Asanas relieving pain in the coccyx and sacrum
Exactly a week before the start of my 200hrs YTT, I had a very bad fall. I slipped and landed directly onto my tailbone. The pain was excruciating! I couldn’t move for the next 20min, just sitting there, breathing very hard, and whincing in pain.
Eventually I managed to waddle in pain and misery to my favourite Dr Mao. Dr Mao prescribed me painkillers plus anti-swelling meds. The painkiller was God-sent. I happily trotted around the house with little pain after consuming it.
For the next 5 days, I took my medication religiously. Hoping that whatever the impact had done to my tailbone will recover soon (Although the doctor did mention that it will take MONTHS for it to heal). My sacrum was very stiff for many days, and I waded like a duck still, along with it. I also took x-ray of my tailbone. X-ray indicated that there is irregularity in my sacrum, and the tailbone had shifted slightly to the left. (Although a subsequent visit to the bone specialist confirmed that there was a crack on my tailbone!) I made a mental note to take painkiller on each day of the YTT training.
On the very 1st day of the training, despite having consumed the painkiller, BOY! THE PAIN WAS STILL EXCRUCIATING. IT HURT LIKE HELL. EXPECIALLY DURING DOWNWARD DOG. I had to sit slowly on my sides, or move in a certain speed, in order not to aggravate the pain felt. I could not do many of the asanas due to the pain from my injuries (new and old). This pain went on for many sessions in my YTT.
Feeling lousy and dejected about my lousy abilities and zero body awareness, I searched through the internet for relief method for my tailbone pain. I found out that yoga asanas can loosen and bring suppleness of feeling back to the tailbone region. Cardiovasulur and abdominal exercises are excellent for reducing pain in the tailbone, simply by toning the muscles that surround it. Examples of poses that relieves pain in my coccyx, are Tadasana, Marjoriasana, and Balasana.
Other than the 3 mentioned asanas, there are also some exercises which are recommended for sacrum and coccyx pain, involving lower back, hips and buttocks. The best part? Some of the asanas does the same recommended movement!

    Asanas with Forward and backward bends

– Uttanasana
– Padangusthasana
– Padahastasana
– Prasarita Padottanasana A,B,C,D
– Setu bandha Sarvangasana
– Urdhva Dhanurasana

    Asanas with back twists

– Parivritta Trikonasana
– Parivreitta Parsvakonasana
– Marichyasana C,D
– Resting spinal twist
The next time, if anyone were to be so unfortunate and falls and injures the tailbone (though I really hope NOT), do try out the asanas. It will still hurt ALOT initially, but the pain will subside eventually.
XOXO,
Anna Hee, 200hrs YTT, weekend
credits: chinese-holistic-health-exercises.com, dreamingyoga.wordpress.com