The effectiveness of manipulation in combination with exercise for patients with coccydynia: Six months follow-up of a randomized controlled trial

Background

Limited evidence exists concerning the long-term follow-up of pain management in individuals with coccydynia.

Objective

This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of combining manipulation and exercise as a treatment approach for patients with coccydynia, while also assessing its long-term outcomes.

Design

Six months follow-up of a randomized controlled trial.

Setting

This study was conducted in a private hospital.

Methods

The control group (n = 23) received exercise alone, while the experimental group (n = 23) received both exercise and manipulation. All participants performed exercises three days a week for four weeks, and the manipulation sessions were conducted once a week for a total of four sessions. Pain levels were assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), coccydynia symptoms were evaluated using the Paris questionnaire, and pain-related disability was measured with the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI).

Participants

Forty-six participants were enrolled in the study.

Results

No statistically significant differences were observed in the demographic characteristics between the two groups (p > 0.05). However, participants in the manipulation group showed a statistically significant improvement in pain, symptoms, and ODI scores compared to the control group, both immediately after treatment and at the 6-month follow-up (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that the combination of exercise and intrarectal manipulation over a four-week period significantly reduced pain, coccydynia-related symptoms, and disability scores in chronic coccydynia patients. However, no therapeutic superiority was observed in the long-term follow-up of six months.