Ultrasound-guided hypertonic dextrose prolotherapy for chronic coccydynia: a comparative study of clinical outcomes and functional improvement.

INTRODUCTION: Coccydynia is characterized by persistent tailbone pain that significantly impairs quality of life. Despite conservative treatments, many patients experience inadequate symptom relief. Prolotherapy, a regenerative injection technique for chronic musculoskeletal pain, shows promise; however, its efficacy for coccydynia has not been evaluated in controlled comparative studies. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is among the first such studies.

AREAS COVERED: This retrospective comparative study evaluated 56 patients with primary chronic coccydynia refractory to conservative management. Twenty-nine patients received ultrasound-guided 10% dextrose prolotherapy combined with therapeutic exercises and patient education; 27 patients received exercises and education alone. Mean pain duration was 20.7 ± 17.3 months (prolotherapy) and 26.9 ± 17.3 months (control). Primary outcomes were pain intensity and functional disability at baseline, 1-month, and 3-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes comprised the Paris Functional Coccydynia Impact Questionnaire.

EXPERT OPINION: Ultrasound-guided dextrose prolotherapy combined with therapeutic exercises demonstrated superior efficacy compared to exercises alone. The prolotherapy group achieved a 73% pain reduction at 3 months versus 26% in controls. An 82.8% clinical response rate and 37.9% complete pain resolution were observed, with a favorable safety profile. These results support prolotherapy as an effective, minimally invasive option for chronic coccydynia following failed conservative management.