Back Pain - Other causes of Back Pain

Coccydynia

Pain in the region of the coccyx (tailbone) occurs more often in women; the patient often attributes the trouble to a minor injury like a kick or a fall. The symptoms persist indefinitely and are annoying rather than incapacitating.

The pain is worse when sitting than when standing, and sometimes when going upstairs, an action which involves the use of the muscles of the buttock. Sometimes the only complaint is that of a burning or pricking sensation.

Coccydynia is treated by infiltration with an anaesthetic agent locally, along with manipulation of the sacrococcygeal joint. This is followed by physiotherapy. Surgical excision of the coccyx is necessary only rarely.

Sciatica is a symptom produced as a rule by mechanical interference with the trunk of the sciatic nerve or its roots at any point subsequent to their emergence from the spinal cord. Although disc protrusions are responsible for a large proportion of sciatic pain, it is always necessary to exclude other possible causes namely,