"I have just had coccyxectomy surgery with Mr Hardy following extensive research regarding surgeons throughout the UK. I also did lots of research through a Facebook "Coccyx Pain Support Group" and Mr Hardy was mentioned a lot. I booked an initial consultation even though my Private Medical insurance didn’t cover Mr Hardy. From the moment I met Mr Hardy I knew I wouldn’t trust anyone else to perform the surgery I needed and for me there wasn’t an alternative option other than the op. Mr Hardy performed a thorough investigation and examined me. I found Mr Hardy very personable and he gave me so much confidence in choosing him as my surgeon. I travelled from Cumbria to Bristol because he was the one! The help and support I had from Lucy his secretary was also so useful and she was available for advice throughout. Thank you! I am 7 days post op now and have to say the surgery has been a dream to what I expected! Thank you so much for making me pain free!" V.M.

"My coccyx pain first started in June 2011, after I had given birth to my daughter. After a difficult and somewhat traumatic delivery, once the epidural had worn off, I was very aware that I couldn’t sit for any time at all. I knew something was very wrong. The pain in my coccyx was unbearable. Every time I sat down or went from sitting to standing, the pain was excruciating. I couldn’t sit to nurse my daughter or as she grew up, I couldn’t sit on the floor to play with her.

I sought advice from my GP, who informed me that it would pass but to give it time. I waited months for the pain to subside and sadly it didn’t. Months turned into years. I consulted many professionals over the years, both NHS and privately (osteopaths, chiropractors, acupuncturists, homoeopaths, physiotherapists, pain management doctors…). Each one gave a different diagnosis and all claimed to be able to ‘fix’ my pain, with external manipulations, internal manipulations, injections, physio, massage. You name it, I had it done. I spent thousands of pounds and cried many, many tears. I was told to grieve for the person that I was before and that now I would live a life of chronic pain. The depression that comes with living with daily pain is all consuming. I could see no way forward.

The tenth anniversary of my injury to my coccyx arrived and I had had enough. I’d heard of many horror stories about coccygectomies over the years… how they can be unsuccessful, can cause more pain and with a very long recovery time, but at this point I felt that I had nothing to lose. I had been a member of coccyx.org for many years and I had seen Mr Hardy’s name mentioned over the years but I had never contacted him, as I was too afraid of elective surgery! I hesitantly made an appointment for September 2021 and travelled to London to meet him at his clinic in The Lister Hospital.

Mr Hardy is the kindest, understanding, most professional and patient doctor you'd ever meet. He really knows his stuff! I had an MRI (the first that was in the accurate place - up until then I had only had MRIs of the lower back), that same day. He diagnosed a very abnormal coccyx: a fracture mid C2 and fusion of half of C2/3 and 4 distally, a long spur on the top of C2 at the C1/2 joint and a shorter spur at another fracture site. In the entire ten years of suffering with this problem, no one had ever accurately diagnosed what the issue was and I was so relieved to finally know that Mr Hardy knew and understood what the problem was.

We discussed the options available, doing nothing, further injections with manipulation or coccygectomy. Mr Hardy was very understanding of my worries. We discussed the risks of no cure, infection, nerve injury, scar pain, hematoma, deformation, dehiscence, bowel injury and prolapse, as well as what I had to do prior to the surgery and after the surgery. He is extremely knowledgeable and has performed many, many coccygectomies, with people travelling from all over the world to see him.

Armed with this knowledge and feeling very confident in Mr Hardy’s professionalism, skill, expertise and knowledge, I scheduled my surgery for January 2022, almost ten and a half years to the day since the injury occurred.The surgery was at the Lister Hospital in Chelsea. Mr Hardy again explained to me what would happen during the procedure and what would happen after. The surgery went without a hitch, with every member of staff being extremely attentive to my well-being. I left the hospital, reassured that I could contact Mr Hardy directly, should I have any concerns, no matter how minor.

My husband drove me home the following day. I was able to walk a few steps from the car to my home and climb the stairs to my bedroom. I took things very easy for the next few days, sleeping a lot, and having my husband change the dressing and check the wound for signs of infection.

I returned to London a week later for Mr Hardy to remove the stitches and check healing. Again, Mr Hardy was very knowledgeable, professional and caring. The wound was on its way to healing with no signs of infection. He advised me on how and when to start sitting and exercises that were required.

I returned for the final time to see Mr Hardy mid-February 2022, 6 weeks after the surgery. At this point, I felt as though I had 50% improvement of my preoperative condition. Upon examination, the wound had very well healed, but I was still very sore and tender at the site. I felt rather despondent, but Mr Hardy reassured me that this was normal and to be patient, and that for someone who had suffered for so long, it could take up to a year for me to feel some relief.

I carried on with my exercises, even though they were at times very uncomfortable. In May 2022 (5 months post op), I travelled with my family to Disneyland Paris and I was able to go on every ride, including the big roller coasters with very little pain. I honestly could not believe it.

Fast forward to September 2022 (9 months post op) and I am completely pain free and I am totally astounded at my recovery. I can at last do things that I haven’t been able to do for over ten years, such as canoeing, go-karting and going on simple bike rides with my children. I can sit on the floor and play Lego with my son! I have been able to start exercising again and I honestly feel so positive for the future. Mr Hardy will be pleased to hear that I’m doing really well and I’m so grateful to have had the surgery. I’ve been able to join a gym and lose some weight. Incredibly, I’m able to do weighted sit-ups. Something I would never have even entertained before.

My biggest regret is not seeking Mr Hardy’s help sooner. I would have saved myself much heartache (and bum ache!) All those lost years! To be pain free after so many years is absolutely incredible and I and my family are eternally grateful to Mr Hardy’s skill, knowledge and expert care. He is truly a wonderful surgeon and has achieved what I thought, and was told so many times, would be impossible. I cannot thank him enough. He has performed what I can only describe as a miracle and given me my life back pain free." Lucy Winepress

The image is of a cake in the shape of a coccyx baked by this patient's friends!

"Unlike some unlucky patients with this condition, I know exactly how and when I damaged my coccyx. It was while on holiday in 2018, going down a very fast slide that had a large drop off the end onto hard ground. The second I landed on my bottom I knew it was badly damaged. A few weeks later when the pain wasn’t improving, I saw my GP who was very supportive and sent me for an Xray. I was very lucky that the Radiographer on that day took his time to manoeuvre me into a position that gave the correct image to see it was damaged. Back then I had no knowledge of sit/stand x-rays, but with this condition getting good imaging is really important. Once confirmed it was dislocated, I called my private insurance company and was referred to a local orthopaedic surgeon. I won’t mention his name, but he quite frankly couldn’t get me out of the door quick enough he gave me some very bad advice and I went away terribly disheartened.

Then thanks to the "Coccyx Pain Support Group" and from there the coccygectomy surgery group who gave me the best support and advice and the name of the wonderful Mr Hardy.

By the time I went to see him I had been living with this condition for over a year and I was in agony. Any time I went anywhere I would have to spend time assessing if I could sit down or whether it would be to agonising. Cinema trips, Theatre, car journeys, working, flights, even going out for a coffee or meal became a nightmare, eventually I just stopped going out and worked from home with a standing desk. Mr Hardy was so understanding and supportive he really cared about trying to relieve me of the pain I was in and I’m so grateful of that.

Mr Hardy and his team were quick and efficient I was given an MRI on the day of my visit which gave an even clearer image of the issue and within a few weeks I was booked in for a coccygectomy. Surgery went very well and the pre and post care given by Mr Hardy and his team was invaluable and I’m sure this prevented me from getting an infection. Mr Hardy is very proud of his very low infection rate and so he should be as the location of the incision makes infection risk high. I was able to go back to working from home part time within 6 weeks and full time by 12 weeks.

I’m now 2.5 years post removal and I have my life back, I can do everything I did prior to the accident and there have been no negative side effects to surgery. This area of surgery is very overlooked, and it shouldn’t be as not being able to sit down hugely impacts quality of life and Mr Hardy was skilled and knowledgeable enough to take the time and care to fix me. Having cancelled many social events due to this condition when I finally made it out for dinner one of my friends had baked me a Coccyx removal celebration cake! I’m now able to enjoy meals, cinema trips and can drive to work again and I’m pain free. I’m so grateful for this. I can’t recommend Mr Hardy enough." N.B.

I first noticed a deep bruising pain when sitting in March 2019. I couldn’t understand how one day I was fine, and the next riddled with this pain. I also noticed changes in my bowel movements and the pain was severe at night meaning sleepless nights. I tried to talk to the GP about the pain around the area and changes in bowel, and naturally they wanted to check out gastrointestinal and gynaecological issues, but none of which explained why I could not sit without severe pain. I started to feel disheartened, maybe even silly for pursuing this issue and the only answer as the months went on was to use a Coccyx cushion to relieve the pain, yes, even on a night out! Finding no answers with the doctor, I turned to a reputable osteopath. My osteopath checked along my spine and into the coccyx region lying on my side, and sounded surprised by what she felt. Telling me it didn’t feel normal. I had treatment at the osteopath, which helped some of the discomfort, but as it seemed to be very mobile and sitting in the wrong place, we both agreed it would need a doctor to take a look.

As I felt I was getting nowhere with the GP, I booked in to see Joanna Longstaff a private GP at the Spire Bristol. I must have cried for half the session, I felt almost at my wits end with the anxiety of not sleeping and this ongoing pain. Dr Longstaff was very good and explained to me there was a Surgeon at the Spire who specialised in the coccyx, and if he thought it was a coccyx issue he would be the best person.

