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An abscess on the coccyx burst. How to treat boils on the tailbone. Diagnosis and symptoms of coccyx cyst

The tailbone is an atavism inherited from our ancestors. It would seem that a small protrusion at the end of the spine should not cause trouble, but alas. Quite widespread is a purulent formation on the coccyx, which is an abscess not associated with the rectum.

An abscess on the coccyx forms at the site of the epithelial coccygeal tract - birth defect. The coccygeal passage is a tube lined from the inside with multilayered epithelium. The tube opens outward with pinholes - one or several. Inside the tube there are sebaceous glands that produce sebaceous secretions. There is hair in the lumen of the tube, and sometimes a tuft of hair can be seen on the outside of the skin.

The coccygeal passage does not suppurate during normal life, but there are cases when an inflammatory process occurs in it. Sudden pain appears in the sacrococcygeal region, a thickening may appear, sometimes reaching quite large sizes, and body temperature may rise significantly. As inflammation intensifies and the abscess matures, the skin in the coccyx area turns red, becomes thinner, after which the abscess spontaneously opens. If spontaneous opening does not occur, surgical intervention is required.

Surgery for an abscess on the coccyx

Surgery in the case of a purulent abscess on the coccyx is performed under local anesthesia in a district clinic. The cavity at the site of the abscess is treated with a sterile swab soaked. Dressings with changing tampons are performed every two to three days. Full recovery usually occurs within two weeks, sometimes earlier.

The wound, after opening the suppuration, sometimes heals completely, but very often the inflammatory process, accompanied by suppuration, occurs again - this occurs as a result of injury or excessive cooling, or prolonged riding or driving. Each repetition of inflammation requires another operation, which leaves scars and additional passages, which greatly complicates subsequent operations. In this regard, it is believed that if the abscess recurs twice, the operation should be performed without waiting for the next relapse.
It should be noted that radical surgery can only be performed in the absence of acute inflammatory phenomena. And when opening the abscess, a longitudinal incision should be made closer to the midline, since incisions made away from the midline (which happens due to extensive inflammation of the surrounding tissues) will complicate the subsequent main operation and lead to additional cavities and scars.

An abscess on the epithelial coccygeal passage is not necessary on the rectum, although with an obvious difference it is still often confused. The fistula opening of the coccygeal tract is located closer to the top of the coccyx - five to seven centimeters from the anus, while the opening of the rectal fistula is not so far from the anus.

A furuncle is a purulent inflammation of the hair follicle of the skin. Sometimes surrounding tissues, sebaceous and sweat glands, and fiber are involved in the process. A cavity is formed filled with pus and decay products. The center contains necrotic masses - the core. Once opened, it takes a long time to heal through scarring. Often this disease is not limited to local symptoms, but gives high fever and chills.

A boil on the tailbone can be huge. A specific location will cause everyday difficulties. You need to know how to immediately diagnose an abscess on the tailbone and how to treat it in order to speed up the healing process.

Reasons for appearance

A boil on the coccyx is a type of purulent skin disease. Certain skin structures on the tailbone may become inflamed. This leads to unpleasant sensations and discomfort. To understand the principles of treatment, it is worth understanding the pathogenesis of boils.

The hair follicle of the skin has its own life cycle. It is individually supplied with blood, has its own muscle that lifts the hair, its own nerve ending for regulation and innervation. The epidermis covering the mouth of the follicle should be clean and free. Constant exfoliation of dead cells leads to self-cleansing of the skin above the hair. This process ensures the normal functioning of the follicle and prevents infection.

Vestigial tail

The skin has its own antimicrobial effect. It is ensured by the constant pH of skin secretions and the work of local immunity. When various pathogens come into contact with clean, healthy skin, the body gets rid of them on its own.

But there are cases when the infectious agent penetrates into the depths of the follicle. When combined with the following factors, skin inflammation is inevitable. The causes of abscesses on the coccyx include:

  • failure to maintain body cleanliness;
  • skin scratches, small cuts;
  • infectious contamination;
  • increased sebum secretion;
  • hormonal imbalances;
  • diabetes;
  • furunculosis.

