Fall onto tailbone...rollerskating...advice? - with SWH

Updated on May 27, 2017
R.. asks from San Antonio, TX
15 answers

First of all....to let our moderators know...I am calling the doctor when they open (either pediatrician or orthopedist) and I know this is not actual medical advice but suggestions from laypeople. (Except we do have a few docs and nurses on here....anyways!)

First of all I am kinda mad at myself...my son had a rollerskating party last night with his middle school elective group. He tends to be accident prone and I thought it might be a bad idea. He really wanted to go and at first wasn't going to skate.

BUT then this girl he likes showed up (I only found out he was actually skating because I forgot to give him money for snacks and went back to take him some and saw she was there and they were skating together). Actually it was very sweet she couldn't skate well either and they were helping each other. Also the fact he was trying it was huge...so I figured he might take a tumble to two who doesn't skating and you can't wrap them in bubble wrap.

So the mad part comes in because I had a few people tell me not to let him go he would hurt himself...including my elderly aunt whom I take care of...she out and out told me NOT to let him go, being disappointed is better than a broken bone...she made me so mad, that I thought let him go try...and now I am mad at myself I did let him go because...

He took a really hard fall right on his tailbone!! It was so bad that when I showed up to pick him up several moms who stayed came up to tell me what a bad fall he took. He was still skating when I got there so I figured how bad could it be??

His tailbone was bruising up last night, he was in pain sitting in the car on the way home, had a screaming bowel movement and ended up having to sleep on his stomach. So I know he should have it seen today. (I haven't woken him up yet...and today is Field Day at school...which I do think is a bad idea for him to attend if he is still in so much pain).

Should I call his pediatrician or his orthopedist?

I know they don't do much even if it is broken, but they might do more for him pain wise and accommodate him at school if we have documentation.

Also, has anyone on here dealt with a tailbone issue? What helped best? And how long did you suffer? (Oh, I am just kicking myself...but you can't keep them from trying things can you??) Thanks guys!! I am so glad I have this group!

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So What Happened?

Thank you so much to everyone who reassured me I wasn't a horrible mother for letting him go roller skating!! Yes, he is accident prone and yes we are putting his orthopedist's kids through medical school...but if he doesn't try things and be a kid, what kind of life is that?? (He broke his elbow tripping over his own shoes he left in the middle of the floor.)

We went in to see the orthopedist and he was evaluated by the PA, whom I just love he is so good with kids. Turns out my son had more hip pain than butt pain so they did x-rays from waist to knee (his knee was quite painful too). Nothing broken!! tailbone slightly bruised but he did sprain the sartorius muscle that goes from the inside of the knee to the outside of the pelvis/hip. The doctor debated crutches but said as long as he could walk without too much pain weight bearing wasn't bad per say....but if got worse or he was still in the same amount of pain in a week bring him back.

He is achy in the mornings but after some ibuprofen and getting moving he is not really complaining very much. Only three days left in school...I am ready for summer!!

Thanks again guys!!

More Answers

D.D.

answers from Boston on

You'll get plenty of info on the bruised/broken tail bone so I'm not going to chime in on that.

YOU DID THE RIGHT THING BY LETTING HIM GO TO THE PARTY. Our job as parents are to give our children opportunities and experiences to shape them into the people they will become. Yes he fell and got hurt but he also skated with a girl he likes, laughed with friends, and had that experience.YOU DID THE RIGHT THING BY LETTING HIM GO TO THE PARTY.

You don't have a crystal ball to see into the future and know what will happen in physical situations. He could have just as easily fallen down the stairs or tripped on a curb, or tripped on NOTHING (which I have been known to do). YOUR DID THE RIGHT THING BY LETTING HIM GO TO THE PARTY.

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T.F.

answers from Dallas on

I know it's painful and there's little the Dr can do.

My daughter was invited to a skating party in 1st grade and before the party we took her to skate so she could enjoy herself. Well while teaching her to skate, I fell and broke my tailbone and arm. Ugh

I don't recall how long it was bad but I did not have time to lay around. I did my daily duties and sitting on a donut pillow did help.

Don't be mad at yourself. Why would you not allow him to go for fear of getting hurt? Gees I broke my toe just walking thru the house. Accidents happen!!

I saw the orthopedic Dr because I was there for my arm.

