Why coccyx vestigial

Perhaps the system can still work without certain parts, but its efficiency will be diminished. The theory of intelligent design does not demand that the coccyx be medically indispensable. Rather, ID expects that the coccyx will have some function that contributes to the integrated whole. In that regard, the coccyx clearly has multiple functions — and thus fulfills the predictions of intelligent design.

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Can I count on your support? Skip to content Recently I was invited to give a talk on the evidence for intelligent design to a course at a state university. It also functions as an insertion point of some of the muscles of the pelvic floor. The coccyx also functions to support and stabilize a person while he or she is in a sitting position. But it is not useless in the body. It provides attachment to various important muscles, ligaments, and tendons. It represents a vestigial tail, hence the common term tailbone.

See Normal Spinal Anatomy. While it was originally thought that the coccyx is always fused together, it is now known that the coccyx is not one solid bone, but there is some limited movement between the bones permitted by fibrous joints and ligaments. See Sacrum Sacral Region. The coccyx connects with the sacrum through the sacrococcygeal joint, and there is normally limited movement between the coccyx and the sacrum.

The coccyx usually moves slightly forward or backward as the pelvis, hips, and legs move. When a person sits or stands, the bones that make up the pelvis including the coccyx rotate outward and inward slightly to better support and balance the body.

See Sacroiliac Joint Anatomy. Although the tailbone is considered vestigial or no longer necessary in the human body, it does have some function in the pelvis. For instance, the coccyx is one part of a three-part support for a person in the seated position. Surgery is the treatment for a vestigial tail. They may opt to have the structure removed from their child soon after birth.

When a vestigial tail is small and looks like a nub, parents may forgo surgery. The decision to remove or keep primarily depends on how the tail impacts your life. Once essential for an early human diet of roots, leaves, meat, and nuts, wisdom teeth…. Learn more about third nipples, also known as supernumerary nipples.

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