Tell me about a broken coccyx

[HeatherB]

(cross-posting from B&B)

My pelvic pain has, in the last 6 weeks, gotten unbearable. I've been seeing my chiro regularly throughout, but had to miss several weeks between travelling and her having a baby. Since I've been going back, it has really not even helped. I have had bad pelvic pain (SI joints, SPD, etc) in each pregnancy, but this has topped them all! It's been so bad I could literally barely walk.

So I finally went to a massage therapist that I'd been very happy with before and my MW also recommended. She did a lot of work on ligaments, etc., but also discovered that my coccyx is misaligned - i.e., crooked. I mentioned it to my chiro today (in hopes maybe she can fix it?) and she suggested I could've broken it during my last birth (an HBAC).

So, my questions...

1. How would one know if they broke their coccyx (tailbone) during labor? What kind of pain is generally associated with it? I had a lot of discomfort in my tailbone after that birth, but it was a more dull, extremely achy kind of pain - not anything sharp.

2. What kind of positions are most likely to contribute to a broken coccyx? I labored all over but ended up delivering on my back, basically. Would that be a factor?

3. If, in fact, one has a broken coccyx, what can be expected of subsequent births? Is it likely to impede birth? Or being already broken, might things actually go faster? Are there certain positions that are generally better for dealing with birth with a misaligned/broken coccyx?

4. Anything else to know about it? Is it common to have a misaligned coccyx even without a break? Is this something I should actively work to have "fixed" before labor, or just leave it be?

Thanks for any input!

[Zoo Loo Naturals]

I broke mine when I was a kid falling on it while roller skating. It healed weird and was a hindrance in my first birth which ended in a c-sec. In my subsequent vaginal birth it re broke. I was in a semi-sitting position, right on it. Baby had no trouble just barreling on through. It was very painful for a few days to sit on it. A inner achy pain in my butt. My other births have been unaffected by it. It must have re healed in an OK position.

During birth the coccyx is rather movable. Swinging out of the way of the descending head. And upright position is best to facilitate that. Or forward leaning. Your anal sphincter is connected to this and there are nerve bundles that come from those last few vertebrae. I think these bones heal well and quickly, for obvious reasons. I also believe it's very important that things are in alignment.

Delivering on your back is absolutely an factor. Sometimes midwives are known to put direct pressure on the broken joint after birth to help put things back into place. I know of some reports where this brought the moms immediate and full relief.

[sevenkids]

Mine broke when I was kneeling on the floor, my head and upper body on the bed. But finally after 5 1/2 hours of pushing, my OP, brow presenting, 15 1/2 inch headed 9.8 pound baby was born. Whew!
The fracture made a resounding "CRACK!" heard by all present.

For three days I was immobilized, couldn't walk, could'nt turn over, without excruciating, breath-taking, seeing-stars pain. My midwife tried to put pressure on it to push it back in place, but it hurt so much I made her stop. Our family doc finally came to see me on the third day, gave me a muscle relaxant and a huge pain killer, stuck a gloved finger in my butt, and replaced the coccyx, bound me up tight with an Ace bandage. It was about 2-3 weeks before I could walk well (just about the same time I got mastitis!), and months before the dull ache went away.
This was my fifth baby.
I almost missed the birth of my sixth, it happened so fast and without any contractions I could feel, she literally fell out. And my seventh was OP, but he was born in under 3 hours and 1 push.

I don't think it's the kind of pain you can miss, honestly. If it had broken during your birth, you would have known. And if it had broken, it would be healed by now, so fixing it may involve re-breaking it. It's more likely to have been knocked out of place a bit, and that you can work on. Do you wear a support belt? A nice wide belly belt is a tremendous help for pelvic pain and discomfort since it keeps the weight of the baby centered inside your pelvis and not pulling on your ligaments.