Pain in the tailbone

When an infectious pathogen is combined with conditions for the development of bacterial inflammation, a boil occurs. The background of hormones is responsible for local immunity. Increased blood sugar reduces the protective functions of the skin and worsens the course of purulent processes.

Important! Sometimes the first sign of diabetes is a boil on the tailbone. When ulcers appear, it is necessary to check your blood sugar.

The appearance of a boil on the tailbone is caused by increased sebum secretion in this area of ​​the body, the presence of large hairs and their follicles. Rubbing the skin with underwear and waist products is also important. Boils in the coccyx area are dangerous due to the large number of nerve endings, as well as the presence of many muscles. They have intermuscular spaces where pus can penetrate and cause tissue melting. Abscesses in the coccyx area can lead to sepsis.


Furuncle

Boils on the lumbar region are more common in men. This is explained by the presence of coarse hair in the coccyx area. Also, the coccygeal area is constantly injured by the trouser belt. Men are predisposed to sweating and sebum production in the lower back area.

Characteristic symptoms

The main symptoms of a boil are local signs. In medicine, they are called “classic signs of inflammation.” These include:

  1. tumor – tumor, swelling;
  2. rubor – redness of the skin over the lesion;
  3. calor – local temperature increase;
  4. dolor – local soreness;
  5. functialaesa – dysfunction.

Externally, a boil on the coccyx looks like a tumor-like formation, painful when touched. The skin over it is red, the area of ​​inflammation is hot to the touch. There are no skin functions in this area - the skin does not secrete oil, hair does not work (does not rise in a cold room). In the middle of the formation, the skin is thinned. At the first stages, its color is uniformly red, later a whitish content, pus, appears through it. It is a mixture of dead white blood cells and dead tissue. A throbbing pain appears in the tailbone even without touching. It can reach significant strength.


The structure of the boil

If the abscess on the tailbone is large, the body temperature may rise, chills, and symptoms of intoxication may appear. In severe cases, the surrounding tissues may begin to melt, and a significant abscess is formed. The general condition worsens even more. As the size of the boil increases, it may burst and the purulent contents may break out.

Treatment methods

If a boil appears on the tailbone, you need to know how to treat it. A septic condition can become a complication of a boil. Large abscesses are especially dangerous in adolescents and children.

If the boil on the tailbone is large, general health deteriorates and fever occurs, it is prohibited to treat the boil yourself at home. Adults and children need to see a doctor. These conditions are treated by surgical doctors.

Attention! You should not open a large abscess on your tailbone yourself. There is a danger of damaging neighboring organs.

Treatment of any localized purulent conditions comes down to two methods: conservative and surgical. In the presence of a pronounced cavity filled with pus, the use of only conservative treatment is inappropriate. The contents of the abscess will not resolve on their own. It must be opened and the pus released. In severe cases, drainage is used. These are thin rubber tubes that are inserted into the wound. The edges of the coccyx boil are not sutured until purulent contents come out through the drainage. Sometimes the wound is washed with solutions of manganese, furacillin and other antiseptics.


Removing a boil

The boil cavity is surrounded by compacted inflamed tissues. The release of the contents does not stop the inflammation process. Therefore, after opening the abscess, drug therapy is added. It is necessary to treat correctly, with strong means to stop the inflammatory process and achieve wound healing.


Ointments for furunculosis

Treatment with medications removes the inflammatory reaction itself and acts pathogenetically. While the surgical method is symptomatic. For drug therapy of ulcers on the coccyx, the following groups of active substances are used:

  • antibiotics;
  • anti-inflammatory;
  • antiseptics;
  • healing;
  • repartees.

Broad-spectrum antibiotics are used. They should accumulate well in tissues. Active ingredients include synthetic penicillins, ciprofloxacins, aminoglycosides. When treating a single abscess on the tailbone, injectable antibiotics are not used. Oral administration is sufficient. The course of treatment is 5-7 days.

