Ergonomic Office Chair For Tailbone Pain + 4 Additional Tips

Suffering from a sore tailbone, also known as coccydynia (coccyx pain), is not a fun experience. It can be quite painful, depending on your specific condition, and it’s also very distracting. It has you constantly adjusting and shifting in your seat and makes it difficult to get any work done. And while you may not have considered using an ergonomic office chair for tailbone pain, it’s one of the tools that can make a big difference in reducing pressure on the tailbone, which in turn helps reduce the pain.

Sitting for long hours with poor posture can exacerbate tailbone problems, and where do you spend most of your time sitting? Most likely at work. So when you think about it, investing in a best office chair for tailbone pain doesn’t sound like such a wild idea after all.

There are many possible causes of coccydynia. It could develop after the physical trauma of a fall or it could be related to overall joint and muscle pain. It’s not always clear what the direct cause is, but regardless of what initiated your tailbone pain the solutions to ease it are much the same. You’ve got to either sit less or sit smarter.

One obvious way to alleviate your tailbone pain is to simply stand up. Get up off that chair, stretch your legs and take the pressure completely off your tailbone area. Using a standing desk is a great way to do this and will help improve other aspects of your overall health, such as increasing your circulation and improving your core strength. But with that said we know that it’s unrealistic for some people to stand all day, or even for very long, while they’re working. That’s where an ergonomic office chair comes into play.

1. How ergonomic chairs help tailbone pain

Slouching, slinking backwards and just generally sitting in poor positions in your office chair, or sitting on too hard of a surface, are all going to be like throwing gas on the fire for your tailbone pain. It’s so easy to fall into these bad habits, especially when you’re engrossed in work and staring deeply into your computer screen. You’re probably leaning forward or slouching right now reading this! Becoming more aware of how you’re sitting will be part of the solution, along with choosing the right type of chair for coccyx pain to sit in.

1.1. Ergonomics ease the pressure

Our bodies are meant to sit in a way that puts the majority of weight and pressure on our thighs and sit bones. That c-shape posture you perform when slouching is the worst possible position to sit in, as it puts an unnatural amount of pressure directly on your tailbone area, which is not designed to carry this burden. An ergonomic chair encourages you to sit up straight, with a slight curve in your lumbar area, which helps balance your body weight where it was meant to go, and reduce the stress put on your tailbone.

Another benefit to sitting more upright, aside from weight distribution, is that it gently forces you to keep your arms and hands in proper positions as well. Your ergonomic chair will have adjustable armrests that can give you support just where you need it, which will help reduce stress on your wrists, all of which helps keep you from sliding back into that damaging c-shape slouch. 

Sitting for long hours every day creates a cumulative impact on the exact same muscles, bones and joints over time. So even if you haven’t suffered a specific incident that led to your tailbone pain, proper sitting habits are still something to be aware of. Not to scare you, but if you’re feeling good now despite your poor posture, the pain may creep up on you down the road, so it’s best to be proactive about how you sit and which office furniture you invest in.

1.2. Happy body, happy tailbone

Constant shifting around in your seat is a telltale sign that your chair isn’t doing its job. It means your body is telling you over and over again, “I’m uncomfortable! Find a better office chair for tailbone pain!” A simple life lesson is learning to listen to your body, and this is a classic example of that.

One of the greatest benefits of using a high-quality ergonomic office chair for tailbone pain is that it helps you lock into a healthy sitting position. By giving you the proper amount of lumbar, upper back and neck support, and the ability to customize your height and armbar positions, it discourages you from constantly moving and adjusting throughout the day. Your body is happier because it’s better supported, so there’s no need to be shifting into yet another position that only makes your tailbone pain worse over time. 

With all that said, sometimes shifting your position to spread the pressure away from your tailbone is a way to limit the pain if it’s a chronic issue. But even then, doing a controlled shift into a new position with an ergonomic chair is still the way to go because you can lock into that new position just as well, with the right support around you. Also, make sure you have your monitor set up around eye-level, because even the best chair won’t help you much if your head is pulling your neck down all day to look at your screen.

2. Additional tips for tailbone pain

Once you have your ergonomic office chair in place, there are a few more things you can do to help ease that tailbone pain so that you can feel good and focus better on your work. Some can be accessories to your office chair and others are simple little tricks and exercises that can make a big difference over time.

2.1. Coccyx seat cushion

Seats do play an important role in the pain and its frequency. Hard seats are known to be a catalyst in tailbone pain and make it worse by putting extra pressure on the spine, while even the best cushioned seats have their limitations if your tailbone pain is persistent.

The coccyx seat cushion is specially designed with an open cutout where your tailbone is so that you can get the right amount of support for your hips and buttox without any pressure at all on your tailbone. This cushion can easily be added to your ergonomic chair to create a powerful one-two punch to help you feel better.

2.2. Don’t dangle those feet

Keep your feet on the floor, or at least on a footrest if you’re not necessarily the tallest person in the office.  When your feet are hanging off the chair, it causes a gravitational pull on the rest of your lower body and puts more stress on your tailbone area. This is easy to forget as you get restless throughout the day and want to keep moving. If you feel restless, that’s a good time to stand and stretch your legs or take a break from working, rather than swinging your legs around into awkward positions that might feel good for a few minutes but could have a negative impact on your tailbone pain.

2.3. Practice deep breathing exercises

Another way to help keep that posture in check is to do some deep breathing exercises while at your desk. If you’re slouching, then you can’t possibly be breathing properly because you’re squeezing your diaphragm and putting your body into a cycle of faster, shallower breathing. It’s all part of a larger system that works together. If you focus on breathing, you’ll be reminded about your posture. And once reminded about your posture, correcting it will help your tailbone pain. 

2.4. Finally, stretch it out

There are some simple tailbone stretches that you can do before you start your day and once you get home that can help alleviate the pain. Stretching in general is a good way to keep your body loose and relaxed, but focusing on your tailbone area and combining the stretching with your upgraded ergonomic office chair and other accessories should help make a big difference in your daily life.

We know tailbone pain can be a tricky puzzle to solve because it impacts your life in so many ways, especially while you’re trying to work. But investing in the right office chair for tailbone pain and allowing your body some time to adjust to proper posture and positive new habits can help get you back on track. Don’t forget to look for more smart office furniture that can make your life healthier and more productive.

FAQs

How does bad sitting posture impact on Tailbone Pain?

Sitting on a hard, uncomfortable and too firm surface or sitting in an awkward, incorrect position, may lead to tailbone pain. If you stay in this position for a long period (for example while sitting at the desk at work or while driving) it causes too much pressure on your tailbone and the discomfort and pain gets worse and worse. 

Does an ergonomic chair help to reduce Tailbone Pain?

Yes, an ergonomic chair can help you to reduce pressure on your thighs and sit bones. It encourages you to sit up straight, with a slight curve in your lumbar area.