Delicate ? about my coccyx/don't you dare laugh!

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jerseyshorenurse
jerseyshorenurse Posts: 47 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
OK so I'm a huge huge fan of the rowing machine. I love the workout. I feel like my muscles get a nice tone from it and it gets my heart pumping. However, using it rubs my tailbone raw. No, I mean seriously. My form is pretty good and I focus on it every stoke (one of the things I like most about rowing--it's like meditation), so I don't think that is the problem, and I've tried scootching my fanny further back on the seat, and I've experimented with different styles of undergarments (stop laughing). But still the abrasion on my coccyx which takes a week to heal each time! I rowed some in college and I don't EVER remember having this problem, although I was heavier then. I seriously bought some of those extra big fabric bandaids to try putting over the area to prevent friction during rowing, I just haven't tried it yet. STOP LAUGHING!!! :P So what the heck??? Do I need to put on my fancy padded mountain biking shorts or something? I really want to use this more heavily but with my sore bum I can only do it like once a week max. Ok, you can laugh at that :o)

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  • That_Girl
    That_Girl Posts: 1,324 Member
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    I wouldn't do it. I mean, there are many other things you can do...why hurt your rear?
  • Warmbloodwear
    Warmbloodwear Posts: 387 Member
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    lol ok is it because there is sweating in that area??? I only ask because I get bad rashes and stuff cause my thighs rub from sweating:blushing: .. I wonder if maybe thats it???
    I use powder now and it has gone away..You might try it???
    That does suck cause I can imagine it is painful :sad:
    Cheers to you for posting this though!!! :drinker:
  • frenchprairiegirl
    frenchprairiegirl Posts: 173 Member
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    I did not laugh...maybe just snickered a little. My suggestion would be to ask one of the onsite trainers to observe your form and maybe they can make a more professional suggestion.
  • 00trayn
    00trayn Posts: 1,849 Member
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    Perhaps you'd benefit from wearing biking shorts that have the padding. I have an old injury with my tailbone from playing softball in middle school so I always need a bit of extra padding when doing things like crunches or sitting on a hard surface or bike seat. You can wear them under your workout pants and no one will notice, but i bet you'll be much more comfy!
  • jen051279
    jen051279 Posts: 44
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    If you are raw because I don't really understand you cantry bodyglide before you exercise. It is sold at sporting good stores and looks like a container of deodorant.
  • muth3rluvx2
    muth3rluvx2 Posts: 1,156 Member
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    So.. this sounds like a friction problem? I'm trying to think - not having used a rowing machine myself but I've got a pretty good idea of what it looks like... is it from the seat? I'm thinking the seat probably isn't molded properly and your tush is sliding when it should just be your legs and arms. Do they have a gel-cover that can be put over it? I'm kind of picturing a hard plastic rather than something cushy covered in a rougher fabric so that any rayon or nylon clothing doesn't slide against it causing other injuries from falling off the seat.

    I would think anything that made you slide MORE in the seat would be bad (powders, oils, etc). Perhaps the seat just needs to be adjusted just a tad with a forward tilt (if that option is available) or you shouldn't go so far back on the forward stroke so that you're not pushing your tush back on the seat from a full leg extension. This is also what I assume to be happening.

    I'd talk to the folks at the gym. If you're having this problem I'd guess you're not the first and they probably have some way to alleviate the problem.

    Good luck!!!
  • jerseyshorenurse
    jerseyshorenurse Posts: 47 Member
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    I'm thinking I'll try bike shorts, just to make sure there's no seams anywhere near my hiney, and then maybe something like bodyglide...I know guys who use the stuff for biking to protect their delicate parts from friction on the seat.

    The reason I'm looking so hard for a solution and want to continue this exercise despite some issues with it is that it's just so darn effective an exercise. I have knee problems, so I need to make the bulk of my exercise low impact and I get very tired of just doing the elliptical all the time in the off season. As the weather improves, I start mountain biking and surfing more, so I get workouts that way, but over the winter the elliptical gets quite boring, although it's also very effective.

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