Pudendal Neuralgia and conservative care

May 25, 2021 Chiropractor 0

Pudendal neuralgia is pain cause by your pudendal nerve being entrapped.  The pudendal nerve can be trapped at five different locations.  Neuralgia can be burning, sharp, and/or an achy pain.  When you have pudendal neuralgia, the pain is over your saddle area.  The saddle area is where a bike seat would touch you if you were sitting on it or sitting on a horse saddle (hence the name).  It can be on one side or both sides of your pelvis.  Pudendal neuralgia is known for moving around and can severely impact people’s quality of life.

Usually, pain is worse with sitting and better with standing or laying down.  Pain usually gets worse as the day goes.  Some common causes of pudendal neuralgia (or pudendal entrapment) are falling on your butt, child birth, staining with constipation, karate, kickboxing, and driving over rough roads or farm fields.  This list is by no means exhaustive.

Pudendal Neuralgia is often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.  However, since I have been in practice, I have seen this condition make strides with the health care community.  We understand it better and are better able to diagnosis it and treat it.  There are multiple surgery types for this condition now and a multitude of more conservative care approaches to try before you head down the surgery path.

Home care for those that suffer from pudendal neuralgia centers around avoiding the activities that cause pain, exercises, and stretches.  There are exercises and stretches that have been found to be helpful with pudendal neuralgia.  In my practice, I utilize a protocol that is similar to the one that I have perfected for sciatica.  I have found these conditions to be very similar and thus respond well to the same sorts of treatment.  I use a combination of exercises, stretches, and chiropractic adjusting techniques to treat pudendal neuralgia.