Tailbone Pain and Cycling: 5 Solutions

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5 Ways to Help Prevent Tailbone Pain After Biking

If you already have tailbone pain, it’s important to take a break from activities that might make it worse, like cycling.

You can also take the following steps to help prevent or manage tailbone pain during future rides.

1. Explore Seat Types

Very hard seats increase pressure on the tailbone and risk bruising. It may seem that a highly cushioned seat is best for relieving pain while cycling.

But over-padding your saddle could do more harm than good by causing your coccyx to sink too far into the seat.

Instead, look for a bike seat that evenly supports your sit bones.

A seat that’s wider or features gel contours may also be more comfortable, depending on your body.

2. Consider Wearing Padded Bike Shorts

Your cycling shorts can provide muscle support and compression during a bike ride. They also provide padding for your butt. By investing in a pair of cycle shorts that feature a padded chamois, you can get rid of inner-leg chafing and enjoy a more-comfortable ride.

You may need to try a variety of bike shorts to find the pair that works best for you. Also, be aware that no rigorous studies have confirmed a link between these shorts and less coccyx pain.

3. Bridge Your Back

Try to limit time spent leaning back in your seat. The coccyx is the third leg of three bones that support your body weight in a seated position. Pain in this area typically gets worse when you lean back in a seated position.

Maintaining a neutral pelvis with forward rotation and avoiding slouching or arching your back flattens your lumbar spine and shifts weight onto proper support zones.

4. Rest Up, Then Take It Easy When You Come Back to Cycling

If you’re recovering from an injury, listen to your doctor’s advice on resting up and recovering, no matter how keen you are to jump back in the saddle.

Change up your training and rides to account for your sore tailbone. You could start by taking short rides on a level route and building up your rides’ distance and difficulty over time. You could also split rides: So, instead of doing a 60-minute journey, do half in the morning (30 minutes) and half later on.

That way, you can skip the second half if you feel any tailbone pain during the day. You’ll still have gotten a decent ride in the morning. By training and increasing ride lengths and speeds slowly, you can give your body time to heal.

5. Look After Tailbone Pain Between Rides

If you’ve gotten the go-ahead to cycle from your doctor, you can take steps while you’re working and moving around the house to relieve tailbone pain. These steps might include:

Take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which can reduce pain and swelling.
Sit on a donut- or wedged-shaped cushion to take the pressure off your tailbone.
Take hot baths to relax muscles and relieve pain.
Place hot or cold compresses against your lower back for around 20 to 30 minutes a few times a day.
If your tailbone hurts when you poop, use stool softeners to make going to the bathroom easier.

A doctor may prescribe treatments that can help you relieve tailbone pain, such as:

Rarely, a doctor may recommend surgery to remove part or all of the tailbone. Surgery may be an option if no other treatments have eased your tailbone pain.

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