Health Topics Web

The coccyx is the last part of your backbone. Many people also call it a “tailbone” but the true medical name is a coccyx. This nickname makes sense though, because it is basically the remnants of what was once our tail before we lost it. In humans, there are still many muscles attached to this bone.

Pain is sometimes felt in this bone, normally through injury. Women can also injure this bone during childbirth. Usually, this is only mild pain and general painkillers are enough.

Personally, I have had this pain myself a few months ago after falling whilst sitting. I had a mild pain lasting for a few days which eventually went away.

If your pain is much worse or does not go away then I would advise speaking to the doctor. The problem itself could be a number of things and only a medical professional can diagnose it.

One thing to remember is that this bone is actually fragmented in most people so if a doctor examines you and diagnoses a “fracture”, they may actually be misdiagnosing the true cause of your problem. This is because the coccyx is not a single bone but actually a number of small vertebrae that are fused together.

Again, the main thing is to see your doctor of medical professional if the pain does not start to go away within a couple of days. Unfortunately, some people have to live with the pain and a true fracture does not heal as well as e.g. a leg or an arm.

In these cases, the most important thing is to manage the pain effectively.

If you have chronic back pain then you may want to check out this site: Cure Back Pain.

In simple terms, psychosomatic pain is pain that is “in the mind” only and not in response to e.g. a sharp object or inflammation.

Before we even look at this further, there is a lot of evidence to support the idea that our own brains can trick us.

Evidence

In hypnosis, pain can either be created out of nothing or even relieved. This can happen regardless of any external stimulus.

All drugs are tested in double-blind placebo trials because it is a well known fact that many people take a pill and actually cure themselves, rather than the drug being responsible.

There are a great many illnesses that are made worse or even exist in the first place depending on how anxious the patient is.

Examples

You may have a recurrent pain that you get maybe once per year in the same part of the body. It could be entirely meaningless. I would always advise you to investigate it first, just in case, but there are many cases of people who sometimes get strange pains for absolutely no reason.

More commonly, psychomatic pain is seen in people who have anxieties, especially those who are anxious about their health. The fear of the pain is seen to cause the problem to be self fulfilling, even if there is no root problem that is causing the pain.

Treatment

Again, I must reiterate that any pain that you are worried about should be investigated by your doctor.

There are some people who have chronic pain for which there is no explanation and the investigation reveals nothing. In these cases, there are 2 approaches.

One is to take pain relieving drugs or treatments such as analgesics. Anti-inflammatories are unlikely to have any effect.

The other is to try and address the mental issue. There are many approaches to this such as hypnosis, antidepressant drugs and therapy.

Migraine symptoms are extreme and much more painful than a regular headache. Could you have the symptoms of a migraine? Read on and find out more.

Migraine sufferers can suffer different types of symptoms but they usually have a lot in common too. Regularly, people will talk about nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound, the headache of course and more.

In some severe cases there can even be a mild form of paralysis. Sometimes, the person with a migraine knows that it is commin on because they see an aura or a strange light effect. Other people just experience an indescribable “feeling” that the migraine is approaching.

Unfortunately, because of their pain and suffering, people with migraine symptoms are more likely to suffer from anxiety and long term depression. It’s important to get the proper treatment available to manage your condition.

There are many drugs available and even natural treatments. For instance, a program of learning how to contract the appropriate muscles and control your breathing can enhance blood flow and reduce the symptoms of a migraine. Chinese medicine is also reported to help some people.

Otherwise, regular pain killing drug treatment such as anti-inflammatories are recommended to manage the symptoms of migraines.