Health Organization for Pudendal Education

I had to wear compression shorts during my recovery from a hamstring tendon tear. Since they were so tight around my waist, I often pulled them down below the level of my stomach; the waist band was very tight. After a few days, I noted a pain in the area of my rectum and gluteal cleft, where the tight band lay. Could that be the cause of my newly diagnosed pelvic floor dysfunction and nerve pain? in other words, could I have compromised the pudendal or other nerve? I now experience severe pain reaching from about 2 inches outside the gluteal fold, down to the ischial tuberosity, and I cannot sit even for 1 minute without triggering intense pain, which does not subside for several days, and which keeps me awake at night.

It's possible, although hopefully it is something that will subside soon since it doesn't sound like a serious injury. It's also possible that you already had some pelvic floor dysfunction going on as a result of the hamstring tendon tear and you just didn't realize it. This could cause irritation of the pudendal nerve. Or it could be you still have hamstring tendonitis and it's not the pudendal nerve at all. http://www.runnersworld.com/web-exclusi ... tendinitis The tight band could have just irritated things further. I think I saw in another post that you are going for some PT. Hopefully that will be the answer for you and they will be able to isolate where your pain is coming from. There are some other nerves in the area too -- such as the posterior femoral cutaneous nerve.

Good luck sorting this out.

Violet

Thanks Violet!

Until I see the PT and find a pain management doctor, how do you suggest I control the intense lower buttock cramps that wake me up about one hour after I fall asleep and are so severe that I can't get back to sleep? I really want to avoid opioids - what are the other options? are these cramps something that the PT can help resolve? Not looking for medical advice, just what your experience has been.
I noted that one of the criteria for PN is that pain does not wake you up at night. Well that's certainly not my case! There are no comfortable sleeping positions.

Hi Ches,

I didn't match the not waking up at night criteria either. I would wake up at night with shock-like spasms that made me jerk.

If you are trying to avoid all medications then you could try the hot/cold sitz bath trick that is very soothing. I describe how I did them in this post: http://www.pudendalhope.info/forum/view ... =25&t=5267 They really did help keep me from going insane at times.

If you want something a little less complicated you could try an electric heating pad alternating with gel ice packs or just try heat or ice and see what helps. Also, I had to sleep with a pillow between my knees. Just something to try maybe.

If you are willing to try meds but just want to avoid opioids you could try something like valium which is a muscle relaxant or clonazepam which is a related benzodiazepine that also has some anti-seizure qualities if you are having any electric shocks. Clonazepam definitely helped me sleep but both of these drugs can be addicting so I didn't see them as a long-term solution -- just something to help me cope temporarily. Other possible meds are listed on the medication options page at this link: http://www.pudendalhope.info/node/20
I used opioids for about a year and a half but not time-released and not around the clock. I just used them in the late afternoon or at night to help me be half a person for my family and to get a few hours of sleep. I had no problem going off of them eventually because I never became addicted and I never developed a tolerance since I used them sparingly. But they really were a life-saver at night.

You could try topical ointments like biofreeze or capsaicin (soothenol brand is what I used) but they don't tend to work for severe pain in my experience.

Hope some of this helps.

Violet

Compression shorts has become somewhat of an umbrella term for items that exist somewhere on a spectrum of super tight and super revealing
One of the other benefits of wearing compression gear is that it prevents the muscles in your body from vibrating and moving around too much while moving. That helps to keep the wear and tear on those muscles to a minimum, which is a large part of where the post-workout soreness comes from.

Ches wrote:I had to wear compression shorts during my recovery from a hamstring tendon tear. Since they were so tight around my waist, I often pulled them down below the level of my stomach; the waist band was very tight. After a few days, I noted a pain in the area of my rectum and gluteal cleft, where the tight band lay. Could that be the cause of my newly diagnosed pelvic floor dysfunction and nerve pain? in other words, could I have compromised the pudendal or other nerve? I now experience severe pain reaching from about 2 inches outside the gluteal fold, down to the ischial tuberosity, and I cannot sit even for 1 minute without triggering intense pain, which does not subside for several days, and which keeps me awake at night.

In fact, you can give up using compression shorts. Thigh recovery compression sleeves can also help the rope tendon torn and recover without compressing other parts, it will make you feel more comfortable. Most of them have silicone grips and will not slip down.