Pelvic Pain

While most commonly experienced among women, pelvic pain can affect both sexes and can be acute or chronic. Not only can pain be felt as a result of inflammation, infections, issues with internal organs or from the pelvic bones themselves, pelvic pain can cause painful lifestyle disruptions. Proper and accurate diagnosis is essential for finding the best course of treatment. The California Pain Consultants team in the Escondido, El Centro, La Mesa, San Diego, and Chula Vista areas are experts at treating pelvic pain with a goal to help their family of patients get out of pain now and avoid future occurrences of pain. 

What is Pelvic Pain?

It is estimated that one in three women (and those assigned female at birth) will experience pelvic pain at some point in their life. Pelvic pain is considered to be any pain that is felt in the area between the belly button and the pelvic floor (a group of muscles and ligaments that support the bladder, uterus and bowel). The organs that could be related to pelvic pain include: 

• Reproductive organs (uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix and vagina)
• Prostate
• Rectum
• Bladder
• Appendix

Most often, the pain is acute, which means the pain occurs suddenly and lasts for weeks. However, the pain can become chronic, meaning that the pain is felt on any level for a period of months. Men can also experience pelvic pain, which is often felt as a result of advanced prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate).

What Causes Pelvic Pain?

There are several different types of health conditions, diseases and abnormalities with internal organs that can lead to pelvic pain. These include: 

• Infection: usually in the kidneys, bladder or urethra
• Ectopic pregnancy: when a fertilized egg implants outside of the uterus, causing extreme pain and usually requiring surgery to treat
• Ovarian cysts: fluid-filled sacs within the ovaries that usually cause pain during menstruation but can also cause constant pain, most often requiring surgical treatment to resolve
• Endometriosis: a chronic condition in which uterine tissue grows on other reproductive organs that causes severe pain and cramps. 
• Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID): the most common cause of pelvic pain, this type of disease is an infection of the uterus, ovaries, or fallopian tubes that could be caused by sexually transmitted diseases
• Sexually transmitted infections (STIs): bacteria from an STI travels into the reproductive organs and causes an infection, which is usually not noticed until the later stages when it causes pain
• Uterine fibroids: a common type of noncancerous tumor that can grow in and on your uterus, causing pain and heavy menstrual bleeding
• Cancer: cervical, uterine and ovarian cancer can all lead to feelings of pelvic pain

When men do experience pelvic pain, it’s most often due to an infection in the urinary tract. Other possible causes could include kidney stones, sexually transmitted infection (STI) and a hernia.

There are also some instances where pelvic pain can be considered neuropathic, meaning that there is no specific cause. In addition to this being difficult to treat, it can also lead to depression and anxiety. 

What Does Pelvic Pain Feel Like?

As with the causes of pelvic pain, the feelings of pelvic pain can vary. These are some of the most common feelings of pelvic pain and their possible causes:

• Localized pain: inflammation
• Cramping: spasm in a soft organ, such as the intestine, ureter, or appendix
• Sudden onset of pain: lack of blood supply due to obstruction of circulation
• Slowly-developing pain: inflammation or intestinal obstruction
• Pain in the entire abdomen: accumulation of blood, pus, or intestinal contents
• Pain during movement or exam: irritation in the lining of the abdominal cavity

Some of the often reported symptoms of pelvic pain also include vaginal bleeding, menstrual pain, pain during intercourse, fever or chills, rectal bleeding, constipation, bloating, hip pain, and others. It is crucial to seek help from a trained medical professional who can diagnose and treat the specific cause of pain so that the feelings of pain can be mitigated. 

How is Pelvic Pain Diagnosed?

The best way to determine the cause of pelvic pain is to partner with a pain management specialist who is experienced in pelvic pain. The provider will begin with a physical exam and medical history review, and will also ask questions as to your pain situation, including when you feel the pain, what the pain feels like, how long does the pain last, where is the pain most often felt. 

Diagnostic tools are also important for diagnosing pelvic pain. The provider will most often use X-rays, ultrasound, CT Scan, blood and urine tests, pregnancy test, culture of cells from the cervix, laparoscopy, MRI, colonoscopy, and more. 

How is Pelvic Pain Treated?

Successful treatment of pelvic pain depends on what is believed to be causing the pain, the frequency of the pain, and the intensity of the pain. Most healthcare providers will recommend a comprehensive approach to combat chronic pelvic pain with a goal to provide patients with long-term relief. The most common treatments include: 

• Medications: most often non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), antidepressants, and neuropathic medications, and possibly antibiotics if the pain is believed to stem from an infection
• Physical therapy: pelvic floor therapy, hot and cold applications, ultrasound therapy, and stretching have proven helpful for alleviating pelvic pain
• Biofeedback: a type of mind-body technique that a person can use to control some of the body’s functions, including pain management 
• Nerve block: most often used to treat neuropathic pelvic pain, nerve blocks are placed around the affected nerve, keeping the feeling of pain sensations from being felt or recognized by the brain
• Spinal cord stimulator: when other conservative methods have failed to provide relief, providers could recommend a spinal cord stimulator, which provides an electrical current into the epidural space near the source of chronic pain impulses, masking pain signals before they reach the brain

If you are suffering from chronic pelvic pain and would like to find the best treatment for you, please schedule an appointment with the California Pain Consultants team in the Escondido, El Centro, La Mesa, San Diego, and Chula Vista areas today. Our team of experts will accurately diagnose your cause of pelvic pain and will work together with you to determine the best course of treatment for your lifestyle.