People with a bruised or broken tailbone experience painful symptoms that significantly affect their lives. Pain, bruising, and swelling may prevent you from working, getting restful sleep, or spending time with loved ones. Additionally, healing times can disrupt your lifestyle or routine for several weeks to months or longer.
If you suffer a tailbone injury in a fall, car crash, or other accident caused by another person, you may qualify to recover damages. Understanding the injury and your legal options can help you take the necessary steps to claim compensation. Our personal injury lawyers explain what you need to know about tailbone injuries.
Differences Between a Bruised and Broken Tailbone
While bruised and broken tailbones are both painful injuries, they are not quite the same. How do you know if you bruised or broke your tailbone? How long does it take for a broken or bruised tailbone to heal? From causes to recovery times, here are the key differences.
Bruised Tailbone
A tailbone is bruised when there is trauma to the very bottom of the spine, causing swelling, inflammation, or damage to the tissues and surrounding blood vessels. However, there is no fracture or break in the tailbone.
These injuries are often caused by:
- Falling onto a hard surface
- Impact during sports or other physical activity
- Strain from prolonged periods of sitting
- Repetitive activities that put pressure on the tailbone
- Excessive weight or obesity
- Pressure from childbirth
Bruised tailbone pain is described as tenderness and discomfort between the buttocks at the spine’s base. The pain may worsen while sitting on a hard surface, after getting up from sitting, or when moving around. With proper rest and pain management, a bruised coccyx may take about four weeks to heal.
Broken Tailbone
A broken tailbone or fractured coccyx is a more serious injury that involves a break in one of the small bones at the end of the spine. Tailbone fractures can be very painful, causing a sharp ache that limits movement until fully healed.
Common causes of broken tailbones include:
- A serious backward fall onto the tailbone
- An accident that leads to a direct blow to the tailbone
- Impact sports or recreational activity injuries
- Repetitive motions that cause friction on the bone
- Coccyx fracture from childbirth
In many cases, a broken tailbone will heal on its own in two to three months if you follow your doctor’s directions to support the healing process. However, some people need steroid injections, physical therapy, or surgery to treat a broken tailbone successfully. You can also talk to your doctor about lowering your risks of tailbone injury to prevent further issues.
Symptoms of Tailbone Injuries
Although everyone is different, and symptoms may vary from person to person, there are common issues associated with a bruised or broken tailbone. Coccyx injuries typically cause the following symptoms:
- Extreme pain and discomfort
- Difficulty sitting or standing
- Pain while urinating or during bowel movements
- Discomfort or pain during sexual intercourse
- Numbness or tingling in the tailbone area when sitting
- Visible bruising or swelling around the coccyx
- Aching in the lower back
Relieving Tailbone Injury Symptoms
Pain, tenderness, and general discomfort are the most significant effects felt by people who suffer a tailbone injury. The pain is often felt most when sitting on a hard surface or for long periods of time. You may also find it difficult to walk or move around.
Your doctor may recommend tips to help reduce tailbone pain or coccydynia, such as:
- Leaning forward while sitting to take pressure off the tailbone
- Using a rounded foam cushion
- Applying ice or heat to the tailbone area
- Taking ibuprofen or other over-the-counter pain medication
- Sleeping on your stomach or side rather than your back
- Avoiding anything that puts pressure on the coccyx
Diagnosis of Tailbone Injuries
Receiving the right diagnosis for your tailbone injury will help you get the proper treatment for a successful recovery. Seeking medical attention also creates documentation of the injury, which can have a significant impact on any legal action you take.
Medical Evaluation Process
When you see your doctor for a broken or bruised tailbone, they will conduct an examination to evaluate the injury and determine how to move forward. During this process, medical professionals may complete these steps:
- A discussion about your symptoms, pain level, and location of the pain
- A visual inspection of the area to look for bruising and swelling
- Asking you to hold different positions to observe the angle of your coccyx
- A rectal exam to feel the tailbone’s position or movement
- Imaging tests to identify fractures or other tailbone damage
Imaging Tests and Their Significance
Your doctor may order imaging tests to accurately diagnose a broken coccyx. Generally, an X-ray can provide enough details to find a fracture and determine its severity. In other cases, a computerized tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan is necessary.