I met with Mr Hardy in the September, and with a simple examination, and a follow up MRI and a sit stand x-ray confirmed that my coccyx was angulated in at 90 degrees, an old fracture was evident as well as part of the coccyx fused to the sacrum. It sounds strange now, but I felt so happy that this was real and I wasn’t imagining it! He asked me to think when I had ever fallen hard on my bottom... and there it was! 15 years prior I had fallen down stairs. Mr Hardy explained how an old injury could cause coccydynia and it all came together as to what had happened. Mr Hardy gave me the time and information I needed to understand what was wrong, and what could be done. A partial coccygectomy seemed the best solution and I was in no doubt the thing had to come out! I was told about the coccyx support group on Facebook made up of people from around the globe suffering with coccyx issues and in turn the Coccyx Surgery group. The people on the groups were fantastic. They told me of the success stories and of those with less favourable outcomes, but Mr Hardy’s record spoke for itself, and with the support of the Facebook group and my family... onwards and out it would be!

The operation meant an overnight stay and I have to say it was extremely comfortable considering the procedure. I was surprised by how small the dressing was, and even more so by the neat incision and stitches. True to Mr Hardy’s explanation of what would happen, I went through each phase of recovery with a 1 week stitch removal and instructions for exercises and wound care for the following weeks and then a 6 week check up. At my 6 weeks check up I had managed the exercises he had given, and was ready to sit! I was nervous at this point... but oh my goodness...No pain!

I am pleased to say I am 6 months post operative, feeling no pain when sitting, not even a niggle. In fact from time to time you can catch me smiling when I sit for a meeting or lounge on the sofa. Life is as it was before the coccyx went rogue. I feel so grateful to have met Mr Hardy. A truly skilled surgeon, but even more appealing to me, one that genuinely gives the time and support to his patients with confidence and care. I cannot speak highly enough of the care and treatment I have received from him. A.S. 29/07/2020

"The bottom line? He was great and he knew his stuff. He was professional and friendly and not at all patronising or dismissive. He did thorough investigations, ordered the medical images he needed, spotted the exact problems and performed a skilful coccygectomy - because it was the correct thing to do, not because “it might make me feel better even though there’s nothing really wrong with your coccyx”. He really loves to help his patients, and that really shows. I’m a happy and satisfied patient. I chose my surgeon wisely and my coccygectomy has been totally successful. What I’m not happy about is that I wasn’t able to identify Mr. Hardy as being the right person to help me years earlier. So, I bugged him about this and asked why he seemed to be keeping his coccyx skills a secret. It wasn’t on purpose, he didn’t even realise his website didn’t mention it on the main page. So, Mr. Hardy is a super surgeon. However, credit where credit’s due – he couldn’t have done my coccygectomy without me! This kind of surgery is definitely a team sport. He did his small bit well, leaving me and my helpers to look after the surgery site. As a patient, if there was something I should have done or could have done to look after the site, minimise damage and speed up healing I did it 100%.I used every trick in my extensive book to do my job well. My thoughts were that I only had one chance to get my bit right, and if I did, I could look forward to a life without relentless pain and regret. It worked. Me and my surgeon made a great team. After years of research I don’t know of anybody better qualified to do a great job of diagnosing and treating coccyx problems in the UK (if you’re reading this and you’ve had a brilliant surgeon and super results please share, as there are obviously more people in need out there than Mr. Hardy can deal with). It was a real pain in the arse for me to get to Bristol from Sheffield with a badass to have the surgery done but it was worth it. I hope this helps many of you who are still stranded and trapped in pain to find a quick way out."" Distilled from a much longer testimonial sent to Mr Hardy by J.T.

"I suffered from chronic coccyx pain for almost 5 years. The pain was debilitating and prevented me from living a normal life. Before I met Dr. Hardy I had visited a dozen Drs, performed countless diagnostic images and tried all sorts of treatments. Yet no Dr. was able to find out what was causing my pain and no treatment provided significant relief.

Dr. Hardy gave me time like no other Dr. had given me before. I learnt so much about my condition yet most importantly, he found out what other Drs. had missed! He offered me several treatments, from which I chose coccygectomy.

Surgery went great. Dr. Hardy gave us his phone number and has been extremely helpful throughout recovery. He removed my stitches 1 week post-op and I was able to sit at his consult without pain for the first time in a very long time. It was a very emotional moment!

Given all the years of suffering from this debilitating pain that few Drs. seem to fully comprehend, I just wish I had met Dr. Hardy earlier. There's still a long road ahead in my recovery but I already know I made the right decision and I chose the best possible surgeon. I owe this man a lot." José in Madrid, Spain