Rutgers Health expert raises awareness of often-misdiagnosed tailbone pain ahead of Nov. 15 event
NEW JERSEY — Thousands of people suffering from chronic tailbone pain may struggle for months or even years to receive an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment, according to a Rutgers Health specialist who is working to raise awareness of the often-overlooked condition.
Dr. Patrick Foye, director of the Coccyx Pain Center at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) in Newark and a professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation, established Tailbone Pain Awareness Day to help patients and medical professionals better understand the condition, known medically as coccydynia.
Foye, who founded the Coccyx Pain Center more than 20 years ago, said the condition is frequently mistaken for more common forms of lower back pain, despite requiring different diagnostic tests and treatments.
On Sunday, Nov. 15, Foye will host a Facebook Live session at noon Eastern time to discuss the challenges of diagnosing tailbone pain, available treatment options and the importance of greater awareness.
“I wanted to bring attention to this painful condition and to support doctors and patients in learning about the most modern tests and treatments. Unfortunately, many people suffer for months and years before they find their way to see me for expertise in this specific condition,” Foye said.
According to Foye, one of the primary challenges is that tailbone pain occurs far less frequently than lumbar back pain, leaving many physicians with limited experience diagnosing and treating it.
“One problem is that tailbone pain is dramatically less common than low back pain in the lumbar area. So, unfortunately, many doctors don’t have much experience or training in properly caring for tailbone pain, also called coccyx pain or coccydynia. As a result, patients experiencing tailbone pain get lumped in with lumbar low back pain, when in fact the testing and treatment are very different,” Foye said.
Unlike lumbar back pain, which generally affects the area near the beltline, coccyx pain occurs much lower, near the bottom of the spine. Foye said the differences in location, causes and diagnostic methods can lead to prolonged suffering when patients are evaluated using approaches intended for other spinal conditions.
He also noted that some patients experience embarrassment or feel dismissed when discussing their symptoms with medical professionals.
“Another challenge is that many patients report a social stigma to discussing tailbone pain with others. Many patients have reported that their doctors laughed out loud when the patient said they thought their pain was coming from their coccyx. Thus, patients feel embarrassed and unsure about treatment,” Foye said.
The difficulty finding specialized care has led patients to travel considerable distances for treatment. According to Foye, approximately 40% of his patients travel from other parts of the country or internationally to receive care at the Rutgers center.
Foye said one of the most common causes of tailbone pain is joint hypermobility, a condition in which the individual bones of the coccyx move excessively. However, standard imaging studies may fail to identify the abnormal movement, potentially leaving patients without a clear explanation for their symptoms.
At University Hospital in Newark, radiologists use specialized sitting-versus-standing X-rays to evaluate how the tailbone moves when a person changes positions. By comparing the position of the coccyx while sitting, when body weight places pressure on the tailbone, with its position while standing, physicians may identify excessive movement that was not visible on earlier imaging studies.
Foye said the specialized imaging technique can help establish a diagnosis in patients whose previous scans appeared normal.
At Rutgers New Jersey Medical School’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Foye evaluates each patient’s symptoms, physical examination findings and imaging results to develop an individualized treatment plan.
Treatment options may include specialized pain management injections performed under fluoroscopic guidance, which uses real-time X-ray imaging to help guide the procedure.
Foye, who is also the author of Tailbone Pain Relief Now!, established the Coccyx Pain Center as an academic medical center dedicated to specialized care for patients with tailbone pain.
Through Tailbone Pain Awareness Day, he hopes to improve understanding of the condition among patients and health care professionals while encouraging greater recognition of diagnostic and treatment options.
The Facebook Live discussion is scheduled for noon Sunday, Nov. 15. Additional information about the Coccyx Pain Center is available at www.tailbonedoctor.com.
