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12 yo ds landed on his tailbone on the hardwood floor.


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Yesterday. And today he's still limping around. He's been lying around watching TV and groans when he rolls over.

 

We've had an ice pack on it intermittently.

 

Dh says there's a slightly swollen area but no discoloration.

 

Would you give him Aleve? Any other treatment?

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Poor boy, that hurts like crazy! From WebMD (not getting constipated is very important):

 

Coccyx injuries are often extremely painful, so home care is aimed at controlling pain and avoiding further irritation to the coccyx.

 

Avoid sitting down for long periods of time. When seated, sit on hard surfaces and alternate sitting on each side of the buttocks. Also, lean forward and direct your weight away from the tailbone.

 

 

For traumatic injuries, apply ice to the tailbone area for 15-20 minutes, 4 times a day, for the first few days after the injury.

 

 

Use ibuprofen (Advil), or a similar pain medicine, as directed on the label for pain control.

 

 

You can purchase a "doughnut" cushion or pillow to sit on. This cushion has a hole in the middle of it to prevent the tailbone from contacting the flat surface.

 

 

Eat foods high in fiber to soften stools and avoid constipation.

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I cracked mine when I was 12 by falling while ice skating. At least, I'm pretty sure I cracked it because it's visibly wrong and when that happened, it hurt for months and months. But I was raised by people who only took you to the doctor if you had lost several pints of blood or your arm bent the opposite way, so I never had a proper diagnosis.

 

I still remember how that hurt, though. OTOH, I had incredibly good sitting posture for half a year.

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I cracked mine when I was 12 by falling while ice skating. At least, I'm pretty sure I cracked it because it's visibly wrong and when that happened, it hurt for months and months. But I was raised by people who only took you to the doctor if you had lost several pints of blood or your arm bent the opposite way, so I never had a proper diagnosis.

 

I still remember how that hurt, though. OTOH, I had incredibly good sitting posture for half a year.

 

here too. Tailbone injury was very painful. I actually carried around a donut pillow to school (in middle school!) because it was so painful for a couple of weeks. Def. OTC painkiller/anti-inflamatory.

 

Had no idea how bad that sucker can hurt. I actually think the mess-up with my tailbone contributed to my sunny-side up babies and emergency c-sections.

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I broke mine in 1999 while snowboarding. I still have trouble sitting in certain chairs. :glare: It took a good year before it was "better."

 

The doctor at the time told me to take ibuprofen (Advil) for it, but that there's pretty much nothing else to be done. He mentioned a donut pillow, but I didn't spring for one.

 

I hope it's just bruised around the bone and it gets better very quickly for him!

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I was about 12 when I landed on my tailbone on the floor--a carpeted concrete floor. It hurt for weeks and I had trouble walking during that time--stairs were killer. Mom took me to the doc, he gave me a shot (steroid?) because I'd gotten bursitis from it. This was long before ibuprofen or alleve, so hopefully current otc meds will help.

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DD broke her tailbone at a bouncy place when she was 5. It hurt for MONTHS and she still complains every once in a while that it hurts. There's nothing you can do though except wait for it to heal. I'd definitely give him Motrin/Advil. And if he's still complaining, I'd give him Tylenol on top of it. (Tylenol and Motrin are safe to combine.)

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Yesterday. And today he's still limping around. He's been lying around watching TV and groans when he rolls over.

 

We've had an ice pack on it intermittently.

 

Dh says there's a slightly swollen area but no discoloration.

 

Would you give him Aleve? Any other treatment?

 

Okay, I've injured my tailbone, and laid around on my stomach for a week. ibruprophen to reduce swelling.

 

BUT - (and I realize this is rare) - my great-grandmother injured her tailbone, and apparently did something that introduced bacteria into the spinal column. she died from menningitis not long afterwards. (don't know the exact timing, but it wasn't very long. maybe a week or two. she wasn't doing much after she hurt herself, would only stand, never sit.)

 

the fact he's groaning would encourage me to get him checked out to make sure it's only sore, and nothing else.

Edited by gardenmom5
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