The term coccygodynia (ie, coccydynia) has been defined as pain in and around the region of the coccyx. It was described as early as the 1600s, but the term actually was first used by Simpson in 1859. The term coccyx actually comes from the Greek term kokkoux for cuckoo, as it resembles the shape of a cuckoo's beak. This condition is quite rare and accounts for less than 1% of all back pain conditions reported to physicians. It is 5 times more common in women, supposedly because the coccyx is more exposed and prominent in women than in men. Various authors have described the typical patient with coccydynia as a female with a thin body who has either sustained direct trauma to the coccyx or injured the coccyx during childbirth.
Synonyms and related keywords: coccydynia sprain of the posterior fibers of the sacrococcygeal joint capsule, contusion to the tip of the coccyx and surrounding soft tissue, fracture of the coccyx, coccyalgia, coccydynia levator syndrome, coccyx pain, back pain, coccygeal pain Author: Michael J Lyons, DO 2006

Coccyx pain (tailbone pain) can frustrate patients and significantly impair quality of life, but relief is possible. Coccyx pain was first documented in 1588, and the term coccygodynia was coined by Simpson in 1859.1 Currently, the term coccydynia is used somewhat more commonly than coccygodynia. The 2 terms are interchangeable and indicate pain localized to the coccyx. Neither term specifies the underlying etiology. Coccyx pain can occur from local trauma or a tumor, but most cases are idiopathic and have no identifiable cause.
Synonyms and related keywords: coccydynia, coccyx pain, sacrum, coccygeal vertebrae, coccygodynia, tailbone pain, sacrococcygeal pain, sacrococcygeal joint dysfunction, levator ani, coccygeus, iliococcygeus, pubococcygeus, anococcygeal raphe, sacrospinous ligament, sacrotuberous ligament, ischial tuberosity, sacrococcygeal articulation, sacrococcygeal palpation, ganglion impar, ganglion of Walther, pelvic pain, pudendal neuralgia (pudendal nerve pain), tail bone pain syndrome
Foye, Buttaci & Sorensen 2007