Coccydynia Exercises: Stretches and Pelvic Floor Moves for Tailbone Pain

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Coccydynia exercises are gentle stretches and relaxation moves that can ease tailbone pain by loosening the muscles around the tailbone (coccyx). This guide shows how to do them safely, which moves to skip and when exercise is not enough. To learn about causes, tests and treatment, read our main guide to coccydynia (tailbone pain).

Quick Answer: Do Exercises Help Tailbone Pain?

They can. Gentle stretches for the hips, buttocks and lower back, plus pelvic floor relaxation, help many people.
Relax, don’t just squeeze. Tight pelvic floor muscles can pull on the tailbone, so learning to let them go matters.
Take pressure off. A wedge or cutout cushion and shorter sitting times also help many people.
Stop any move that makes the pain sharper. See a doctor if pain lasts more than a few weeks or follows a hard fall.

Table of Contents

Before You Start: Safety Rules

These coccydynia exercises are general education, not a personal therapy plan. A mild stretch is fine. Sharp, burning or worsening pain means stop.

Move slowly and breathe normally. Never bounce.
Use a mat or carpet for floor exercises.
Start small: one or two rounds a day, then add more as you feel ready.
Get checked first if your pain began with a hard fall, if you cannot sit at all or if you have any warning signs listed below.

Warning Signs: See a Doctor Before Exercising

Tailbone pain is usually not serious, but rare causes include broken bones, infection and tumors [Source]. Get prompt care for fever, a red, swollen or draining lump near the tailbone, new bladder or bowel changes, numbness in the groin or legs, leg weakness, weight loss you cannot explain or a history of cancer. See when back pain is an emergency.

Why Coccydynia Exercises Can Help

The tailbone is an anchor for several pelvic floor muscles, ligaments and part of the buttock muscle [Source]. When these muscles are tight or in spasm, they can pull on the tailbone and make sitting hurt. Coccydynia exercises that stretch and relax them may ease that pull.

The research is still limited. In one small trial of 48 people, those who did piriformis and hip flexor stretches became less tender to pressure and could sit longer without pain, while a group treated with a cushion, warm baths and ultrasound therapy did not improve much [Source]. A 2025 review of 9 trials found that physical therapy looks promising, but the studies were small and varied [Source]. Many people improve with simple, conservative care [Source] [Source].

Stretches for Tailbone Pain

Hold each stretch for 20 to 30 seconds and repeat 2 to 3 times, once or twice a day. These are common starting points, not a fixed rule.

1. Knee-to-Chest Stretch

Woman lying on her back on a yoga mat hugging one knee to her chest for a knee-to-chest stretch

Lie on your back with both knees bent and feet flat.
Gently pull one knee toward your chest with both hands.
Hold, then switch sides. You can also bring both knees up together.

2. Figure-4 (Piriformis) Stretch

Woman lying on her back with one ankle crossed over the opposite knee, pulling the thigh toward her chest for a figure-4 piriformis stretch

Lie on your back with knees bent.
Cross your right ankle over your left knee.
Pull your left thigh toward you until you feel a stretch deep in the right buttock. Switch sides.

This stretch targets the piriformis, a deep buttock muscle. Learn more about piriformis syndrome.

3. Child’s Pose

Woman kneeling in child's pose, sitting back toward her heels with arms reaching forward and forehead resting on a folded towel

Kneel and sit back toward your heels, knees apart if that feels better.
Reach your arms forward and rest your chest toward the floor. Breathe slowly.

4. Cat-Cow

Side-by-side photos of a woman on hands and knees doing cat-cow, arching her back on the in-breath and rounding it on the out-breath

Get on your hands and knees.
Breathe in as you let your belly drop and lift your head (cow).
Breathe out as you round your back and tuck your chin (cat). Repeat 8 to 10 times.

5. Hip Flexor Lunge Stretch

Woman kneeling on a folded towel with one foot forward, shifting her hips forward for a hip flexor lunge stretch

Kneel on a pillow with one knee down and the other foot in front.
Keep your back straight and gently shift your hips forward.
Feel the stretch in the front of the hip of the kneeling leg. Switch sides.

6. Hamstring Stretch

Woman lying on her back using a towel looped around one foot to raise the straight leg for a hamstring stretch

Lie on your back with one leg straight on the floor.
Loop a towel around the other foot and raise that leg until you feel a stretch behind the thigh.
Keep the knee slightly bent. Switch sides.

Pelvic Floor Relaxation

The pelvic floor is a sling of muscles at the bottom of the pelvis, and several of these muscles attach to the tailbone [Source]. In a study of 79 people who finished pelvic floor physical therapy focused on relaxing these muscles, average pain scores dropped from about 5 to about 2 out of 10 [Source]. That study did not have a comparison group, so it cannot prove the therapy caused the change.

7. Belly (Diaphragmatic) Breathing

Woman lying on her back with knees bent and hands on her chest and belly practicing diaphragmatic belly breathing

Lie on your back with knees bent and one hand on your belly.
Breathe in slowly through your nose so your belly rises, not your chest.
Breathe out slowly. Continue for 3 to 5 minutes.