About 2 weeks after I got my driver permit, my mom fell skating at a church party and broke both arms. I was the family driver for quite as while since she was divorced.

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G.♣.

answers from Springfield on

I roller skated for years, as a kid! Years! I had some falls but nothing major. Please, please, please stop feeling guilty. It upsets me so much that anyone would try to discourage you from allowing your son to roller skate. This is such a normal childhood activity. We can't keep our kids from experiencing the joys of life just because they "might" fall. You didn't stop him from climbing trees just because he could fall, right? Honestly, he could fall just getting off the school bus. Let him live, and let him have fun!

I fell on my butt roller skating when I was in my 30's. It sucked! But, it also healed.

I would just call the pediatrician and ask. They will be able to give you good advise. I didn't call my doctor and just took ibuprofen, but as a mom I would call the doctor just to be safe.

He's going to be fine! Good for you for letting him have fun with his friends.

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C.T.

answers from Santa Fe on

Yes, call the orthopedist. I have done this before when I was about that age! - it hurts a lot but there is not much you can do for it except rest and ice it. (Oh yes, and ibuprofen to stop inflammation) It heals all on its own. I think for me it took a couple weeks, but it is hard to remember. Poor guy! He will be fine though...things like this are a part of life. Of course you did the right thing by letting him go to the party! People who are accident prone should NOT stay inside their whole lives! In fact, if he is clumsy and accident prone I think he should do things like this MORE often to get practice. When ice skating, roller blading, roller skating, or skiing he should always practice putting his balance a little more forward...leaning back leads to a fall on the butt. It takes practice to get used to it but once he gets the hang of it I'm sure he will be great at roller skating! I think it is super sweet that he got to skate with a girl he likes and I hope he recovers quickly! Don't beat yourself up about it...what could you have done? It's just another life experience. My son is 13 and he has broken his arm at the skate park, had to wear a "boot" the orthopedist gave him for a tiny fracture in his foot, had to wear a wrist brace for a repeated wrist injury, had a knee injury that luckily healed on it's own, had stitches on his hand from an accident, etc. He loves to bike, skateboard, and rollerblade. We just deal with each injury as it comes...kids tend to heal quickly.

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M.G.

answers from Portland on

My sister actually fractured her tailbone during labor.

Pain meds, ice packs, and using a donut shaped pillow was what she did. Hers healed in a couple of months, I think bruising it takes a couple of weeks.

Make sure he keeps his BMs soft - so bran, finer .. water water water so it's not painful to pass stools.

As for feeling awful, my friend's kids are accident prone. She herself always has been. Her kids have broken fingers, hurt themselves ice skating, etc. The thing is, you can't stop from them trying regular fun activities - all kids get hurt at some point or another. My kids are not accident prone at all and we've had stitches here. Try not to beat yourself up. He likely has just bruised it (very unlikely to have fractures). We have ice here throughout the winter and kids slip and fall a lot.

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K.F.

answers from New York on

What I love most about children is they are particularly resilient. They heal quickly.

Please stop beating yourself up over allowing him to go skating. Accidents are just accidents. Even if your child is danger prone, they need to learn how to manage and master themselves. How can they do that if you are overprotective?

I would even encourage him to go skating again when he is feeling better.

It isn't so much our successes that teach us but how we handle our failures. He feel down but he got up. That's important, very important.

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T.H.

answers from Kansas City on

I agree with Diane B, let it go sister! It was absolutely the right move to let him go. He has to try these things and we can't protect our kids so much that they don't learn things or take tumbles. I know he might have a broken bone, but he will be okay!

Updated

I agree with Diane B, let it go sister! It was absolutely the right move to let him go. He has to try these things and we can't protect our kids so much that they don't learn things or take tumbles. I know he might have a broken bone, but he will be okay!

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D.B.

answers from Boston on

First of all, stop beating yourself up over a fall at a skating rink. Kids need to do things, and you can't protect them from every bump and bruise. To deny a child a chance at fun because he sometimes trips and falls makes no sense.

