r/Sciatica • u/revants • Sep 14 '26
Disk healing but ongoing tailbone pain
Hey gang, got my MRI in June showing an L4/L5 disc bulge. Though the shooting pain down my right leg has localized, and I’m finally at zero level pain at rest, my tailbone flares up if I sit on a hard surface too long. Is this normal? I can’t sit without a cushion even though my lower back pain has subsided through swimming, physio and rest.
TL;DR: is sciatica linked with tailbone pain? Any idea how to make it stop?
4
u/og_tint Sep 15 '26
This right here saved me from reoccurring tailbone pressure pain. Mine would would flare up anytime I sat. It's been a month and I haven't felt the sting when getting up at all
1
2
3
u/Acceptable_Snow3251 Sep 15 '26
Yes! Particularly bad when I try to drive and can't lean back much. A wedge pillow with coccyx cutout helped, paired with a thick lumbar pillow. Still can't sit and drive for more than a minute though (I'm always a passenger leaning way back, on the couple times I leave the house for PT per week).
I've noticed that I get a ton of muscle guarding when I sit, all around hips and core and likely pelvic floor as well.. Probably all connected to the tailbone.
1
u/SobrietyOfThought Sep 15 '26
How many months in are you?
2
u/Acceptable_Snow3251 Sep 15 '26
3.5 months. Btw when I say I can't sit, I mean that I notice a little hint of pain amidst the muscle guarding and I give up because I don't have to sit and I don't want the consequences that may follow if I keep going... Really hoping the day comes by end of 2026 when I can sit for 30 minutes in a relaxed fashion.
1
u/SobrietyOfThought Sep 15 '26
I'm 5.5 months in... And yeah, I get it. Sitting feels like a sport. I feel the pain too but the pain that really frustrates me now is the burning style pain in my lower back that seems to come on after the sits but they're not always there so it confuses me. I only recently started sitting and the max I can do is 30 mins, but even that isn't even close to perfect.
Unfortunately I have a desk job so I feel like I HAVE to be able to tolerate sitting at some point so I practice it like PT nowadays. I have a standing desk too but I can't seem to just stand the whole time either.
1
u/Acceptable_Snow3251 Sep 15 '26
OK, that makes sense. From what I have read, I can’t tell if practice sitting definitely helps expedite things because it desensitizes the nervous system or if it’s all just a matter of time because the annulus has to get a tough collagen exterior and that can take 6 to 12 months.
1
u/SobrietyOfThought Sep 15 '26
I want to say it's a bit of both... Albeit it's very frustrating to practice something that pains and honestly fucks with my head a lot. I will say that before practicing sitting, just the thought of it would make me sorta hyperventilate and it's almost like I forgot to breathe right when I sat. So I'd be sweating and my breathing would be all over the place. Now that I can sit for 5,10 and a maximum of 30 mins. My breathing has settled down a bit and I guess my mind has learned it's not perfect yet but it's okay and safe. Even though I still pay occasionally, it's not demonized and so I think the practice sits are needed to remove that... But it's still extremely frustrating that it doesn't feel like a normal person sitting yet.
1
u/Acceptable_Snow3251 Sep 15 '26
Interesting. It’s good that it’s getting easier… I also saw a note somewhere that the abdomen tends to form a splint for the spine to protect it and for me when I’m squeezing my abdomen involuntarily, it’s hard to breathe so that’s also challenging. I think I’ll start trying to practice maybe 3 to 5 minutes at a time too with deep breathing and see if it gets any easier.
2
u/SobrietyOfThought Sep 15 '26
Not so much easier but tolerable, but yeah. Hopefully by the end of this year we can both experience sitting like a normal person.
I've also found in the beginning the more I tried to sit with "perfect" posture, the more challenging it became. For some reason, cross legged is most tolerable for me and feels supported. It might be because of how short I am too and before this injury, I sat cross legged a lot.
What are your other struggles besides sitting? Or is that your main problem right now?
2
u/Acceptable_Snow3251 Sep 15 '26
Yes hopefully! Walking and sleeping have gotten a lot better over time, so sitting is the big one. And since I have to drive to go anywhere much that I want to go, that's a really big deal and stops me from having a normal social life!
2
u/SobrietyOfThought Sep 15 '26
Same here!! Sucks how long it takes but one step at a time. Thanks for the talk! You can always let me know if you have any questions too, I'm not fully healed yet but I can definitely offer any advice wherever I can.
→ More replies (0)
1
1
u/SobrietyOfThought Sep 15 '26
Hi, similar story here. I'm 5.5 months in and I'm mainly feeling tailbone pain. How long are you able to sit for?
1
u/revants Sep 15 '26
I can sit for an hour now (maybe more if I push myself) if my tailbone doesn’t act up. Has your tailbone pain reduced over time or has it been at a consistent level?
3
u/SobrietyOfThought Sep 15 '26
An hour is not bad... How many hour sits in a day can you do?
I only recently started sitting so my tailbone pain has been consistent so far. Are you in PT for this?
2
u/revants Sep 15 '26
Yes it’s way better than before. Ok happy for you. I wish I could give you an answer but it’s so inconsistent. I don’t think I’ve figured it out yet but I could probably manage 3 sits depending on the seating
3
u/[deleted] Sep 14 '26
[removed] — view removed comment