Prolonged Sitting Causing PN

[bradley]

Long story short, I was diagnosed with PN as a result of working 10 hour days with nearly no getting up. The workers comp IME decided that my condition had nothing to do with work. (He seemed to only check my reflexes and flexability, then did a toothpick test and found numbness on my scrotum). I told him of all my symptoms and he said the pain behind my anus to the base of my penis "could be because there is a nerve that runs along there, I think". Then tells me how noone wanted to do my exam because it's complex and so he finally volunteered.

I have never had an accident, injury to pelvis or had any kind of pelvic or urinary issues, no surgeries at all and I dont ride bikes. I also reported pain in my tuberocisites for several weeks before the pain hit, requesting a new chair several times because of the poor quality of the one I had. So it's not as if I made it up over night and have witnesses including my boss.

I posted pretty much the same request with help so far, but need any links, data or references to PN or pelvic pain caused by prolonged sitting. I have some, but I really want to show them at the hearing I will have. That can be their only doubt is that it isn't common from sitting itself. I will take pics of my work station and the chair I had, which is very poorly ergonomic leading my to unknowingly hunch forward putting pressure on my perineum, not unlike "cyclist syndrome".

Thanks again for any help. My pain is advancing and I dont want to not be helped when I need further treatment that is expensive.

Brad

[Violet M]

Brad, this article lists prolonged sitting as a cause of PNE: http://pudendalhope.org/sites/default/f ... ment_0.pdf

[bradley]

Excellent Violet M.

That is exactly what I am looking for. I thought I had found most of them.

Any other info like that would be great.

Thanks again.

Brad

[PaulSa]

Hi Brad,

Is your pain bilateral or on one side? Did one day you just start feeling a warm/burning sensation over your sitz bones?

[bradley]

Hi Paul.

My perineum pain is both sides, as I can't feel a difference on either side.

The sit bone pain is now just an aching on both sides, but started on the left with long hours of sitting. I figured it was just normal aching like my feet would do if I stood all day. But it gradually got worse on the left side and I eventually had trouble sitting after a couple hours due to the pain. Then It felt as if I had a marble under my left sit bone. That lasted a few days and went away when I began sitting less.

I got a slightly softer chair and began standing more for breaks and it went away (as far as I could tell) for 3-6 weeks and then my perineum burning and tingling and pain started. Now I have alot of pain at my tailbone.

I found a site that said levator ani spasms can cause a feeling of sitting on a lump and also perineum pain so that could be it. Apparantly it is caused by too much sitting and bad posture, among other things.

That could be what I have, because if I abstain from sex for a while it gets barely noticeable. Then after sex it feels if it is spasming and causing a majority of my pain.

Brad

[carolynm]

Good luck at your hearing, Brad. When is it?

cari

[Violet M]

I found a site that said levator ani spasms can cause a feeling of sitting on a lump and also perineum pain so that could be it. Apparantly it is caused by too much sitting and bad posture, among other things.

That could be what I have, because if I abstain from sex for a while it gets barely noticeable. Then after sex it feels if it is spasming and causing a majority of my pain.

Levator ani spasms can be caused by pudendal neuralgia. Have you tried pelvic floor physical therapy? If you haven't, maybe you could consider it -- preferably from a PT who is knowledgeable about PNE.

[bradley]

I found a PT for at a well known urology clinic in my town that is PN aware and works on pelvic floor dysfunction. Usually she works on PFD with women and works with men on post operative prostate cancer men.

She seems very nice and open to discussion.

I am not sure if I need to go to a different PT to check for associated causes like SIJD or muscular issues or if she can identify those. Most of my pain comes from the spasms I would get after sex, felt like where the urethral sphincters are. After sex they spasm and it makes mke feel as if I need to urinate but i dont.

If i go a couple weeks without sex I can hardly feel it. Should I irritatate it in to a spasm before seeing her so it will be tight? I havent seen a PT or pelvic doctor before.

Now 95% of my pain is right under my tailbone. If i touch something lightly against it, i get a 9/10 shot of pain as if the nerve got directly stabbed. I jump up and cant touch it due to pain before it dies down.

Now i discovered I have very, very low testosterone (under 300) which is normal for an 85 year old, i am just 31. I also started having severe panic attacks, multiple times per day.

Sure starting to make me just want to go out to pasture.

[bradley]

Also, after I win my case I will post info that I have received from my research.

I have got over 50 letters and emails from well known Doctors and PT's, that are very PN aware, that say prolonged sitting, as well as sitting with poor posature can cause PN. Several more said it might not cause PN itself, but can cause muscular issues and PFD that can then cause issues with the PN.

[birdlife]

I feel for you having panic attacks on top of everything else Bradley, just wanted to say you have to let those come - horrible though they absolutely are - and just let them reach their peak each time and fade off. If you try to stop them coming, the added tension of blocking them creates another wave of adrenalin that triggers yet another panic attack. Panic attacks always peak and fade, peak and fade. It's impossible for them to get any worse as they are physiologcally limited, and you've already experienced the worst. Don't let them trick you into adding fear of them too, or you can get caught in a cycle of anxiety=-more adrenalin =more anxiety=panic attack. Whenever you feel one coming try to relax immediately, let it arrive, don't hang on to it, let it go. Less tension eventually means your panic attacks have no fuel to trigger them. This will take time for your nerves to stop firing off at the slightest thing. When you've reached the stage where it doesn't matter whether they come or not, because you'll always know what to do with them, then you'll win through. Good luck

PS. Re sitting, my PN/E was coincidental with 6yrs of sitting a minimum of 9hrs per day (6hrs at work, a further 3hrs on pc at home) and also increasing lifting of heavy (for me) bulk coin bags at work.