Anti-inflammatory drugs remove signs of inflammation. It is important to relieve swelling in the wound. This helps reduce pressure in surrounding tissues and improve healing. These include any tablets - nimesil, diclofenac, ibuprofen.

Antiseptics are used to clean the wound. Also used in ointments and gels. Products containing ichthyol, propolis, and sea buckthorn have not only an antiseptic, but also a healing effect. Reparatives help heal the wound defect. These include “Solcoseryl”.

In combination, heparin or troxevasin ointment can be used to improve local blood circulation. If scar tissue actively grows during the healing process, it is worth using anti-scar medications. The scar on the tailbone will be injured and interfere. When the skin of the coccyx heals, excessive growth of connective tissue is often observed. To prevent such growth, creams “Kontratubeks”, “Kelotan”, “Kellocode” are used.

Treatment with various folk remedies includes the following: applying inner cabbage leaves with honey, treatment with plantain and burdock leaves. A combination of aloe juice, honey and rye flour is effective. Such herbal remedies, applied at night, help collect pus by the morning. After removing the bandage, the contents remain on it along with the rod. After the pus comes out, the boil should be washed with decoctions of calendula, chamomile, and strong tea. You can apply compresses with these solutions. You can treat the wound opening with pharmaceutical alcohol or homemade tinctures of these herbs.

It is mandatory to close the abscess opening after opening. Therapy for a boil on the coccyx is complex. It necessarily includes sanitation of the lesion - cleansing the abscess from pus and disintegrated masses, washing the wound with antiseptic drugs or draining it. The next step is treatment with local remedies. Its goal is to stop the inflammatory reaction and heal the defect. The last component of therapy is to prevent the keloid from scarring the wound.

Prevention

Purulent skin diseases are a common pathology. It is especially relevant in cases of excessive sweating and oily skin. Patients with hormonal disorders and diabetes need to be especially careful. They belong to the risk group for furunculosis. Wound healing in such people also occurs with difficulty.
Therefore, the prevention of boils is to keep the skin of the tailbone clean. Treating oily or sweaty skin areas with various antiseptic wipes also helps prevent the formation of boils. It is possible to cure an abscess, but it is easier to prevent it.

When working in contaminated areas, maintain hygiene. To prevent an abscess on the tailbone, you should clean the skin of this area in between work. This is necessary because the lumbar area is easily rubbed during physical labor, and the skin is injured. When it becomes contaminated, conditions arise for the occurrence of a boil.


Furunculosis

A little conclusion

A boil on the tailbone is typical for men, but also occurs in women with altered hormone levels. People have a special predisposition to pustular skin diseases. In these cases, the treatment of the boil itself will be complicated.

In the absence of systemic complaints, the boil can be treated by yourself, with pharmacy or folk remedies. If symptoms of general intoxication appear, you should immediately consult a doctor. In children, furunculosis is more complicated, so such a child should be examined by a doctor.

Pilonidal cyst is a pathological change in the epidermis of the coccyx. Its cause is incomplete depletion of the “former” tail muscles. The inflammation itself is painful; it is a narrow epithelial tube that has no connection with either the sacrum or the coccyx. The inflammation is also called a coccygeal fistula or dermoid cyst.

For the most part, it affects the male part of the population, since the coccygeal fistula is more related to proctology, due to its formation in the anus.

Very often its localization is near the anus, and there is a danger that the blood will be infected with masses of feces.

Both symptoms and treatment are very distinguishable by stage, so treatment of the epithelial coccygeal tract should be carried out by a specialist, and not resort to folk remedies.

Reasons for the formation of pus in the coccyx

Abscess inflammation in the coccyx area is very widespread. This is characterized by the formation of abscesses that do not connect to the rectum.

Purulent secretion can occur in both women and men, however, statistics say that in men this pathology develops more often. Suppuration of the coccyx can be both congenital and acquired. Congenital originates in the womb, and manifestation can occur after teenage puberty.
The acquired form, if you ignore the symptoms, will become chronic in the future. The cause of a purulent acquired coccyx cyst is a sedentary lifestyle, as well as ignoring daily hygiene procedures.

