Complaining Of Tail Bone Pain. Noticed Pus Coming Out. What To Do?

Posted on Sat, 10 Aug 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 10 Aug 2013 Answered on

Wed, 28 Aug 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : hi my daughter has been complaining since Monday this week that her tailbone has been hurting. on Tuesday she toom a bath and noticed puss has been coming out. Since she started to take the bath's its getting better..she doesn't need advil anymore and she can sleep on her back. Today her butt cheeks star
started to hurt.

started

Answered by Dr. Kerry Pottinger (34 minutes later)

Hi,
Thank you for using Healthcare Magic.
From your description, I think your daughter may have a pilonidal abscess. This is not serious. A pilonidal abscess is the result of an infected pilonidal sinus. This is a small hole that develops in the cleft between the buttocks. Multiple holes can join and become a tunnel or sinus. If these become infected they will produce pus and cause pain and redness in the area.
I would suggest she visits her doctor for assessment. A pilonodal abscess can be diagnosed on visual examination. Treatment usually involves a small operation to remove the infected sinus. In the meantime, I suggest she keeps the area clean and dry.
I hope this has been helpful. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Regards,
Dr K A Pottinger
MBChB FRCA

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar