Tailbone Pain Exercises: A Gentle Lying Down Lesson

These tailbone pain exercises are a short lying down lesson, and the lesson is the heart of this page: six small steps on your side or your back, with no weight on the sore bone at any point. The tailbone, also called the coccyx, is the small curved bone at the very bottom of your spine. It takes part of your weight when you lean back in a chair, which is why a sore one turns sitting into a chore. Long hours in a chair, a fall onto the bottom, and pregnancy or childbirth are the usual reasons it starts to hurt. The lesson draws on the Feldenkrais Method®, where the pace is slow and your attention does more of the work than your muscles do. The pelvis gets to move while the tailbone itself is left in peace.

How long the pain lasts varies a lot. The NHS notes that a sore coccyx often improves over a few weeks, yet for some people the pain carries on for much longer (NHS, 2025). That slower group is where small daily habits make a real difference: how you sit, how often you stand, and whether the pelvis still gets to move.

Why these tailbone pain exercises stay so small

When the tailbone hurts, the muscles around it tend to tighten. The pelvic floor, the deep hip muscles and the buttocks all grip a little to guard the sore spot. Sitting still for hours keeps that grip switched on. Lying down changes the picture. The bed takes your weight, the coccyx has no load on it, and the pelvis can roll by a few millimetres with no strain on the bone. Those tiny rocks are enough for the muscles around the tailbone to find out they can let go of some of the holding. Nothing is stretched and nothing is pushed, and the movement stays well below anything that stings.

The noticing matters as much as the moving. Each step asks where the weight lands and how it travels across the pelvis, because a pelvis you can feel clearly is a pelvis you can rest more easily. If sitting is what started your pain, our Feldypedia article on lower back pain from sitting explains what long sitting asks of the pelvis and the lower spine.

Good times to try it, and reasons to wait

After a long stretch of sitting, when the whole pelvis feels stuck, is one natural moment for the lesson. In bed before sleep is another, and mornings work too, since a stiff pelvis often loosens a little before the day begins. Keep every movement smaller than you think you need. If any step makes the tailbone ache more, shrink it further, or simply picture the movement instead of doing it.

Some people should hold off for now. If you fell onto your tailbone recently and the pain is severe, get it looked at before you try any exercise, because the bone can bruise or crack. If you are pregnant, or have given birth in the past few months, ask your midwife or doctor whether gentle pelvic movement suits you right now. A fever together with tailbone pain, or pain that keeps getting worse week by week, also needs a doctor rather than a lesson.

Sitting between tailbone pain exercises

The lesson takes a few minutes, but sitting takes most of the day, so the way you sit matters just as much. Try leaning slightly forward from the hips, so your weight lands on the sit bones, the two bony points you can feel under each buttock, and the tailbone floats free behind them. A wedge cushion, or a U shaped cushion with the gap at the back, does the same job for you. Stand up often, every twenty or thirty minutes if you can, and let the pelvis sway a little while you walk to the kitchen and back.

For a fuller picture of comfortable sitting, read our guide on how to sit without back pain. If the ache spreads into one buttock, painful glutes when sitting looks at why one side usually takes the strain. When you would like a voice to guide the lying down lesson, Feldy's free 7 day trial includes short recorded lessons for the pelvis and lower back, with no card needed.

Alongside clinical care and other methods

A doctor or physiotherapist sits alongside this work rather than being replaced by it. A doctor can check for a fracture after a fall, and a physiotherapist may offer pelvic floor work or hands on care for a coccyx that will not settle. Keep whatever they suggest, and use this lesson as the gentle movement part of your day.

Other methods take a different route. The classic coccyx stretch options people use, knee to chest lying on your back, child's pose, or a figure four stretch for the deep hip muscles, aim to lengthen the muscles that attach around the tailbone, and many people find them pleasant. Yoga and Pilates build strength and flexibility through held shapes and set sequences. The lesson on this page asks for something else: no stretch, no hold, only tiny movement and close attention to where the weight goes. If sitting and standing both feel sore, the Feldy program for lower back pain builds on the same approach over several weeks.

Find where to start

Tailbone pain usually eases through a mix of small changes, and the right mix is personal. Try the lesson a few times, keep the sitting habits going, and notice which of them your body answers.

Not sure which movement method fits you? Take the 60 second Movement Match quiz. Sixty seconds of questions about sitting and comfort, and it names one method for you.

Common Questions about tailbone pain exercises (FAQ)

Are tailbone pain exercises safe to do at home?

For most people with everyday coccyx soreness, yes, as long as nothing presses on the bone and every movement stays tiny and comfortable. The lesson here is done lying down for that reason. Skip it for now if you had a recent fall with severe pain, if you are pregnant or have recently given birth and have not checked with your midwife, or if you have a fever.

What is the best position for tailbone pain exercises?

Lying on your side with a pillow between your knees is the kindest place to begin, because the tailbone carries no weight at all there. Lying on your back with the knees bent is a good second option if your back is comfortable, with the movement kept small enough that the coccyx never meets the bed. Sitting on a hard floor is best left out.

What should I avoid when I have tailbone pain?

Avoid rolling or rocking directly on the tailbone, sitting on a hard surface for long stretches, and slumping back in a chair so the coccyx takes the load. Deep squats and strong bouncing are also unkind to a sore coccyx. In the lesson, leave out any step that makes the tailbone ache, or make it so small that you only imagine it.

How often should I do these tailbone stretches and movements?

Once or twice a day is plenty, and a few minutes each time is enough. Many people like the lesson after a long sit or at bedtime. Because everything stays gentle, there is no need to leave rest days between sessions. Let comfort set the rhythm rather than a fixed count.

How long does it take for tailbone pain to ease?

It varies a great deal. For many people a sore coccyx settles over a few weeks, while others live with it for months. Gentle movement and kinder sitting are habits that pay off slowly, so notice small signs first: an easier stand from the chair, or less dread of a long drive. Pain that keeps growing instead of easing is a reason to see a doctor.

How is this different from a coccyx stretch like knee to chest?

A coccyx stretch such as knee to chest or child's pose lengthens the muscles around the tailbone and holds them there. This lesson does not stretch or hold anything. It uses tiny, slow rocks of the pelvis and asks you to notice where the weight travels, so the muscles around the coccyx learn they can soften without being pulled. The two can sit side by side if you enjoy both.

When should I see a doctor about tailbone pain?

See a doctor soon if the pain began with a fall and is severe, if you have a fever, if the area is swollen or bruised, or if the pain keeps getting worse rather than better. Also get advice if it has not improved after a few weeks of gentler sitting, if you are pregnant or have recently given birth, or if sitting has become close to impossible.