Pudendal Nerve Treatment

Nerve pain can be a debilitating medical condition. The pudendal nerve, which is located in the pelvic region, has the potential to cause severe pain and should be treated if pain arises anywhere in the pelvis. The pudendal nerve is responsible for major functions of the body, such as urinating and defecating, and even for orgasms in both sexes. There are a few different forms of treatment to help correct pudendal nerve problems and associated pain. Treatment choice depends on the severity of the case and symptoms.

Nerve Block

• Because everyone's body is different, exactly where the pudendal nerve is located and the path in which it runs varies. A nerve block is an injection given at a precise site near the nerve to block pain. Typically, three places are injected after scans have been ordered to see where the injections should be given. The injections are usually a local anesthetic or a slow-releasing steroid given by either your physician or a trigger-point therapist. More than one treatment may be needed to get the pain under control.

Physical Therapy

• Sometimes physical therapy can help a patient. The goal of physical therapy is to alleviate not only the pudendal nerve pain but the problem that creates that pain. The condition that is most common among people with pudendal nerve problems is that their pelvic floor is too tight. When the pelvic floor is too tight or small, there is an increased risk for pudendal nerve compression. A therapist will need to lengthen the floor of the pelvis, which entails using vaginal or rectal manual manipulation therapy. Then the therapist may use myofascial release treatments to help lengthen the pelvic floor. Myofascial release uses massage techniques to loosen and release the band of skin that encompasses the muscle around the pelvic floor. This helps to loosen the area where the pudendal nerve is pinched or blocked. The physical therapist also may need to insert a finger into the rectum or the vagina to assess the pain as well as the muscle tone around the pudendal nerve. He then will use his finger to get the muscle to contract, release and stretch, and to normalize your muscle tone along with checking your motor control.

Rest and Home Remedies

• One of the most recommended forms of treatment for a pudendal nerve problem is rest. Your doctor will tell you that you need to stop physical activities that aggravate the situation, such as riding your bike, jogging and working out with weights. Whatever it is you are doing that can aggravate the problem, stop and let the nerve rest.

  You also should use a doughnut-shaped cushion. Sitting on this type of cushion, in which the middle portion is cut out, helps your bottom, legs and back because the cushion's hole takes pressure off your back, hips and legs.