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People working the 9 to 5 desk jobs will resonate with the fact that their back and tailbone region need severe tending to. Constant sitting does put extreme pressure on the tailbone, causing it to get inflamed at times and cause pain. Knowing about the stretches for tailbone pain can help manage the condition for the better.
Stretching and yoga does have immense impacts on the body and overall health and prevents the risks associated with the discomfort and pain in the tailbone too.
[ Also Read: Yoga Benefits for Health & Better Postures ]
In here, we are going to share some of the best exercises for tailbone pain that can provide with immediate relief.
Stretches to relieve tailbone pain
It is very important that you never overdo anything with your body because that can take a turn for the worse. If you are working on your body, you are going to know your limits. While it is okay to challenge yourself in other fields, the same isn’t very clever when you are doing it to your bruised body parts.
[Related : 10 Minutes Morning Yoga to Kick Start your Day ]
Some of the most popular yoga poses to help tailbone pain include:
1. Single leg knee hug
One of the very best options when it comes to stretches for tailbone pain is to opt for the single leg knee hug. This is considered one of the best as it helps stretch the tailbone and even provides with better stability to the backbone and reduces the inflammation, if any.
[ Related: How to Get Stronger Legs ]
It targets the piriformis and iliopsoas muscles. These two muscles, when they become stiff, do have the ability to reduce mobility and even cause inflammation and pain.
How to do?
- Start by laying yourself down on your back on the yoga mat on the ground
- Extend your legs outwards, keeping them straight and stretched out
- Once done, bend the knee of your right leg and bring it towards your chest
- Using your hands, hold the knee close to the chest
- Hold the position for 30 seconds
- Release your leg and unfold gradually
- Do the same with the other leg too
How many times?
- 10 reps with each leg
2. Sun Bird pose – Chakravasana
Yet another one of the best exercises for tailbone pain that can help promote relief for the tailbone pain and even reduce the risks of constant discomfort. It also helps in strengthening the muscles around the back and the coccyx region, helping provide better stability to the backbone and the spine in general.
[ Related : 3 Simple Yoga to relieve Back pain ]
How to do?
- Start the pose by placing the yoga mat on the ground and then sitting atop that on all your fours
- Keep your wrists positioned just below your shoulders and the knees placed underneath the hips simultaneously
- Once done, inhale deeply and gradually lift your right leg first
- Extend it straight behind you so it is parallel to the ground
- With the leg up in the air, extend your left arm in the air as well
- While exhaling, fold your knees and bring them towards the chest, simultaneously pushing your forehead towards the knee
- Once done, inhale again and return to the initial position
- Switch to the other leg and do the same again
How many times?
- 5 reps with each leg
3. The Locust – Shalabhasana
If you have been looking into several yoga for tailbone pain, the Shalabhasana is one of the most popular and effective poses available. It does have direct impacts in helping strengthen the leg and the pelvic muscles, thus helping promote faster recovery in no time. It also encourages a good posture, further helping round with the overall health.
How to do?
- Start by placing a yoga mat on the ground
- Lay down on it facing down on your chest
- Place the chin on the ground, and calm and collect yourself for a few seconds first
- Once done, put your hands under your abdomen, keeping the palms facing down under your thighs
- Inhale deeply and put pressure on the palms on the floor and simultaneously raise your legs back, keeping them straight as they are
- Hold your breath and stay in that elevated position for a few seconds
- Once done, exhale and come back to the initial position again
- If possible and comfortable, you can also extend your palms and stay elevated with pressure on just the chest but this needs a lot of practice
How many times?
- 10 reps with intervals halfway
4. Child’s Pose – Balasana
Balasana or the Child’s pose is yet another one of the effective stretches for tailbone pain that work wonders. If you have been struggling to keep your tailbone pain and just about any hip pain in check, this exercise can help relieve the pain and inflammation. It stretches the back muscles, helping improve mobility.
How to do?
- Place a yoga mat on the ground and sit atop it on your hands and knees
- Keep your knees a little wider in comparison to your hips
- Make sure that your toes are close and touching each other
- Push your hips backwards along your heel and bend your knees simultaneously.
- Once comfortable, you can stretch out your arms forward and bring your head forward towards the ground
- Keep your head places in between your hands
- Once done, you can easily hold this position for 15 seconds or more, if you are comfortable
- Gradually return back to the initial position once done
- Don’t rush and be gentle with the retraction
[ Also Read: Best 5 Yoga Asanas for Beginners ]
How many times?
- 3-5 reps each
5. Clam Shells
As weird as the name of the exercise might sound, Clam shells are considered one of the best exercises to relieve tailbone pain in no time. It is predominantly a core exercise and helps in strengthening the muscles on the side of the hips. It has also been found to help take the excess pressure off of the tailbone, thus helping further.
How to do?
