The tailbone (or coccyx) is the small, triangular bone at the bottom of the spine. A tailbone bruise can cause pain and swelling in the area and trouble sitting and doing activities that put pressure on the tailbone (such as riding a bike or doing certain yoga poses).

A tailbone bruise usually gets better with basic home care, but it can take up to 2 months.

For 2–3 days, to help with pain and swelling:

• Have your child avoid any activities that cause a lot of pain. Things like walking, swimming, and sitting for a short time should be OK. They should be able to go to school, but you might need to work with the school nurse so your child can take breaks and/or bring a cushion to school for sitting.
• To make sitting more comfortable, your child can:
  • Tilt the pelvis forward when sitting so the pressure is on their "sit bones" (the bones in the buttocks) instead of on the tailbone.
  • Sit on a donut or wedge-shaped cushion that has a cutout around the tailbone area.
  • Lean to the side so that the weight is on one buttock. They should switch sides often.
  • Avoid soft couches and chairs. 
• Place ice wrapped in a towel on the tailbone for about 20 minutes several times a day. Do not put ice directly on the skin.

Follow your health care provider's advice for:

• Giving your child acetaminophen (Tylenol^® or a store brand) or ibuprofen (Advil^®, Motrin^®, or a store brand) as needed for pain. Follow the directions on the label for how much to give and how often.
• Any movement exercises or stretches your child should do and any activities to avoid.
• Proper sitting posture, which can help with tailbone pain. Kids should sit with their back and neck straight, shoulders back, and knees bent. Their weight should rest on their "sit bones," not their tailbone.
• When it's OK to try a heating pad and massage (usually after any swelling goes down).
• Helping your child be at a healthy weight (carrying extra weight can make tailbone pain worse).
• Whether your child should go to a bone doctor (orthopedist), sports medicine doctor, or physical therapist.
• When your child should follow up.

Adding activities:

• If your health care provider says it's OK, your child can gradually increase activities after about 2–3 days of taking it easy. At first, they can try stretching and activities like walking and swimming. If they have no pain, they can continue to add more activities and training.
• If your child has increased pain or swelling, they have probably tried to do too much. They should stop the activity they're doing and take a rest or switch to a less intense activity.
• Talk to your health care provider if you're not sure which activities your child should do.

Your child has: 

• pain or swelling that gets worse or doesn't go away in a month or two
• changes in their bowel movements (poops) or pain with bowel movements
• pain that completely prevents them from walking or sitting
• pain that prevents them from going to school

Your child has:

• numbness or tingling in the legs or feet 
• trouble walking

What does the tailbone do? The tailbone is made of several smaller bones joined together, and has muscles, ligaments, and tendons attached to it. It helps support the body when sitting.

How do tailbone bruises happen? In kids, they usually happen after a fall onto their tailbone, a hit near the tailbone (for example, in contact sports), or from doing repeated activities (like riding a bike, going down a water slide, or doing certain yoga poses).