Coccyx

From ArticleWorld

The coccyx, also called the tailbone, is a flattened, curved distal bone in the vertebral column. In humans, the coccyx is considered a vestigial bone, meaning that it no longer serves the same function as it did with other ancestor species. In a sense, the coccyx is what would be the bony portion of a tail, if humans had them.

Anatomy

The coccyx is not a big bone. It is, in reality, the fusion of between three and five rudimentary vertebrae. It has only one articular surface, where it articulates superiorly with the sacrum. The further down one goes when examining the fused coccyx, the less like a real vertebra a segment appears. The last segment is often no more than a nodule. In order to palpate the bone itself, it must be felt through the wall of the rectum in a rectal examination.

Function

Even though the coccyx is considered vestigial, it performs several functions as the bony attachment to muscles and ligaments. Via the sacrococcygeal ligament, it firms up its attachment to the sacrum. The attachments of the coccygeus muscle, the levator ani muscle and the sphincter ani muscle are all a part of the coccyx muscle. The coccyx itself does not have much movement of its own.

Conditions

The coccyx can become fractured through a hard fall on one’s buttocks. Pain, called coccydynia, is the pain one feels whenever the coccyx is inflamed or fractured. If the coccygeal fracture is displaced forward, it can affect the individual’s bowel movements because the displaced coccyx will protrude into the rectum.