Components of the SacroCoccygeal Examination

Physical findings:

  1. History: Have you suffered an injury to your coccyx at any time in your life?
  2. Range of motion: An S/C syndrome examination involves an intra-rectal assessment of coccyx segmental motion with a careful but firm pressure forwards and backward. The tailbone functions like a heavy spring. For this reason, it takes a good deal of pressure to determine if and to what degree the coccyx can move. Caution: only an experienced physician can insure a proper examination.
  3. Weakness: In approximately 90% of dislocated, broken, restricted or fractured tailbones a severe weakness will be present in the thigh(s). Most people will be unaware that the weakness is so severe. The internal or external thigh rotator muscles are most often affected. The hamstring is occasionally affected. The weakness ranges from 20-80%.
  4. Reduced spine and/or thigh flexibility: Many patients with fractured or broken tailbones will not be able to freely touch the floor, over even get close, when they stand with their feet together and with their knees locked. While bending over, measure the distance from your fingertips and the floor with a ruler. If after a few weeks of practice you still cannot reach the floor because your lower back and hamstrings are too chronically tight, you may have the S/C syndrome.

X-ray findings:

  1. A bent, hooked, displaced, misaligned, irregular, fractured, broken or otherwise injured appearance
    suggests that the tailbone may have lost its natural motion.
  2. Deterioration, degeneration, arthritis or fusion of one or more of the coccygeal joints.
  3. Absence of dislocation, fracture or arthritis does NOT mean that the coccygeal range of motion is normal. Only physical examination can determine if the coccyx is functioning abnormally. In other words, you can be affected by the SacroCoccygeal Syndrome even if your tailbone X-ray looks normal. You need not have broken, fractured or dislocated your coccyx to have lost the spring-like function that keeps you pain free. This fact is most responsible for tailbone injuries going undiagnosed.

Symptoms caused by restricted tailbone motion:

  1. Pain anywhere around the tailbone, hips, pelvis or lower back. Many coccygeal fractures or dislocations that impair the natural motion of the tailbone don’t cause pain directly at the tailbone, at least at first. Instead, the mechanical and neurologic problems caused by the dysfunctional tailbone, usually refer up, down or away from the tip of the spine.
  2. Inability to stand still or sit for long.
  3. A feeling of tension in the legs or back (often first diagnosed as sciatica, piriformis syndrome, chronic tension, chronic pelvic pain, restless leg syndrome, inadequate pelvimetry and many other conditions).

Summary

A safe and effective course of treatment is available. Most doctors are not yet aware of the SacroCoccygeal Syndrome or how best to treat it. This, with great probability, explains why you continue to suffer. If you have pain that cannot be explained and you have not had your tailbone range of motion fully tested, fill out the screening tool on and Dr. Kemper and his clinical team will review your history and symptoms to determine if you may be a good candidate for his evaluation and treatment.