Coccydynia: a woman's tail

Objective: to review the literature on coccydynia with specific reference to those cases of pregnancy and birth-related onset.

Method: databases (Medline, CINAHL, MIDIRS) were searched using the keywords coccydynia, coccygodynia, coccyx, spine, pelvis, injury, and trauma. The references contained within this review are those which give clear information about clinical cases and are least anecdotal.

Findings: much of the literature is of poor quality when judged by current standards. Where there is no other literature older references remain of interest. There is little information about incidence, prevalence, pathophysiology, methods of differential diagnosis and efficacy of treatment for these women. No qualitative data from women with pregnancy or birth-related coccydynia were identified.

Key conclusions and implications for practice: research into this topic needs to be undertaken if midwives are to be enabled to facilitate early diagnosis and provide care and advice for women with pregnancy and birth-related coccydynia.