There are many different types of chair which avoid putting pressure on the coccyx, recommended by coccydynia patients. Some chairs avoid pressure by having a shorter seat than normal, so that the coccyx can hang over the back of it. Examples below are a canvas stool, a Director�s chair and a Hag Credo chair.Here are links to Google searches for folding stools and Director's chairs. Dr Michael Durtnall writes: I help my patients to ensure their employer gets them a Swedish HAG Credo or HO4 chair WITH neckrest... (these chairs are fantastic but expensive)... It can tilt far forward with the feet tucked under the chair & thighs tilted down at 25 degrees & 'back straight' to work on the keyboard... which takes all pressure off the coccyx and gives good working posture with no neck strain! Others have a gap where the coccyx goes. Examples below are a Hara chair, a Putnam�s kneeling chair and a coccyx cut-out chair.Yury writes: The Hara chair really helped - I am able work for 4-5 hours without break and I now have absolutely no problems with normal 9-5 working week (more than 9 hours is still a problem though).
The Putnam's kneeling chair with a cut-out is available from www.sittingwell.co.uk or you could modify an ordinary kneeling chair to create a cut-out. Back specialists say that you shouldn't use one of these for more than an hour at a time, because unlike a normal chair, you can't shift your position much while you're sitting.I (Jon) have found that at home, watching TV, reading, etc, kneeling on a padded armchair turned back to front can be very comfortable. You have the padded back of the chair to rest against. You need to find a chair with a back the right height to support you. Zoe writes: I sit on a gym ball all day at work. I couldn't get through the day without this - sitting on a conventional chair is just too painful. The gym ball allows you to adjust your posture all day. Initially, you can't sit on it all day and have to build up the time you use it for. It's meant to be very good for the general health of your back as your spine is always moving, rather than being static. [The picture is not Zoe]
Helen Buckthorpe writes: I have found a fantastic chair for coccyx problems, that has a tiltable seat, and allows you to sit on it 'back to front'. It has a breast plate, instead of a back, and you lean onto this when sat, to lift the coccyx off the seat. It comes with or without wheels, is height adjustable, and comfy for use all day.The chair is an 'RH alternative' office seat, and I was provided with this info by 'Sitsmart' a chair shop in Surrey, who were ever so helpful to me, and allowed me to borrow the chairs first to see if I liked them. Having previously tried the RH coccyx- cut out chair and not got on with it, I was most surprised to find the new chair useful. For the first time, I have felt a noticeable difference, as I have been able to stay off my bum totally with the new chair.If you can find a couch with the right shape, this can be very comfortable. A cushion or bean bag may help to get the right shape and support.Rory Greenwell writes: One of the BEST things for me to do is this: if there are more than enough chairs to go around, use two, each leg gets a chair and the gap between them is absolute bliss !!!
This works at restaurants and meetings. I discovered this at the YMCA, when we would all sit and talk through our progress with physio. I have done it ever since and it really does work. ...to hell with the embarrassment.Jennifer writes: People would ask me why I always took so long in the restroom. Little did they know... I used to sit on the toilet for a while just to... You know it has that big hole in the center! You can even lean back against the back with no pain what-so-ever. (I just can't lean back in any chair) And, NO pain when getting up! I still do this from time to time. Of course, you can't sit there for too long... your legs will go to sleep.Bill adds: Jennifer may find it even more comfortable if she used a padded toilet seat. My wife and I are from Australia, and have put them in at every house we've lived in. They are so different, warm in winter, cool in summer, and comfortable.Every weekday, a CNNHealth expert doctor answers a viewer question. On Wednesdays, it's Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer at the American Cancer Society.
Asked by Will of Denver, Colorado I am an average person - good health and slightly overweight. Last year on a dare/challenge from a friend I rode my bicycle 50 miles without any previous training. I successfully completed the 50 miles, although I had extreme pain in my tailbone following the ride. I assumed this was temporary and continued to live my life. However, a year or so later it still has pain when I sit down. I'm not sure where to start besides seeing my normal doctor. Is this something that can be cured or could I have done lifelong damage to my tailbone? I think you already know that strenuous exercise without proper preparation through training is not a good idea. That being said, the medical term for pain in the tailbone is coccydynia. It is usually caused by trauma and it usually gets better with conservative therapy over a period of several weeks, but it can sometimes take several months for it to improve. The coccyx is a projection at the base of the spine.
It is made of bone, cartilage and fibers. The coccyx bears weight when a person is sitting. Some of the muscles that control defecation attach to the coccyx, and there may be pain in the injured tailbone upon defecation and when tightening the anal sphincter. There are no national incidence numbers for this condition, but pain in the tailbone is a rather common problem. A busy primary care doctor usually sees a few cases per year. It is far more prevalent in women than men. It is rare in children. The most common cause is traumatic injury from a fall backwards into a sitting position. Other causes include repetitive minor trauma from sitting a long time. People not only get it from long bike rides, but from sitting in a car or plane for a prolonged period. Sitting on hard surfaces is more likely to cause it. Women can get coccydynia through trauma during vaginal birthing. Obesity is a major risk factor in men and women. The diagnosis of coccydynia is made through the patient's history of the pain and trauma and from physical examination.