Painful lump at the end of my spine

Dear Ask The Doctor: I recently hit my tailbone on a hard surface and since then have had a painful raised bump at the bottom of my back, just above the buttocks. It is very sore, and after many google searches all i have been able to find is that it could be a pidonal cyst or a boil. What could this be?

Dear Charly: The Coccyx pain (tailbone pain) after a trauma can frustrate patients and affect quality of life, but relief is possible. The coccyx serves as somewhat of a weight-bearing structure when a person is seated and bears more weight when the seated person is leaning backward; therefore, many patients with coccyx pain sit leaning forward.The conservative treatment includes: Myofascial release techniques (this is a type of deep massage) and local pain control modalities (TENS, local heat, anti-inflammatory medications). Injection with corticosteroids may be helpful in cases of focal inflammation at the sacrococcygeal joint (ex.: after local trauma and perhaps with degenerative changes at this site). The healing time is different for each particular patient. On the other hand, I will give you some information about the other part of the question regarding Pilonidal Cyst, this is an abnormal pocket originating in the skin that usually contains hair, skin debris and other abnormal tissue. A pilonidal cyst is almost always located near the tailbone at the top of the cleft of the buttocks. A pilonidal cyst may remain harmless. If it becomes infected, however, it will cause pain, inflammation and usually drainage of fluids. Most pilonidal cysts appear to be caused by loose hairs that penetrate the skin. Friction and pressure , skin rubbing against skin, tight clothing, bicycling, long periods of sitting or similar factors , force the hair down into skin. Responding to the hair as a foreign substance, the body creates a cyst around the hair.