- Start by spreading a yoga mat on the ground
- Once done, lay down on your sideways and keep your legs stacked one on top of the other
- Keep your knees bent at a 45 degree angle as well
- Fold your left arm at the elbows and rest your head on your palms
- Use your top arm to place on your hips to keep your body steady and in a constant position
- Don’t dislodge your feet and in the meantime, raise your upper knee as much as your body permits
- Don’t overexert and also ensure that you don’t move your lower leg
- Hold the position of the upper leg in the air for 2-3 seconds and bring it back to the initial position
- Do 10 reps on one side and then switch the sides and repeat the same steps
How many times?
- 10 reps on each side
6. Kneeling psoas stretch
If you don’t want to overexert yourself with the tailbone pain and the discomfort, we would suggest that you opt for the kneeling psoas stretch. It targets the iliacus and psoas muscles and strengthens them to further promote better mobility and reduces the pain as well. It also helps the flexing of the hip muscles to further reduce the pain you are experiencing.
How to do?
- Start by placing a yoga mat on the ground
- Kneel on the yoga mat and keep a chair by your side for support
- Extend one leg in the front, making a perpendicular with the ground
- Put the hand on the side of the lying leg on the ground on your hips for improved stability
- Keep your chest upright and tightened for better results
- Tucking your pelvis, it is time that your move your hips forward slightly and gradually
- Hold that position for 10-20 seconds, depending on your comfort
- Once done, return to the kneeling position and do the same thing with the other leg
How many times?
- 10 reps with each leg
7. Side Angle pose – Parsvakonasana
The side angle pose is yet another one that is considered fruitful when it comes to the exercises for tailbone pain. It strengthens and lengthens the side profile of the body all the while helping strengthen the legs too. It also triggers and activates the entire spine, further helping reduce the pain and the inflammation in the tailbone.
How to do?
- Start with a yoga mat on the ground and stand at one end of the mat
- Once done, put the right leg a little behind you
- Bend your front knee, ensuring to not overdo it beyond the ankles as it can end up causing you to slip and fall
- Inhale deeply and stretch your arms on either side of the body, keeping them parallel to the ground
- Exhale again and then bend left elbow and lower your torso to ensure that your forearm is touching your thigh
- Simultaneously, extend your right arm towards the sky
- Hold this posture for 5-10 seconds
- Return back to the original position once done
- Repeat with the other leg too
How many times?
- 10 reps on either side
8. Cobra pose – Bhujangasana
Yet another one of the best yoga poses to help tailbone pain is with bhujangasana. It helps reduce the issues with digestion and at the same time, stretches out the back and hip muscles. It also helps improve the overall flexibility of the muscles, further helping promote better mobility.
How to do?
- Start by laying out the yoga mat and lying down on it on your chest with your face down
- Take your arms back and hug it at the elbow
- Press the top of your chest and the thighs as well as the pubic region to the ground
- Start by inhaling deeply and putting pressure, lift your torso off the ground
- Don’t overexert and only bend till a height that you deem comfortable enough for you
- Keep your body parts firm and don’t lift the other parts of the body off the ground
- Distribute the pressure evenly throughout the hips and the back
- Hold this pose for 15-20 seconds
- Return to the initial position again while exhaling
How many times?
- 10 reps
9. Cat Cow Stretch
Yet another one of the popular stretches for tailbone pain is the cat cow stretch which has amazing benefits in reducing the tailbone pain and the back pain as well. It helps loosen the muscles in the back that could be in a contracted state, thus causing the pain. It also helps alleviate the pain by taking off the excess pressure off of the back.
How to do?
- Start with a yoga mat on the ground and sit atop it on your hands and knees
- Inhale deeply and push your stomach a little towards the ground
- Simultaneously, look up towards the ceiling, causing a stretch around the hips
- While exhaling, bring back your torso and pull it a little upwards this time, causing a curve around the neck
- This time, look down at your feet instead of the ceiling
How many times?
- 10 reps each
10. Triangle pose – Trikonasana
Last but not the least on the list of the best exercises to relieve tailbone pain is by doing the triangle pose. It helps in strengthening the muscles and stabilizes the overall spine and backbone. It also restores the flexibility around the back, especially the tailbone region.
How to do?
- Start by placing a yoga mat on the ground and standing on top of it
- Keep your legs wide apart in a comfortable stance
- Once done, turn your right foot to a perpendicular, bending slightly at the left foot too
- Inhale and while doing so, bend your body to the right ensuring to not move the waist around
- Simultaneously, stretch your left arm ensuring it is in the air
- Ensure that your arms form a straight line along the shoulder
- Make sure that while doing this, the body is bent sideways without any distortions
- Stretch at this position as much as possible while inhaling deeply
- Hold that position for a few seconds
- Once done, release the pose gradually while exhaling and then return to the initial pose
- Do this with the other leg too
How many times?
- 10 reps on either side
If you have been on the lookout for the best stretches for tailbone pain, we have sorted out some of the best one around. It is quite important that you practice them safely without causing any kind of overexertion on the muscles and the body. We hope these help reduce the inflammation and the pain that you might be experiencing.
