Even though some people are starting to return to the office, many of us will continue to work from home. If you have a sit-down job, working can become incredibly problematic, even impossible, when you have coccydynia. I work for myself so I can be flexible and work around my pain to some extent, but I’d like to share my office setup, tips, and routines for working from home with coccyx (tailbone) pain.
These tips may also help those who:
- are looking for ideas for their home office set up.
- want to keep back and gluteal pain at bay.
- are starting to feel the strain from working at home.
- want to improve their mental health during work hours.
[AD: sponsored post – all words and experiences are my own]
Routine is good for positive mental health and fatigue
Routine is extremely important for me to maintain mental wellbeing, to keep a check on my sitting time, and to know when I need to take action to reduce my coccyx pain.
Each morning, I like to get up and get straight on with my food preparation for the day. I prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner for myself and my husband. This ensures that we can eat healthy, nutritious meals every day. If I left it until later, chances are I would be suffering from fatigue and might not feel up to it making much effort.
After breakfast, I can then make work my priority.
Good practice for chronic coccyx (tailbone) pain sufferers when working from home
Try to keep your desk area clean and tidy, set up without distractions.
Keep hydrated, and have a glass of water on your desk at all times. Keep a jug of chilled water in the fridge for easy top-ups.
Take regular breaks, move about and stretch.
Be sure to have a proper lunch break. If possible go out for a walk, practice a mindfulness body scan for ten minutes, or a few yoga stretches before eating a healthy lunch.
Minimise sitting for long periods to reduce additional coccyx pain
Sitting for any period of time is the biggest problem for those of us with coccydynia. As time goes on you will get to know your limits – I know mine is an hour!
It can be easy to lose track of time, so keep a timer on your desk, and set it for 15 minute intervals. Each time the alarm sounds, check your posture and take some cleansing breaths. Move around if you need to.
Keep your phone charged all the time, and try to keep walking around the house while you have work calls (even video calls). This has the added benefit of racking up lots of extra steps too.
Once you have reached your maximum sitting time, consider using a voice-activated dictation app so that you can “type” whilst walking around.
I find using a TENS machine with the pads stuck to my glutes, or my belt area provides good pain relief when sitting and standing too.
Doughnut, coccyx cushions & seating options for tailbone pain
A doughnut cushion is just as it sounds, a round cushion with a hole in the middle. Sitting on one of these may relieve any pressure from your coccyx as they elevate your tailbone from your chair.
Far preferable in my experience is a specialist coccyx cushion. I have been extremely pleased with the quality and comfort of Iamcomfi coccyx cushions. These have a cutaway hole in the back, so you can sit without your coccyx touching any surface. I use this in conjunction with their back support cushion which straps to the back of a chair and supports the lumbar spine (lower back).
You may like to try out a large gym ball instead of a chair.
Best work from home desks for chronic coccyx pain
Many people are now opting for a sit-stand desk. If you are thinking of trying this option, try testing it out by putting your laptop or computer on a cardboard box on top of a kitchen worktop or table. You should be able to get a feel for it and see if that might be an option for you.
You can then purchase a sit-stand desk or a desk riser that sits on top of an existing table. There are even some cool bendy stools made for sit-stand desks that allow movement whilst sitting with your coccyx hanging over the back.
If budget allows, you may like to try a treadmill desk. Many of us find we are free from pain when walking, so this option allows you to walk at a slow pace on a treadmill whilst using a laptop.
Keep your home office separate from home life
It’s a good idea to keep your workspace separate from your living area, a home office room is great, but not everyone has space.
If you’re tucked into a corner of a living room and need to section off your workspace, seek out some inspiration from Apres Furniture with their contemporary office dividers. There is something there to suit all decors.
Position your workspace close to natural light if you can.
Remember: When working from home, it’s easy to be available at all hours now that we have 24 hour technology. Try not to answer work calls, or check work emails during downtime. Your mind and body need to switch off.
If you have a home office or are responsible for buying equipment in an office environment, you might like to think about hiring or leasing a photocopier rather than buying one. If you’re in London do check out COS Sales who will be happy to discuss all available options with you.
I hope that this may give you a few tips on how to best manage coccyx (tailbone) pain when working from home. I’d love to hear what options have worked for you.
Tea & Cake For The Soul 
I spend so much time sitting! I have that same cushion and wouldn’t know what I would do without it.
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What great tips. I used to suffer with back ache but it seems much better since I have been moving around more x
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It’s so important to keep moving to reduce pain.
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Very useful post. I need to implement lots of these as I’m sat at a desk a lot too. Thank you. xxx
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I think I do all of these, I have real problems with pain and stiffness when sitting too long, that’s why going out hurts so much because I’m stuck in my chair…I may get one of these cushions for my wheelchair!
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They do actually recommend coccyx cushions for wheelchair users. Let me know how you get on with it.
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These are fantastic tips, Jo! I’m glad there’s something you can do, and a great little cushion to use, to alleviate just a little of the pain so you can sit for some time. Coccyx pain is underrated. I can’t sit in a normal chair anymore because of nerve damage affecting my hips, and that’s the worse part in terms of mobility, but it’s also my lower back and coccyx. I was thinking about doing a Coccyx Cushion Roundup post in future to go through and see what’s well reviewed because you never quite know what any one will be like until you try it. xx
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I have another post I’m working on containing lots of other products that you can use to relieve coccyx pain. Sorry to hear you have coccyx and lower back pain too. It’s very debilitating and life changing.
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Some good advice about WFH even if you don’t suffer from back pain! I can often be at my desk for a solid 4 hours at a time. My watch starts shouting at me if I haven’t moved for a while which is a good reminder to get up and about.
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Yes it’s so important for us to move regularly whether we are working from home or in the office. My husband now uses a coccyx cushion when sitting at his computer and when driving for good spine health. He’d been starting to feel slight coccyx pain during lockdown and this prevents the pain for him now.
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