A tailbone pressure injury needs prompt pressure relief, moisture control, appropriate wound coverage, and a clinical assessment to determine its depth. Do not massage the area or put hydrogen peroxide into an open wound. Seek urgent care for fever, rapidly spreading redness, foul drainage, severe pain, confusion, or black tissue.
Keep direct weight off the sacrum as much as possible. Reposition on an individualized schedule, use a pressure-redistributing mattress or cushion, and use pillows or wedges to support a 30-degree side tilt. Avoid donut-shaped cushions because their edges can concentrate pressure.
Clean gently after urine or stool exposure, pat dry, and apply a clinician-recommended moisture barrier to intact surrounding skin. An open sore should be covered with a dressing selected for its drainage level; avoid peroxide, alcohol, vigorous scrubbing, and unprescribed antiseptics that can injure healing tissue.
A clinician should stage the injury, measure it, assess nutrition and continence, and look for infection or deeper tissue damage. Purple discoloration, a blood-filled blister, slough, or eschar can hide a deeper injury and should not be staged from a photograph alone.
Call 911 for trouble breathing, severe weakness, new confusion, or other signs of a medical emergency. Fever, rapidly expanding redness, warmth, pus, foul odor, worsening pain, crepitus, or exposed bone needs same-day medical evaluation; do not wait for a routine wound appointment.
Call 877-545-1300 or request a provider to begin care. Healix360 serves Southern California and Nevada and accepts Medicare Part B and most major insurance plans.