The sacrococcygeal region suddenly becomes painful, a thickening appears, sometimes quite large in size, and the body temperature rises very sharply to 38 - 39 degrees. As the abscess matures, the skin over it becomes thinner, begins to take on a red color, and then either opens spontaneously or is opened surgically.

An abscess may not appear if there is no deep fold between the buttocks and there is hair on the tailbone. Because hair follicles have the ability to grow into the created hollow tumor and subsequently cause an exacerbation. This does not always happen, but if we take into account that coccygeal fistula consistently occurs in one person out of five hundred, then this disease is widespread.

The patient does not immediately notice that he has a hollow tumor. Active hair growth occurs during puberty, especially in the male population. Therefore, they are much more likely to develop a fistula. Hormonal imbalance is spurred by accelerated hair growth inside the skin, and immunity, which decreases during puberty, helps pyogenic microflora increase, which leads to disease.
Diagnosis of the pathology and the cause of inflammation is diagnosed only by a specialist. Self-medication or squeezing out purulent secretion leads to complications. Since we are talking about the vertebral sections, we do not recommend joking with this issue. Only treatment by a surgeon can provide a complete guarantee of getting rid of a purulent coccyx cyst and recovery.

Methods for removing pus in the tailbone

A purulent abscess can only be cured by surgery. The surgical intervention takes place in two stages. The first step is to remove the affected tissue, after which the incision is not sutured. Constant communication with the purulent area allows you to regularly remove the newly formed purulent secretion by washing, its outflow during and after surgery, and monitor its healing.

The operation can be performed in a clinic under local anesthesia. The wound of opened suppuration is tamponed with Vishnevsky ointment for a period of two to three days. Then they do regular dressings of the cavity, replacing tampons. Full recovery occurs within ten to fourteen days.

After surgery, the cavity is completely and completely healed. But quite often suppuration appears again due to injuries, long car rides or hypothermia.

Each relapse requires repeated intervention by the surgeon, after which scars and extra moves remain, which greatly complicate the next operation. Therefore, it is believed that if inflammation recurs 2 times, then surgical intervention should be performed without waiting for an exacerbation to occur.

Purulent coccyx cyst photo

Very often, a purulent epithelial coccygeal tract is confused with a rectal fistula, although they are very different from each other:
- the opening of the epithelial coccygeal fistula is located near the apex of the coccyx (5-7 centimeters from the anus), while the external opening of the rectal fistula is rarely located at such a distance from the anus.
- when a probe is inserted into the coccyx, it is directed upward, towards the coccygeal apex, while, as with a rectal fistula, the probe is directed towards the rectum, quite often having access to its lumen.

It seems that surgery is a simple process. But such surgical treatment has a large number of complications, in almost 40% of cases. Such a high percentage is associated with individual characteristics of inflammation and the nature of the discrepancy in the technique of the operation.


A boil is an inflammatory process that occurs in the hair follicle, sebaceous gland and surrounding connective tissue. In most cases, the abscess is purulent-necrotic in nature. The causative agent of the disease is Staphylococcus aureus.

Ulcers can be located in almost any part of the body. All of them are unattractive skin formations that cause discomfort and pain, and a boil on the tailbone is no exception. The resulting abscess is a rather dangerous disease, since a large number of nerve endings are located in this place and a number of major muscle groups are attached. Let's take a closer look at the causes of pathology and methods of combating it.

What is pathology?

Boils are a common skin pathology and account for 40% of all skin diseases. In every 6 cases of all patients who are treated in dermatological clinics, the cause of hospitalization is a boil. On the coccyx, ulcers of this kind occur quite often.

Causes

The main causes of abscess in this area can be the following diseases and pathological conditions:

An abscess on the tailbone occurs 10 times more often in men than in women. This is due to the presence of more hair follicles, as well as more intense sweating processes and increased humidity in this area. A characteristic feature of the disease is its seasonality. The greatest number of cases of the disease is observed in spring and autumn.

