Groin Pain, Penile Pain and Scrotal Pain
Condition Overview
Pain in the penis, scrotum, and testicles can have a variety of causes. Pain can be from a sexually transmitted disease, prostate inflammation, injury/direct trauma, inguinal hernia, kidney stones, hydrocele/varicocele, and/or muscle tension in your low back, glutes, abdomen, and pelvic floor.
When we see you in a physical therapy clinic we will make sure we rule out any red flags and if you have not seen a provider since symptom onset we may suggest you get a few things tested before continuing with us. On the other hand, because the muscles surrounding the pelvis have a direct correlation to the pain experienced at the penis, scrotum, or testicles, physical therapy is a great option for those who are not getting pain relief with medical management.
Symptoms
For testicular or scrotal pain, you could be experiencing pain on one side versus both.
The pain could be
acute or chronic
intermittent or constant
sharp, dull, burning, achy, numb, or referred.
You may also have associated difficulties with urination, bowels, or sexual activity. For instance, you could be experiencing urinary urgency, frequency, incomplete bladder emptying, painful urination (dysuria), erectile dysfunction, dyspareunia, constipation, hemorrhoids, and so on.
Scrotal, testicular, or penile pain can increase with tighter clothing, sitting for prolonged periods of time, heavy lifting activities, and high impact activities.
How Physical Therapy Can Help
Upon our initial evaluation, we will discuss your symptoms such as when they started, how they have changed over time, exacerbating activities, and pain relief strategies.
We will also discuss your bowel, bladder, and sexual health since these areas are closely connected.
We will perform a low back and hip screen and assess muscles where there could be increased tension radiating to the penis, scrotum, or testicles. We will also assess your abdominal wall and adductors (inner thighs).
We are looking for signs of decreased range of motion, impaired joint mobility, muscle atrophy, tension, and strength.
With your consent we will perform an external and internal rectal pelvic floor muscle assessment to determine muscle function, strength, endurance, and coordination.
From our findings we will set-up a treatment plan depending on your pelvic floor characteristics! There may be lifestyle modifications that we need to address (reduce sitting times, improved posture, constipation, loose fitting clothing, not having your wallet in your back pocket, etc). We may perform manual treatment that can include but is not limited to dry needling, myofascial release, cupping, and connective tissue mobilization around your glutes, abdomen, and pelvic floor musculature.
With each session we will progress as able and learn new activities to include in your daily routine to manage and prevent worsening symptoms!