Long-term inflammation can have the effect of weakening bone so that it crumbles away. According to one web site, "Chronic synovial inflammation is usually accompanied by bone erosion."
In dentistry it is recognised that bone loss caused by gum inflammation can eventually lead to teeth falling out. Also inflammation and the resulting loss of bone can cause dental implants to fall out.
Years of inflammation around the coccyx can have the same effect. Several people who have had their coccyxes removed have been told by their surgeons that the coccyx crumbled when they removed it. When my surgeon removed my coccyx, he accidentally cut through the bone with his scalpel, instead of between the sacrum and coccyx, showing how weak the bone was. You can see how parts of the bone have crumbled away in these pictures of my coccyx. The second picture is taken from above, showing how the surgeon cut through the bone.
It is known that corticosteroids can cause loss of bone in sufferers from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), who have to take these drugs daily. It is not clear whether occasional injections of corticosteroids given to relieve coccyx pain could also cause bone loss.
Author: Jon Miles
Updated 2020-05-10