Symptoms

Manifestations of the disease depend on the stage of its development. In most cases, the disease goes through three stages of development.


Traditional therapy

The difficulty in treating purulent formations is that they cannot be completely cured with just one remedy. The choice of treatment method is determined by the stage at which the disease is located:

There are situations when the abscess cannot open on its own and an abscess forms. In this case, urgent assistance from a surgeon is required. The surgery is performed under local anesthesia. There is no need to hospitalize the patient. Therapeutic measures should be carried out until the boil completely disappears. This will help prevent it from recurring.

Important! During treatment, warm baths, warming the boil, applying warm compresses, and massage are prohibited. These procedures can spread the infection and cause complications.

The treatment process should be accompanied by the use of immunomodulatory drugs:

  • Immunoplus;
  • Immunal;
  • Galavit;
  • Dr. Theiss in the form of syrup;
  • Pyrogenal.

Since the boil is caused by Staphylococcus aureus, therapeutic measures include the use of antibacterial drugs from the following groups:

  • penicillins (Ampicillin, Pentrexil, Amoxicillin, Flemoxin solutab, Ospamox);
  • cephalosporins (Ospexin, Duracef and Cefaclor);
  • macrolides (Erythromycin, Clarithromycin, Josamycin).

Traditional medicine recipes

Centuries of experience in using the healing properties of plants to get rid of skin ailments suggests that a boil can be successfully cured without radical methods of therapy. The most commonly used ointments, which you can prepare yourself, and compresses:


The following remedies can also be used to strengthen the immune system:


Complications and prevention of pathology

A boil is a much more dangerous disease than one might imagine. The spread of staphylococcal infection can lead to damage to internal organs and systems. The occurrence of complications can be triggered by the following circumstances:


All complications of the coccygeal boil can be divided into several groups:

  1. Local (formation of carbuncle, abscesses, erysipelas, phlegmon).
  2. Distant (phlebitis, thrombophlebitis, lymphangitis, lymphadenitis).
  3. General (furunculosis, sepsis).
  4. Damage to internal organs (pyelonephritis, septic endocarditis, purulent meningitis, arthritis, osteomyelitis).

In order to avoid the appearance of such an unpleasant skin ailment as a boil or its complications, you need to follow very simple steps:


An abscess in the coccyx area is a very unpleasant and painful ailment. However, do not despair, since modern traditional and folk medicine offers many ways to get rid of this problem forever.

Inflammation of the coccyx is a disease that is associated with pathological processes in the lower spine. The coccyx of an adult is a fused vertebrae of the sacral spine. In shape it resembles a curved pyramid, the base of which faces upward. The vertebral bodies of the coccyx (usually 3-6) do not have processes. Only the first vertebra in its structure has the remains of processes, which in their shape are similar to horns curved upward.

It is generally accepted that the tailbone of men and women is a vestigial tail. However, this joint has an important function. The muscles and ligaments of the pelvic organs (intestines, organs of the genitourinary system) are attached to the sections of the coccyx. In addition, this part of the spine plays a large role in movements. It correctly distributes loads and performs a supporting function when the body bends. In women, the mobility of the coccyx is more pronounced due to labor. Its inflammation can lead to serious complications. Therefore, it is necessary to treat the disease immediately, as soon as the first symptoms appear.

Causes

Inflammation of the coccyx is associated with two factors. The first includes pathological processes that occur in the coccyx. The second group of reasons includes diseases that lead to inflammation of the coccyx. Inflammatory processes can be aseptic in nature, which is associated with impaired tissue trophism. Factors leading to impaired microcirculation include:

  • sedentary lifestyle;
  • injuries of the lower spine;
  • sedentary work;
  • pregnancy;
  • pressure on the tailbone due to tight clothing;
  • hypothermia;
  • constant physical activity on the tailbone;
  • benign tumors and cysts.

