Platelet-rich Plasma for Refractory Coccydynia: A Case Report

Introduction: Coccydynia is a common syndrome characterized by pain localized to the tailbone that radiates into the lower sacrum and perinium. Coccydynia affects female patients more frequently than male patients. It occurs more commonly after direct trauma from fall directly onto the coccyx. The pain is caused commonly by the strain of sacrococcygeal ligament or fracture of the coccyx and less commonly secondary to arthritis. Conservative treatment of coccydynia include simple analgesics and foam donut to prevent irritation to sacrococcygeal ligament. If pain persist, usually ganglion impar block and radiofrequency are alterative options. There are no strong evidence to support coccygectomy. Case Report: A 40-year-old presented with coccygeal pain for more than six months. The patient was seen at the pain clinic in Prince Sultan Military Medical City after failure of conservative and multiple steroid injections followed by radiofrequency therapy. We discussed with the patient a trial of a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection into the sacrococcygeal ligament under fluoroscopic guidance with full details endorsed to the patient including the risks and benefits of the procedures and informed consent signed before the injection. Pain severity score was taken before and about one month after each injection. The patient received a total of three PRP injections. Result: The patient reported about 30%, 70%, and 85% pain reduction after the first, second, and third injection, respectively. At six months, the patient continued to experience the same level of reduced pain without the use of regular pain medications. Conclusion: PRP can be considered as an option for the treatment of patients with refractory coccydynia.

Update options in the treatment of coccydina(tail bone pain): article review

This literature review is intended to provide oversight on the anatomy, incidence, etiology, presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of coccydynia. Relevant articles were retrieved with PubMed using keywords such as “coccydynia”, “coccyx”, “coccyx pain”, and “coccygectomy. Literature accumulated for this study was accumulated from PubMed using sourcombined to form this study. Images were also added from three separate sources to aid in the understanding of the coccyx and coccydynia. Focal points of this study included the anatomy of the coccyx, etiology and presentation of coccydynia, how to properly diagnose coccydynia, and possible treatments for the variety of etioloces. The coccyx morphology is defined using different methods by different authors as presented in this study. There is no conclusive quantitative data on the incidence of coccydynia; however, there are important factors that lead to increased risk of coccydynia such as obesity, age, and female gender. Injury to the coccyx or coccygeal joints with surrounding tissue inflammation and contraction of the muscles attached to the coccyx causes coccydynia. Diagnosis is made predominantly in clinical examinations with static standard radiographs, CT, and routine blood tests. Treatment options include conservative care, physical therapy, intrarectal massage and manipulation, sacrococcygeal injections (including ganglion impar block), and coccygectomy. Many cases are resolved with conservative treatments, despite the wide array of etiologies for the diagnosis. In more extreme cases, physician intervention requires a multidisciplinary approach. Surgical treatment is used as a last resort.