[Twenty Years Experience with Gardner's Coccygectomy.].

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Pain Management

Context:

• Coccygodynia, or tailbone pain, significantly impacts patient quality of life.
• Surgical intervention, specifically coccygectomy, is considered for persistent cases unresponsive to conservative treatments.

Purpose:

• To evaluate the long-term outcomes and patient-reported subjective responses following coccygectomy using Gardner's technique.
• To assess the efficacy of coccygectomy in resolving pain associated with coccygodynia over a twenty-year period.

Summary:

• This study reviewed twenty years of experience with coccygectomy in 60 patients (95% female, mean age 36).
• 53 patients reported complete pain relief; 7 experienced residual tenderness. Postoperative issues like defecation difficulties resolved rapidly.
• Persistent pain was successfully managed with local anesthetics, corticosteroids, and positional adjustments.

Impact:

• Coccygectomy, when performed with careful technique, offers a high success rate for resolving coccygodynia.
• The findings support coccygectomy as a viable treatment option for intractable tailbone pain.
• This research provides valuable data on the long-term effectiveness and management of post-coccygectomy pain.