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Ask HN: How to deal with coccyx pain while sitting?

• Jeremy1026 5y ago
  Convertible desk so you can spend some time standing and give your butt a rest.
• bookofjoe 5y ago
  Try this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DUYIOFU/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&aaxitk=6a4dcb55a3f5f39bd2871a81db708e68&hsa_cr_id=9587333840901&pd_rd_plhdr=t&pd_rd_r=e8b72ba6-5768-4417-a39a-aea0ea469420&pd_rd_w=vOh38&pd_rd_wg=lq4TV&ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_mcd_asin_0_img https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DUYIOFU/ref=redir_mobile_deskto... To sit on it (and not find yourself on the floor), the lower spine must constantly make microadjustments to keep you seated, preventing sustained direct force along any one vector. For years I used this raw version: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0875NM64Z/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&aaxitk=4a09b487bc9b968b6b587d31a7693f63&hsa_cr_id=7471360300401&pd_rd_plhdr=t&pd_rd_r=a29691cb-0546-4818-b767-73fd5c5164c4&pd_rd_w=t7SAY&pd_rd_wg=0CE4h&ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_mcd_asin_2_img https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0875NM64Z/ref=redir_mobile_deskto... but you may find it a bit too demanding at first.
• tofukid 5y ago
  Have you tried not sitting so much? Consider a standing desk and giving your butt a break sometimes.
• hannyaharamita 5y ago
  Is the seat pad a normal seat pad or a donut pad? If not the latter, worth a try, very helpful when I had a broken tailbone.
  • p0d 5y ago
    Donut, thanks.
• runawaybottle 5y ago
  If you work from home just lay on a bed or a couch.
• joshxyz 5y ago
  definitely a stretch but have you tried eating more healthily and exercising more consistently? i believe in addressing causes, not symptoms, and lack of activity in general causes a lot of our pain in our bodies.
  • p0d 5y ago
    Eat healthy and walk 3 miles every day.
• dingusthemingus 5y ago
  I had an issue like a year ago, luckily all is well now. I got a pilonatal cyst which is gross (dont google images of it) but it is a relativly common tailbone ailment caused by sitting to much and just being predisposed to it. Its also called Jeep butt, because soldiers in WW2 riding jeeps on bumps roads would get this issue commonly. Lifestyle changes ive made to try prevent from occuring in the future: -Walk around the block before work, -Walk around the block lunch break, -Long walk/run after work. -Weight loss -Dont hesitate to get up and walk around as often as you want (keep the blood pumping!) I dont sit on a chair at computer after work hours. I do on the weekends to program stuff, but monday-friday i dont sit at my computer after work, and il sit on couch rather than chair if i can on weekends. My issues really arose when i was working on a coding project after work hours (majority waking hours was in the chair working), gained like 20 pounds over a year, reduced my exercise frequency, my primary care doc mentioned these all could contribute. I also wear very lose shorts during the day to orevent my waistband from screwing up my posture, but maybe once we get stuffed back into the office we wont be able to do that anymore.
  • p0d 5y ago
    Snap with cyst. I have the scar from 30 years ago. Often wondered if it was at the route of present back issues. Thanks for the tips.
    • dingusthemingus 5y ago
      A big part of it ia genetically being predisposed to it. I read a few horror stories of people that get them every 6 months, or people that get surgeries and the surgeries fail to fix issues, But glad to hear you havnt had issues since 30 years!
      • vlahmot 5y ago
        I get these as well..(twice so far) they are no fun to say the least. I’ve also read stories of the surgeries making “flare ups” more regular. Stress seems to be a big driver for me (first one at the start of college and second one during travel…) All of the things you mentioned have helped me as well. I also have a couple of hemorrhoid cushions that I sit on to reduce pressure. I’ve found that when I start to feel pain in my tailbone immediately taking some anti inflammatory medicine and getting antibiotics ASAP before the inflammation cuts off blood flow has stopped them in their tracks!
• 6r0k 5y ago
  I realize you're interested in hearing from others dealing with the same problem; I, myself, am not, however, I am extremely interested in our general health as deskbound hackers and would like to offer some thoughts that may prove helpful: 1. Reduce optional sitting. Sitting for extended periods of time compromises our musculoskeletal system and in particular our spinal health. When we sit, the muscles in our lower body basically turn off leaving only our core to support our spine which is not sustainable. We eventually collapse into poor posture with our shoulders rounding forward and hips rounding backward putting the body into a c-shape. This position adds a ton of extra pressure on our vertebrae which can lead to various amounts of pain. Plus, the more we sit the less we move; and we need to move to keep muscles engaged and blood circulating. 2. When you do sit, choose the right chair, and sit properly. The ideal chair is one with a wide square seat made of wood or metal. It may sound uncomfortable, but that's the point; the goal is to encourage movement, a chair shouldn't encourage you to sit all day but to simply give you a place to temporarily rest. The square shape allows you to sit along the edge without sliding off which makes it easier to maintain a neutral upright position. And the hard surface allows for great mechanical feedback; you get uncomfortable which reminds you to move. Before you even sit, engage your core to stabilize your spine, then sit without collapsing your rib cage. All of this will help keep your pelvis rounded forward taking the direct pressure off of your coccyx. 3. Shift positions often. This one's simple. Our bodies will stagnate and atrophy when still for too long, especially when sitting. Shift positions to get your blood flowing to those areas. Even better, get up and actually move around a bit every 30 minutes or so. 4. Try some mobility exercises. Despite our best efforts muscles are going to get stiff and our joints are going to become restricted if we don't maintain them regularly. Daily mobility work is a key preventive and restorative practice to stay ahead of these problems. I'm actually just starting to look into this myself so I don't have an easy go-to list of exercises, but here's a giant resource I just came across that looks promising: https://www.heromovement.net/blog/mobility-exercises/ https://www.heromovement.net/blog/mobility-exercises/. --- I highly recommend the book Deskbound by Kelly Starrett (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01E1HDJ64 https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01E1HDJ64). It is my main resource so far for all this information and I have found it incredibly helpful in learning how to become a healthy hacker. And here's the presentation he gave that inspired the book: https://youtu.be/kfg_e6YG37U https://youtu.be/kfg_e6YG37U. Edit: fixed incorrectly pasted link.