Health Organization for Pudendal Education

I am one year post op from right side PN surgery. At six months post op I began to have 10+ right side rectal pain that radiates the length of the pudendal nerve, back of the right and left sides of the thigh with the sciatic nerve with each bowel movement. I can start off the day at low pain levels, but after bowel movement I'm toast. I had a 3T MRN that confirms adhesion at the sacral area and after Alcock's canal. I still have pain in the inner leg near the perineum more than before PN surgery. The surgeon used sepra film to help to minimize the adhesion formation, but this did not help or contributed to more adhesion. Has anyone had this complication? If so could you please respond to your experiences and what did you do about it? I am very distraught with this complication.

Rivahgal

There will always be adhesions after surgery, that is what the body does. The problem with any MRN or MRI after surgery is they will most likely see scar tissue but there is no way to know whether that scar tissue is entrapping the nerve. It is possible that the is re-entrapped but I be careful jumping to conclusions that you are re-entrapped based on the MRI or MRN. It might be that maybe the full nerve was not decompressed since they can't get to the branches from the transgluteal approach. Also, many of us have pelvic floor muscle dysfunction that contributes to our problems.

With the sciatic nerve involvement has anyone checked you for piriformis syndrome. It is a very common problem with those of us with PN.

Rivahgal,

Sometime between 9 months and a year after surgery I did some pelvic floor PT and used a TENS unit that helped a lot to get things calmed down. I could not tolerate these before surgery but they were helpful after. Have you tried anything similar?

Some people have found electroshock wave therapy with Kirk Andrew in Canada to be helpful. If you are prone to adhesions this might be a possible therapy to try rather than another surgery that could cause even more adhesions. Might be worth checking into at least.

Violet

The idea of surgery does not appeal to me ... Looking at the documentation I found success rates between 60% and 85%. But do not believe them. Seem propaganda. I believe in a study of Pubmed: 50/50. And of these 50, we still have those which improve only slightly. Surgery is indicated when the person know you have a trapped nerve and that after release it will have significant pain reduction.