Are you a prisoner of pelvic pain? Are you experiencing chronic pelvic pain for the past 6 months? Do you feel hopeless and frustrated over unlimited doctor visits? And no progress on the prognosis? Or worse, no clear diagnosis? Have you ever thought that you may feel this pain for the rest of your life? If your answer is YES, on any of the queries above, you came to the right place. Here we will explain how PELVIC FLOOR THERAPY can help you move well, feel better, and live your best life.
Here are the few testimonials from our clients who have been pain-free from pelvic pain and living their best life.
“Low back pain encompassed my life and now not only am I pain-free, but I have the tools to get out of the pain in the future.” – Amelia H
“I was diagnosed with Chronic Prostatitis, Hard Flaccid, Interstitial Cystitis, and overactive bladder. I am now symptom-free for about 2 months and am living a life without pain.” – Kevin Miller
“He is a healer in every sense of the word. I owe him my life. I have no pain anymore.” – Katie M
PELVIC PAIN IN MEN
WHAT CAUSES PELVIC PAIN IN MEN?
Male pelvic pain – is a discomfort or localized pain to the pelvis, groin, or genital area. There are a lot of other symptoms that can accompany pelvic pain including burning sensation when you pee, urinary frequency (the urge to urinate multiple times a day), urinary urgency (the urge to urinate immediately), painful urination, painful sex, and constipation. There are many possible causes of pelvic pain, such as infection or neoplasm but the most common cause of pelvic pain in men are the following conditions:
URINARY TRACT INFECTION (UTI) – is a type of infection that happens when pathogenic bacteria enters the urethra or urinary tract causing a burning or painful sensation when you urinate.
CYSTITIS – is an infection of the lower urinary tract or the urinary bladder.
PROSTATITIS – is an inflammation of the prostate or the areas around the prostate that may be bacterial or non-bacteria. Scientists have identified four types of prostatitis:
- Chronic Prostatitis Or Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CP/CPPS)
- Acute Bacterial Prostatitis
- Chronic Bacterial Prostatitis
- Asymptomatic Inflammatory Prostatitis
BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA – a benign or nan-cancerous enlargement of the prostate that can cause bladder problems.
PUDENDAL NEURALGIA – a condition that happens when a nerve in your lower body is damaged or irritated that causes pain, numbness and discomfort.
Other conditions that may cause pelvic pain in men could be a hernia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI), kidney stones, or post-vasectomy. These are a few of the most common causes of pelvic pain in men and these should be properly diagnosed to be properly treated. And in most cases, these conditions need to be ruled out to identify if it is a PELVIC FLOOR DYSFUNCTION.
In the absence of bacteria and an enlarged prostate, pelvic pain in men is most likely due to a musculoskeletal origin. We can say that posture, connective tissue, and trigger points cause pelvic pain. But the truth is, there is no one answer to what causes pelvic pain. We must look at the entire individual. What are their daily habits like? What are their triggers? How much movement do they incorporate in their day? What is their diet like? Are they constipated? All of the information is gathered and only then can a doctor make an educated decision on what is going on.
HOW TO PROPERLY DIAGNOSE PELVIC PAIN IN MEN?
PELVIC PAIN is an umbrella term used to diagnose a host of symptoms that cause discomfort and pain pertaining to your abdomen and pelvic contents. It is said that 1 in 6 men will experience pelvic pain in their lifetime. The two most mentioned diagnoses are Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CPPS) & Chronic Prostatitis (CP). Both these diagnoses can have the same symptoms of shooting pain/numbness, erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, hard flaccid, constipation, urinary hesitancy/burning/frequency, erectile pain, post-ejaculate pain and the list goes on. That is why sometimes these two can be used interchangeably and at times can really confuse your specialist.
If your pelvic pain won’t go away, it is always a must to see your doctor or specialist and they will perform the following to diagnose the cause of your pelvic pain:
- Medical History – This includes the patient’s past surgical history, family medical history, social history, allergies, and medications
- Diagnostic Tests – urinalysis (analysis or test of the urine) is one of the most common diagnostic tests to rule out or identify the presence of any infection
- Diagnostic Imaging – cystoscopy or ultrasound can help your specialist visualize your pelvic organs
- Physical Exam – your healthcare provider may also do a physical exam using their hands to check for spasms, knots, and muscle weakness
The most common urological diagnosis of men under the age of 50 is CPPS/CP. Generally urological tests such as urine & semen cultures, cystoscopies, urine flow tests, bladder ultrasounds come back negative for bacteria, yet you are still feeling pain & discomfort. Once you are medically cleared and have gone through these tests by your urologist, you should be seen by a Male Pelvic Pain Physiotherapist so that they can properly diagnose you.
