Tailbone pain describes any discomfort around the upper buttocks, where the spine ends with the coccyx bone. Pain in the area can be caused by many things, most musculoskeletal in nature — with one particular exception.
Pilonidal disease is a skin condition that occurs in the tailbone area. It characteristically forms in the cleft near the top of the buttocks and pain symptoms may mimic bone, muscle, or connective tissue problems.
As pilonidal disease specialists, the team at Colorado Colon & Rectal Specialists in Parker, Colorado, led by Lisa A. Perryman, MD, FACS, FASCRS, provides treatment to banish pilonidal disease, a condition that unless treated effectively has a high risk of recurrence.
So, can you tell the difference between pilonidal disease and conventional tailbone pain? Yes, if you understand a bit about each condition. Let’s take a closer look.
Characteristic signs of coccydynia include pain that’s worse when you sit, lean backward, or stand from a sitting position. There’s no outside sign of a problem on the skin’s surface or soft tissue in the area as there is with pilonidal disease.
Common causes of coccydynia include:
Pilonidal cysts often start as an ingrown hair problem in the buttock cleft, near the tailbone. A skin pore becomes blocked and infected, and this infection becomes the source of pilonidal disease pain.
Symptoms of a pilonidal disease include:
You may develop an abscess or systemic fever if the pilonidal cyst isn’t treated in its early or intermediate stages.
The key distinguishing features between pilonidal disease and coccydynia are:
Dr. Perryman is a specialist in cleft lift surgery, the most effective treatment to prevent the recurrence of pilonidal disease. Find out more by making an appointment with Colorado Colon & Rectal Specialists. Call or click to book your visit today.
