Coccyx

The coccyx is the unpaired tail of the lower part of the human spine, which makes up part of the intestinal tract. The term “coccyx” in medicine has three definitions: Coccyx

Anatomical definition is the terminal osteochondral part of the spine, located in the lower part of the pelvis. There is always only one coccyx - the exception is the 2nd coccyx fused to the sacrum in some newborns (more often in premature babies), to whom this concept does not apply.

The etiological classification distinguishes congenital (or teratoma from the sacrum) and acquired (after treatment for cancer or injury) patterns of the absence of the coccyx, as well as idiopathic - when it remains at birth, but then disappears by 5-7 years or splits. In all people, the coccyx exists; with injuries it can be open, truncated, but never completely absent except when it is removed in childhood. Physiological definition. The coccyx ends with the sacrum. This is the only part of the lower spine that lacks vertebral bodies. There is no spinal cord in it, only nerves pass through, although even in it the formation of a Schmorl's hernia is possible. The coccyx bone enters together with the sacrum into the acetabulum, to which it is connected through the sacrotuberous fossa. The coccyx is separated from the sacral vertebrae by the sacrococcygeal joint, strengthened by connective tissue fibers. The coccygeal region has pronounced mobility due to the large amplitude of articular action in this joint. Thanks to this, the pelvic bones tightly cover the coccyx bone and fix them together with a hook bone. The ligaments are so strong that during the healing process of bone fractures,