There is no one-size fits all to treating pelvic pain and it is important to take an individualistic approach to treatment. If you are feeling any of the above symptoms, PLEASE DO NOT TRY AND DIAGNOSE YOURSELF. Understand that HELP DOES EXIST and that at the end of the day we just have to find out what message your body is trying to send you. To say that pelvic pain is caused by one thing is just not true. Pelvic pain is multi-faceted and no one “cure” will get it better.
WHEN SHOULD YOU WORRY ABOUT PELVIC PAIN?
If you stumbled on this article and you are searching for ways to relieve your pain and the pain you are experiencing lasts longer than you think, this is one of the indication that you should seek help from a specialist.
Pain is a general term that means an uncomfortable sensation, a physical suffering or a discomfort caused by illness or injury. Your clinician will assess your pain based on the following:
- How it feels like?
- How often you experience the pain?
- Where do you feel the pelvic pain?
- In a scale of 0-10, how much does it hurt?
- How it is triggered?
Everyone will have their own pain tolerance but regardless of the onset and severity of your pelvic pain, it is always advisable to seek medical advice. They’ll be able to investigate the cause and prescribe treatments required for your condition.
PELVIC FLOOR THERAPY FOR MEN
CAN PELVIC FLOOR DYSFUNCTION GO AWAY ON ITS OWN?
Pelvic floor disorders are very common in American men. If you are diagnosed with pelvic floor dysfunction it may not go away on its own, but fortunately, with pelvic floor therapy and prescribed treatment, it can be reversed. There is nothing to lose if you will not engage in pelvic floor therapy… but sure it will consume your time, energy and the quality of life you deserve.
HOW DOES PELVIC FLOOR THERAPY TREAT PELVIC PAIN?
Physical therapists are experts not only in treating pain, but also identifies the trigger causing muscle tension and dysfunction. Some of the common causes of pelvic floor dysfunctions are stress, lack of activity, accidental injury or infections. Pelvic floor therapist will prescribe certain exercises to ease pain and help you move better. Manual release of your pelvic floor muscles will help relieve the tension and pelvic floor tightness. Lifestyle changes including your diet, the way you move and your daily activities may also be modified to address the cause of pelvic pain.
In a pelvic floor therapy session, you may do a mix of:
- Strengthening exercises – such as Kegels to improve the way you relax and contract your pelvic floor muscles
- Biofeedback – a non-surgical way to monitor your pelvic floor muscles while you relax or contract them
- Relaxation techniques – your pelvic floor therapist may prescribe exercises to relax your muscles
WHAT DOES PELVIC PAIN TREATMENT LOOK LIKE?
Depending on the severity and aggravation of symptoms treatment can vary from twice a week, weekly and bi-weekly. During treatment a full evaluation of subjective & objective history will take place. I always tell my clients, there is absolutely NOTHING you can’t tell me. If you want to tell me how far you used to ejaculate compared to now, that is fine and actually very helpful for me creating a treatment plan. Treatment for pelvic pain consists of trigger point release, soft-tissue mobilization, education and movement. Both therapist and client should have active roles throughout the plan of care.
HOW WILL I KNOW IF PELVIC FLOOR THERAPY IS RIGHT FOR ME?
If you have chronic pelvic pain, if your doctor keeps requesting for urine culture or urinalysis and keeps giving you antibiotics and telling you that you may have a urinary tract infection or prostatitis—if you keep going back, and you keep getting the same answer without any pain relief—and if you are at the edge of a cliff and still trying to google about your symptoms and its telling you that the excruciating pain you are experiencing could be the big C or cancer – then it’s worth consulting a pelvic floor physical therapist. Save yourself from all the anxiety of over diagnosis and save yourself from the despair of suffering needlessly for the rest of your life. Consult a PELVIC FLOOR THERAPIST now!
PELVIC PAIN MANAGEMENT AT PELVIS.NYC
I usually tell my clients that pelvic pain treatment is like 2 steps forward and 1 step back. You will have times where you are getting better and others where you might feel you are regressing. But at the end of the day, it is still 1 net step forward. You are the only person that will know if they are getting better. To help you better make that decision, at Pelvis NYC we discuss all goals and desired outcomes so all expectations are set at the beginning of the plan of care.
WHO ARE THE EXPERTS IN PELVIC FLOOR THERAPY?
If you are experiencing pain that won’t go away, call us for a telehealth advice or book an appointment with our pelvic floor therapist.