Medical imaging is crucial when diagnosing a tailbone fracture for several reasons. First, it allows the doctor to locate the issue and rule out other causes of the pain. It also shows how bad the fracture is and what course of treatment is best.
In addition to their medical significance, these images can be used as evidence if you decide to bring a legal claim against the party responsible for the broken or bruised tailbone. You could potentially recover compensation for damages, including the pain and suffering caused by the injury.
Legal Considerations of Tailbone Injuries
Although some tailbone injuries are unavoidable, others are caused by another person’s negligence. When you suffer a bruised or broken tailbone because of somebody else’s careless or reckless actions, you may deserve compensation for your losses. You can file a personal injury claim to seek damages and hold the responsible party accountable.
Understanding Personal Injury Claims
A personal injury claim is a civil lawsuit filed by an injury victim who suffered financial, physical, or emotional losses. However, you must prove all elements of negligence to bring a successful claim, including:
- Duty: First, you must show that the party that caused the injury had a legal duty to you. For example, other drivers on the road have a duty to operate their vehicles safely and obey traffic laws.
- Breach of Duty: You then need to prove that the person failed in their duty. In our example, another driver may have failed to stay within the speed limit, breaching their duty to follow the rules of the road.
- Causation: Next, you must connect the breach of duty with your injury. If you can show that the driver’s speeding was a cause of a rear-end collision that led to your bruised or broken tailbone, you may qualify to receive compensation.
- Damages: Lastly, there must be damages that resulted from your injury, such as medical expenses, emotional distress, or disfigurement.
Factors Influencing Average Settlement Amounts
The amount you can claim in your personal injury lawsuit will depend on the extent of your damages. The more severe your injury, the more significant your expenses and other financial losses are likely to be. Additionally, the value of your pain and suffering will be higher with serious injuries that affect your quality of life.
Types of Damages You Can Pursue
If you decide to take legal action for your tailbone injury, you can seek compensation for economic and non-economic damages, including:
- Medical bills
- Cost of future medical care
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Disfigurement
Filing a Claim After a Tailbone Injury
When another person’s negligence leads to your broken or bruised tailbone, it can be a difficult time. While you’re dealing with a painful recovery, you may also face expensive medical bills and an inability to work and support your family. A skilled personal injury lawyer can help you file a legal claim to demand compensation and get back on your feet.
Steps to Take Immediately After the Injury
After a tailbone injury, it’s vital to take the right steps to support your health, recovery, and possible lawsuit. Here’s what you can do to help:
- Try not to move if it causes sharp pain.
- Call for immediate medical assistance.
- If possible, take pictures or video of what may have caused the accident.
- Collect contact information from witnesses.
- See your doctor as soon as possible for a diagnosis and treatment plan.
- Follow your doctor’s instructions to help your tailbone heal.
- Document your symptoms and experiences during your recovery.
Documenting Your Injury and Its Impact
Detailed documentation of your coccyx injury and how it impacts your life is also essential. This will help to show the extent of your injury when you file your claim. One way to do this is to keep a journal that records your experience during the healing process. You will also want to gather medical records, witness statements, and other documentation to support your claim.
Tips for Successfully Filing Your Claim
To help your claim be successful, find an experienced injury attorney who can handle the claims process from start to finish, including:
- Gathering evidence to build your case
- Speaking with witnesses
- Identifying and valuing your damages
- Negotiating a settlement with the insurance company
- Making sure you file within the statute of limitations deadline for your state
- Taking your case to court when necessary
Choosing the Right Attorney for Your Case
Filing a personal injury lawsuit can feel overwhelming without the help of a legal professional who has experience with claims like yours. If you injured your tailbone in an accident, contact Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation. Our trusted personal injury team will discuss your case and explain how we can help you take legal action.