 2020: Pelvic floor physiotherapy did not help at all, in fact, my symptoms became worse. Due to the pain, I had a second cortisone injection, however this injection was so painful that it made the symptoms worse. This caused a sharp and burning pain near my coccyx that remained for nearly 6 months.
July 2020: I remained at the pelvic floor physio even though it was not working because I didn't know what else I should be doing and did not want to go down the route of having surgery. By now I was also experiencing pudendal nerve pain and I could not sit for more than 5 minutes without severe, sharp stabbing in my pelvis. I wasn't able to work, complete house work or socialise. I was miserable. I had to stop working. I had an MRI, which was clear. This was so frustrating as I was in so much pain and still didn't have an answer.
September 2020: I finally realised that my physio was not going to help and I needed to seek out specialist advice in Sydney, NSW. Which is 2 hour drive from Newcastle. I saw a specialist clinical pelvic floor physio approx. 3 times, who unfortunately failed to diagnose what was causing my extreme pain.
November 2020: I saw a pain physician/gynaecologist who specialises in the pudendal nerve, as the pudendal pain had exceeded the coccyx pain and the impact it was having on my life. Unfortunately, once again, I was not provided with a reason why I was in pain. However, I was placed on a high amount of Gabapentin, Amitriptyline and muscle relaxants. I was to see how things went on the medication and book back in January 2021 to discuss Botox to the pelvic floor, which did not sound appealing!
December 2020: Leading up to Christmas I had returned to work however was only able to work between 4 - 5 hours three times a week, and only while standing. This placed a lot of stress on my feet and I was on constant pain. I wasn't able to sit for more than 5 minutes still, any sitting caused severe pudendal and coccyx pain. My pain at this stage was approx. 8/10. I was on a high amount of medication and it was only having a slight effect on my pain. I had often reviewed this website looking for information and personal stories, and had previously seen the results Angela James had provided her clients (see Doctors and specialists in Australia, New South Wales). Late December 2020 I was so miserable and didn't think there could possibly be anything that would help me, so I had nothing to lose by seeking a second opinion from Angela. Luckily Angela had a cancellation the next day so my husband drove me the 4 hour round trip to Sydney while I lay down in the back seat.
That is the day I started to get my life back. Within 20 minutes of meeting Angela she had a diagnosis and commenced treatment. Angela found that my pelvic floor muscles at the back of the pelvic floor which attach to the coccyx were very tight, compressing the coccyx joints and the pudendal nerve which runs underneath them. I was also over compensating by using the pelvic floor muscles instead of the muscles I should have been using. Which explained why I was in so much pain with any exercise. Within 2 days of Angela's initial treatment I was sitting for more than an hour without pudendal nerve pain! And my coccyx pain was significantly improved!
April 2021: I have been seeing Angela weekly or fortnightly for several months. I still have a long was to go, however at this stage I am sitting 8 hours at work, sitting on the floor with my children to play, driving under thirty minutes without a cushion and socialising. At this stage I would say that my pudendal pain is 90% improved and that my coccyx pain is 60% improved. In my view, it took 18 months to get into the condition I was in when I commenced treatment with Angela, so it could take up to 18 months until it heals. I am expecting to be almost entirely pain free by the end of 2021. Even with any residual pain I now have the tools I require to manage it, thanks to Angela.
What I have learnt from this experience is that if you experience coccyx pain, or pelvic pain, without any injury/surgery then you are most likely experiencing pelvic floor tension. If you are in Australia and in pain, I can not recommend Angela James highly enough.
Note from Jon Miles:
I emailed more than a year after this story was posted, to ask for an update, as the long-term outcome of treatment is of great interest. In this case I did not get a reply.