Move on to treating the problem: start with the pediatrician, always. At least a phone call. Let the doctor decide whether that office should be bypassed with a trip to an orthopedist. But my guess is there's nothing to do for this except rest, ice and anti-inflammatories. Get a couple of good ice packs and do 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off. Some people will say to use a pack of frozen peas, which you can do, but with a kid who's going to sit/lean on it, there's the risk of it leaking. So get an artificial one (there's even one called "Peas"!) that's not so cheap it won't hold up under multiple uses. You probably want 2 - one to use, one to freeze.

Poor kid - I know this is painful!

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D..

answers from Miami on

Oh brother. It sounds bad if it hurts when he poops.

When I was in 7th grade, I fell on mine and an xray showed it was bent 90 degrees into a bundle of nerves.

My dad took me to a chiropractor. Adjustments didn't help. So he had to go in digitally and pop it out back to where it supposed to be. Then I had to sit on a cushion with a split in the middle for months.

Keep this in mind while you are finding out the details aboit his injury.

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H.W.

answers from Portland on

I've had two friends break their tailbone. Both went to the chiropractor and, just as Doris Day stated, they did a digital readjustment. (this means that they do this internally, and no, it's not comfortable, but it helped enormously). It took a while to heal.

As everyone else has said-- far more damage to your son by telling him he can't roller skate than letting him try it and having an accident. Life is full of accidents... esp as we get older. I hit a stubtoe sidewalk hard with my foot, tripped and hurt my neck and back. Doesn't mean I'm going to stop walking on sidewalks. Life happens. :) We all feel awful when our kids are hurt, but it isn't your *fault*. No guilt, okay?

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W.W.

answers from Washington DC on

aaawww mama...you can't be mad at yourself. This is a school event. He was with friends.

Broken tail bones hurt. Buy him a seat cushion
https://www.amazon.com/Aylio-Cushion-Tailbone-Sciatica-Wa...

that will help for sitting.

Otherwise? There's not much a doctor can do but give him heavy duty pain meds.

As to field day? I would say let him go. Call and e-mail the school and let them know what's going on. He's old enough to tell them - but a back up call from you would be great!

Sorry! this sucks! It took me over 6 weeks to feel better from my broken tail bone. Hopefully, since he's younger? He will heal faster!

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B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

Yes, talk to the doctor.
But there's not much anyone can do for a bruised/broken tailbone.
It's not like you can put his butt in a cast.
It's going to be painful for weeks - 6 to 8 if it's broken.
For the first few days he can ice it on and off.
Doctor might be able to prescribe some pain relief.
Sitting and sleeping will be hard - it's tough finding any position he'll be comfortable in.
He might need to sit on a doughnut type pillow for awhile.

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/tailbone-coccyx-inj...

Don't get all over his case about the skating.
I've known people who've slipped on stairs wearing socks (or icy sidewalks, etc) who've broken their tailbone (coccyx).
It's more common than you think.
I hope he feels better soon.

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B.A.

answers from Columbus on

I've been there and done that! I'm a total klutz and have the scars to prove it! But I don't let that stop me from trying new things. I've entered three adventure races this summer despite the fact that I've been known to trip over absolutely nothing. Why? Because life is much more fun if you're not sitting on the sidelines watching everyone else participate. I disagree with your aunt's philosophy. I think that a broken bone is better than living a life full of regrets. I'm not going to do something completely reckless, but I'm not going to give up things like skating or water skiing. So don't beat yourself up. You may the right choice by letting him go. And think of how much sympathy he can get from the girl he likes!

As far as the actual injury, if you haven't already done so, call your doctor. There's not much that can be done about it. Ibuprofen, ice, and a cushion will help.

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P.K.

answers from New York on

Been there done that. Nothing they can do. Ride it out.

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N.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

He probably cracked his tailbone. Nothing they can do. Ice it, put some heat on it if it feels good, ice felt WAY better for me.

Have them sit on pillows or go buy a blow up ring for them to sit on.

It will always hurt. Forever. He'll need to have accommodations at school because it will be painful after he sits in his chair for more than half an hour. He might do well with a Swiss Exercise Ball at school instead of a hard seat.

I fell on ice a few years ago. Even sitting in my cushy office chair I hurt and have to get up and move around every little bit. I still have pain. It's chronic.

If you have to pay cash for your doc just google broken tail bone before you make the appointment. They can't cast it, they can't do surgery, there isn't much that can be done about it at all.

Do your own research and then decide if you want to go to the doc.

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