Encyclopedia > Coccyx

  Article Content

Coccyx

The coccyx, commonly referred to as the tailbone, is the final group of vertebrae (the coccygeal vertebrae) below the sacrum. It is attached to the sacrum as a fibrocartilaginous joint, though there is not much movement here.

The coccyx is regarded as vestigial in humans, meaning it has no real use. It does provide an attachment for muscles, such as gluteus maximus[?], and also acts as a partial shock absorber when a person sits down.

The coccygeal bones fuse as a person ages. They can be damaged if a person sits down to quickly on a hard surface, causing a painful injury.



All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License

 
  Search Encyclopedia

Search over one million articles, find something about almost anything!
 
 
  
  Featured Article
242

... 2nd century - 3rd century - 4th century Decades: 190s 200s 210s 220s 230s - 240s - 250s 260s 270s 280s 290s Years: 237 238 239 240 241 - 242 - ...

 
 
 
This page was created in 33.6 ms