TRUE HEALTH
Do You Have Chronic Pelvic Pain? Here’s a constellation of symptoms guaranteed to make a guy miserable: urinary frequency/ urgency, painful and/or slow urination, perhaps there’s a little dribbling as you walk away from the restroom, and add to that, pain with or after ejaculation. Oh, and throw in some low back pain for good measure. Symptoms might dissipate only to return with a vengeance. Perhaps you notice it is triggered by intense physical or sexual activity, and that stress dramatically worsens your symptoms. You might have a deep ache in a testicle, or you describe a sensation of “a golf ball in the rectum” that just won’t go away. You visit the doc who prescribes antibiotics, perhaps several times. You notice improvement after the first course, but the problem returns. Symptoms wax and wane, never truly resolving, greatly affecting your quality of life. You start to feel anxious and/or depressed anticipating the next bout. What is this phenomenon that literally has a grip on you? Chronic non-bacterial prostatitis (or chronic pelvic pain syndrome) accounts for 90% of all cases of prostatitis according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It is believed that an initial infection may have set the wheels in motion, or perhaps a physical trauma is responsible. Injuries to consider: hard fall to the tailbone, a straddle injury on the crossbar of a bike, or overzealous weight training with loads that are too heavy. As a result from the injury, pelvic muscles spasm and inhibit circulation. Besides antibiotics, common medical treatments include antiinflammatory medications and alpha blockers. Pelvic Physical Therapy can help sort out the various musculoskeletal causes contributing to the complexity of pelvic pain and start you on a healing path. Self-management tips: Try to alleviate muscle tension with destressing strategies: hot baths or mild heat applied to the abdomen, slow abdominal massage, and mindful, slow, diaphragmatic breathing. Additionally, stretching exercises are helpful: inner thigh stretches; supported, sustained squats with the back resting against a wall; “cobra” yoga stretch for back extension. For more information on a treatment program tailored for you, consult with a specialist in Pelvic Physical Therapy Judith Florendo, PT, DPT Suzanne Badillo, PT, WCS 528 Kedzie St, Evanston IL linkpt.org 847-868-8396
www.linkpt.org (If you are interested in learning more about this issue and participating in a study at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine: EVANSTONMAN.COM mappnetwork.org/mapp-dsites.html)
