Does an elongated tailbone affect growth?
Patient's Query
Hi doctor,
My 11-year-old daughter, who weighs 77 pounds and is 4 feet and 10 inches tall, is suffering from pain in the tailbone. The x-ray revealed that it is a congenital elongated tailbone. The report read, coccyx shows longitudinal clefting, which appears to be congenital variation. She has been advised to sit on soft surfaces, with a pillow, since sitting on hard surfaces seems to aggravate the pain. She has to be careful about her sitting posture all the time since sitting in the wrong posture triggers the pain. I needed to know if this pain will reduce with age since she is a growing child? Or can it further increase and cause problems later? Also, can any exercise or surgery solve the problem?
Hello,
Welcome to icliniq.com.
I wish you had included the X-ray with the detailed description. The symptoms will depend on the size of the coccyx. As the child grows, the pelvis may grow at a faster rate and the coccyx may become less prominent. So, I will delay the surgery till the child attains skeletal maturity, which may be 20 years or more as the pelvis keeps growing much longer. Kegel pelvic floor exercises, sitz baths, and cut-out seats will help.
Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!
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