8. Pelvic Floor Drops (Reverse Kegels)

Woman lying relaxed on her back with knees bent and head on a towel practicing pelvic floor drops (reverse Kegels)

Start with belly breathing.
As you breathe in, gently let the muscles you use to hold in gas or urine soften and drop, as if they are opening.
Do not push or strain. Repeat for a few slow breaths.

Are Kegels a Good Idea?

Kegels tighten the pelvic floor. If your muscles are already tight, tightening them more may not help and could add to the pain. A pelvic floor physical therapist can check your muscles and tell you what you need.

Exercises and Activities to Avoid

There is no agreed list of moves to avoid, so let your pain guide you. While pain is strong, many people do better if they limit:

Cycling, especially on a hard or narrow seat
Sit-ups and crunches on a hard floor, which roll weight onto the tailbone
Rowing machines and other seated exercise machines
Deep squats with weights
Long periods of sitting, especially leaning back

Walking and swimming are often easier on the tailbone.

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Sitting and Daily Habits

Sitting puts weight on the tailbone, so changing how you sit is a key part of care [Source] [Source].

Use a cushion: a wedge cushion or one with a cutout at the back keeps pressure off the tailbone.
Lean slightly forward when you sit. Leaning back loads the tailbone more.
Take breaks: stand up and walk for a minute every 20 to 30 minutes.
Avoid hard seats when you can.

If sitting also bothers your lower back, see lower back pain when sitting.

During Pregnancy and After Childbirth

Childbirth is one known cause of tailbone pain [Source]. Experts advise most pregnant people without complications to stay active [Source]. Gentle coccydynia exercises like cat-cow, child’s pose with knees wide and belly breathing are often easy to adapt.

Check with your obstetric care provider first, and ask about exercises done lying on your back later in pregnancy. Stop and call your provider for bleeding, dizziness, contractions or new pain. After delivery, wait until your provider clears you to exercise.

When Exercises Aren’t Enough

If coccydynia exercises and sitting changes do not help after a few weeks, a doctor can look for the cause. Most people improve without surgery [Source]. Options may include:

Pelvic floor physical therapy: a trained therapist can guide relaxation, stretching and hands-on treatment.
Medicines: anti-inflammatory or topical pain medicines, if they are safe for you.
Image-guided injections: a coccyx (tailbone) injection or ganglion impar block can ease pain and help confirm where it starts. Relief varies and is not permanent for everyone.
Surgery: removing the tailbone (coccygectomy) is rare and saved for disabling pain after other care has failed.

A 2022 review of 64 studies found that stretching and manual therapy reduced pain, but on average less than injections or procedures did. Most of those studies were small or not randomized [Source].

Pain near the tailbone can also come from the lower spine, a nerve or deep buttock muscles. See buttock pain.

Getting Evaluated at SpinePain Solutions

At SpinePain Solutions, Dr. Amit Sharma, Chief, Division of Pain Medicine at Good Samaritan University Hospital, evaluates tailbone pain and helps find its cause. Care starts with conservative steps like the ones on this page. For pain that does not improve, Dr. Sharma offers image-guided coccyx injections and ganglion impar blocks. Every procedure has risks, so you decide together after talking through the possible benefits and risks.

We see patients at our Bay Shore, Commack and Farmingdale offices (see office locations). Call 631-310-0000.

Frequently Asked Questions

What exercises help coccydynia?

Gentle stretches for the hips, buttocks and lower back often help. Examples are the knee-to-chest stretch, the figure-4 stretch, child’s pose, cat-cow, a hip flexor stretch and a hamstring stretch. Belly breathing and pelvic floor relaxation can also help. Studies on specific exercises are small, so go slowly and stop any move that makes the pain sharper.

Are Kegels good for tailbone pain?

Not always. Kegels tighten the pelvic floor muscles. Some people with tailbone pain already have tight pelvic floor muscles, and the goal is to help them relax. A pelvic floor physical therapist can check your muscles and tell you whether to relax, strengthen or do both.

What exercises should I avoid with tailbone pain?

Avoid moves that press on the tailbone or make the pain sharper. While pain is strong, this may include cycling on a hard seat, sit-ups or crunches on a hard floor, rowing machines and deep squats with weights. Return to them slowly once they no longer hurt.

How long does coccydynia take to heal?

It varies. Many people get better over weeks to a few months with cushions, sitting changes and gentle exercise. Some cases last longer. If your pain lasts more than a few weeks, keeps coming back or is getting worse, see a doctor.

Can I do coccydynia exercises while pregnant?

Many gentle stretches and breathing exercises are fine during pregnancy, but check with your obstetric care provider first. Ask which positions are safe for you, especially exercises done lying on your back later in pregnancy. Stop if you feel pain, bleeding, dizziness or contractions.

What is the best way to sit with tailbone pain?

Sit on a wedge cushion or a cushion with a cutout at the back so the tailbone does not touch the seat. Lean slightly forward instead of slouching back. Avoid hard seats and stand up every 20 to 30 minutes.

When should I see a doctor for tailbone pain?

See a doctor if pain lasts more than a few weeks, keeps returning or started after a hard fall. Get care quickly for fever, a red or swollen lump near the tailbone, new bladder or bowel changes, numbness in the groin or legs, leg weakness, weight loss you cannot explain or a history of cancer.