Pudendal neuralgia: It’s a mouthful and a handful.
I treat lots of people with pudendal neuralgia. If you’re like most of them, you’ve read a dozen web pages about it. They’ve scared the living daylights out of you. As if pudendal neuralgia wasn’t scary enough, you then read about pudendal nerve entrapment. That sounds terrifying! You’ll be relieved to hear that pudendal neuralgia is absolutely treatable. Yes, people can recover completely from pudendal neuralgia. So stop reading the “doom and gloom” websites, and get clear on the facts.
But first, how would you know you could have pudendal neuralgia? The main symptom of this condition is pelvic pain (in the genitals) in sitting. It often goes like this: better when you wake up. Worse during the day. Better when lying down or standing. It can be anywhere in the vulva for women (including near the clitoris or anus). In men, it’s felt in the penis, perineum or anus. You can have it just on one side. It might give you an irritable bladder feeling.
Pudendal neuralgia is actually quite difficult and to diagnose. There is a whole range of other conditions that may have similar symptoms. These include:
The medical crew might diagnose pudendal neuralgia when symptoms ease following a nerve block to the pudendal nerve. Some may talk a lot about pudendal nerve entrapment, even though it is rare for the nerve to be “trapped” in any way. It’s important to know it is NOT nerve damage. Instead, it is more like irritation of the nerve.
Manual therapy (physiotherapy) can be very helpful in recovery. But sadly, I have seen the wrong kind of manual therapy make it worse. It’s very, very important that you see a physiotherapist with specific skills and experience in this area. I have helped many men and women with pudendal neuralgia overcome their pain and the limitations it has placed on them.
But it’s not all about physical treatment. In fact, there can be general sensitivity of the brain that needs retraining. As well as this, there can be nutritional influences. (This is actually the case with any nerve issue). When you come to see me we can identify and treat any nutrient deficiencies that are contributing.
If you have had a diagnosis of pudendal neuralgia or pudendal nerve entrapment and want to see how we might be able to help you, please contact us.