The causes that directly lead to inflammatory processes, if left untreated, include:

  • dystrophic changes resulting from aging of bone and cartilage tissue;
  • endocrine pathologies;
  • pinched sciatic nerve;
  • chronic diseases of the genitourinary system and intestines;
  • lesions of the skeletal system;
  • prostatitis in men;
  • immunity deficiency;
  • fractures and other injuries of the overlying parts of the spine;
  • calcium metabolism disorder;
  • constipation;
  • rectal scars.

Symptoms

Inflammation on the tailbone is manifested mainly by pain. Depending on the causes that cause inflammation and the intensity of the pathological processes of the coccyx, symptoms may vary.

The patient may complain of either a dull aching pain or a sharp one, which intensifies with movements, bending or sitting. Other symptoms of the disease: hypersensitivity of the coccyx, skin hyperemia and increased local temperature. If you do not see a doctor and do not receive treatment, the pain becomes so intense that the patient cannot walk normally.

Symptoms appear the same in men and women. At the beginning of the development of inflammation, pain does not cause severe discomfort. With the development of pathological processes, the signs become obvious and significantly reduce the patient’s quality of life. An exception may be signs that are associated with injury. Usually, if symptoms worsen when bending over, this may indicate diseases of the pelvic organs.

Complications

If treatment is not carried out and a doctor is not consulted, inflammation on the tailbone can cause complications. Painful symptoms may indicate that aseptic inflammation has developed into purulent inflammation, with the subsequent formation of fistulas and abscesses of the coccyx.

The spread of infection can lead to the formation of phlegmon (diffuse purulent inflammation), eczema, and pyoderma. Purulent processes in men often lead to paraproctitis.

Very often, the chronic form of the disease ends in a coccyx cyst. The patient's temperature rises, swelling, redness, and purulent fistulas occur in the area of ​​cyst formation. The addition of infection leads to purulent abscesses. A serious complication of the disease is malignant neoplasm. Cancer can occur in rare cases in those patients who have not been treated for the chronic form of the disease for more than 20 years. Suppuration of the coccyx with periods of remission and exacerbation is more common.

Treatment

If the first symptoms of the disease appear, patients should seek medical help. Inflammation on the coccyx can be diagnosed by a surgeon, proctologist or neurologist after an X-ray examination, MRI, or ultrasound of the lumbar region. Once an accurate diagnosis is made, treatment is prescribed. Pregnant women are treated under the strict supervision of an obstetrician-gynecologist, since many drugs and procedures have contraindications during pregnancy.

Treatment is prescribed depending on whether the inflammation is primary or secondary. If pathological processes are associated with other diseases, therapy for the underlying disease is prescribed. To reduce the intensity of pain, patients are prescribed painkillers and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Depending on the intensity of symptoms, analgesics may be prescribed in tablets or injections.

It should be noted that pain is a defensive reaction and leads to muscle tension. This only exacerbates inflammatory processes. To relieve muscle tension and improve microcirculation in the affected part of the spine, treatment involves the administration of muscle relaxants. In case of purulent processes and infection, antibacterial drugs are prescribed.

Treatment of the acute period should pursue the following goals:

  • pain relief;
  • elimination of inflammation and swelling;
  • cessation of purulent processes.

In the subacute period, patient treatment consists of restoring microcirculation, increasing local and general immunity, and preventing the development of complications. Patients are prescribed massage (in the absence of pustular skin lesions), physiotherapeutic procedures (ultrasound, UHF, darsonval, paraffin baths, mud baths), and the appointment of vitamin and mineral complexes.

It is useful for patients to perform therapeutic exercises to restore blood circulation and prevent adhesions. It is recommended to perform a set of exercises for the pelvic area. Sports walking, running, and swimming have a positive effect. To speed up recovery, you can use methods from traditional medicine. Compresses with propolis, wormwood, and plantain improve local blood circulation and relieve inflammation.

If there are no contraindications, you can take baths with geranium decoction. For swelling and pain, rubbing with fresh radish juice, fir or lavender oil is effective. All traditional methods must be agreed upon with the attending physician.