Are you investigating having coccyx surgery and concerned about potential coccygectomy complications? As with any surgery, there are potential risks that need to be carefully weighed before having a coccygectomy. There is always the chance that the coccyx surgery will be unsuccessful, but if one investigates all other avenues of relief from coccyx pain, the small risks will far overshadow the benefits of having a coccygectomy.
One coccyx surgery complication could be the adverse reaction of the individual to the general anesthesia. As those who’ve been through major surgery before and have had to be put under, the reaction of ones body to the anesthesia is always in back of ones mind.
One of the unique coccygectomy complications could be potential infection to the operated area. In the case of a coccygectomy, this risk is slightly higher than with other surgeries simply because of the location of the incision. Post-operation infections are fairly common with this type of surgery because the site is so close to the anus and colon, which contain a greater variety of bacterias that can lead to contamination and infections if one isn’t diligent in cleansing themselves carefully. As a result, there is also the possibility of wound healing problems due to infection.
Another of the coccygectomy complications could be prolonged pain or the plain and simple failure of the surgery to the relive you from the coccyx pain you had in the first place. I know from personal experience that the fear of the surgery not working and having to live with the pain for the rest of ones life was very real. Even directly after the coccyx removal surgery and during coccyx surgery recovery, there was always an underlying and nagging ‘what if it doesn’t work?’
In the past, most surgeons were dead set against performing a coccygectomy simply because they claimed the results were too poor. However, based on current clinical studies, the operation has had a success rate of 50-90%. This rate raises significantly up to 80-90% if the potential coccyx surgery candidate was considered a good candidate and if the operating surgeon was experienced enough with this very delicate type of surgery.
Coccygectomy complications can vary from very minor to complete failure of the surgery to relieve the pain. It should be noted, however, that post-operation pain usually makes things like sitting very painful for at least a month or more. During the initial recovery period, you will be given strong pain medication. It typically takes from about 3 months to a full year after having the coccygectomy for the majority of patients to start seeing relief from the painful coccyx injury symptoms.
