Chronic pelvic and testicular pain are poorly understood disorders that are quite common. They can be difficult and frustrating to treat for both patients and physicians. Most of the time these are chronic conditions, but sometimes they may signal more significant health issues.
Chronic testicular pain
Testicular pain may arise from a number of areas, sometimes from direct injury to the testicle, but other times the pain may be referred from other locations. There are many potential causes of testicular pain including infection, medications, nerve injury, varicocele, hydrocele, spermatocele, twisting (torsion) or cancer. In some cases, the cause of chronic testicular pain may be easily identified and treated, in other patients, it may be more difficult and a cause may not be identified.
In all cases of chronic testicular pain you should see a physician for evaluation.
Chronic pelvic pain
Chronic pelvic pain syndrome or sometimes erroneously referred to as "chronic prostatitis" refer to a range of chronic pain symptoms in men including perineal discomfort, pain with ejaculation, difficulty urinating, and burning with urination. If an infection is present, it is treated with antibiotics. If no infection is present, it may sometimes be difficult to treat and may require a multimodal treatment approach. Chronic pelvic pain can affect both men and women. First line therapy is to rule out any underlying structural abnormalities and then see a trained pelvic floor physical therapist who works hand in hand with our urologists. If you are having symptoms that are not improving you should see a provider that specializes in treatment of men's health issues such as a urologist.
