Can anyone tell me what are common side effects with a tail bone injury?

Sounds more like a possible concussion did you bump your head?

Tail bone’s hurt when they are broke. It’s excrucitating to sit down.

When I was about seven, I fell about six feet, straight down, and landed on my tailbone. (I was climbing up a doorway and felt like it was a good idea to show my brother how I could remove both my hands and feet from the doorposts and put them back before falling. It didn’t work.)
I had similar symptoms the rest of the day (I fell in the early morning). People said I possibly had a concussion, although I never bumped my head. I suppose it’d be possible to feel a back injury in your head if you damaged the wrong nerve…

I broke my tailbone once and felt sick like that for a while. I think its a shock reaction rather than concussion. It was very uncomfortable to sit down for a week or two, and for years afterwards it would twinge in cold weather.

You might want to see a doctor to see if X-rays are called for. Ice it.

It’s probably a concussion.
I’ve had one while falling down while doing a jump in skating. It hurts. Had a headache, nausea, and sometimes vomiting. I hope you feel better. If not, go to the doctor ASAP!
Best of luck,
Kimchi

The most common symptoms of tailbone trauma (ouch!) are headaches, back pain, cramps, constipation, and bruising.

You may want to ice it, and avoid putting any pressure on it for 24 hours, if at all possible. Meaning, sleep on your tummy, read on your tummy, watch TV on your tummy… Even laying on your side can put a little pressure on that troublesome little bone. If you can find a “butt donut,” get one. Those things are wonderful for bruised/broken tailbones.

If you notice extreme swelling, or anything that makes you feel uneasy, go to your doc or hospital to take a look.

@kimchi I don’t think she’d have a concussion from landing on her butt. I guess it could some sort of impact trajectory concussion type thing…. but that seems doubtful.

I went out of my office two days before Christmas a few years ago on a 32 degree day with a light rain. Guess what happened when I hit the first step outside. I shattered my collarbone and was out for a few. I got the collarbone taken care of but my balance was off, my stomach
was all acidy, and my mind was dull. I didn’t reach up and touch my head for a few days, and it was really sore. The doctor said concussion. My brain was dull until May. The time I did my tailbone gave me trouble with walking, especially stairs, and sitting. Nothing else. It’ll be sore for six weeks.

Your tailbone is also called your coccyx. I broke mine when I was in college and it hurt like hell. The doctor said there’s nothing that can be done for it, since you can’t put a cast on it, since it’s buried in your back/butt. I remember not only did it hurt to sit down for a few weeks, but it hurt to stand up, roll over in bed, everything. Terrible pain.

It sounds like you might have broken it. The doctors can’t do anything for it, except recognize it and give you pain medicine. It’s a good idea to get it checked out.
Among the things you will need to do is get a special pillow for sitting, and use stool softeners.

I got a pilonoidal cyst at the base of the coccyx when I had a hard fall skiing. It needed a few stitches, but it stayed open until it was mended.

@Sunny2
You just made me not wanna go skiing tomorrow. I’m going skiing… tomorrow!!!!!!! But yep, I might have a hard fall too.

Thank you all for your replies. I posted the question and didn’t come back to the computer because I was in no mood to sit down and read with my stomach still feeling ill and my brain feeling dull as well. My stomach and head are better but my tailbone (coccyx) is really sore today. I was worried about a possible concussion because it felt like my brain got bashed about inside. I actually hit a few steps as I fell but my head never made contact, just my rear.
I think I now know (a little) how a shaken baby may feel like. Its a horrible experience for the brain.

As a future warning to anyone, never wear socks when going down steps.
The socks do stick to the steps with carpet but doesn’t stick inside your foot to keep you from slipping.
@downtide I do think it is as you suggest. I think it shocked me and left me feeling shaken for some time.

Busting your ass. Not pleasant. If you are worried, see a doctor. But otherwise, in my experience, a tailbone bruise, unless you’ve broken or fractured something, heals in time. It does really hurt though and pain and injury can cause headaches and nausea. I busted my ass, bruised my tailbone ice skating once, as a kid… man that ice is hard! It made me sick for a while and hurt like hell but I recovered.

I did exactly what you did a few years ago and wow the pain shot into my head. I didn’t seek help at all, until a year after, when it was apparent is was cracked. The surgeon wanted to remove it, but I declined. At the time it was so sore I could not drive sit or do anything. I used a hole cushion. I survived!

You may want to ice it, and avoid putting any pressure on it for 24 hours, if at all possible.

Even if it’s fractured, there really isn’t anything the medical profession can do for you except prescribe painkillers, if OTC ones aren’t helping. If the pain doesn’t start to ease off over the next few days though, then you should go to the hospital. If you experience any pain higher up in your spine, go immediately.

All better now. Thank you all for your replies.