Testicular Pain

When most people think of testicular pain, they might think of an accidental kick or sports ball to the groin. While those are reasons why a person could experience acute testicular pain, there are also several health conditions that can lead to more serious and even chronic testicular pain. The Nevada Advanced Pain Specialists in the Reno, Sparks and Carson City areas can help to determine what is causing testicular pain as well as recommend the best treatment to provide quick relief of both the symptoms and the cause. 

What is Testicular Pain?

Testicular pain is any pain or discomfort that is felt in either one or both of the testicles. This type of pain can originate in the testicles or can originate in another part of the body but felt in the testicles (known as referred pain). 

Testicles are small, egg-shaped reproductive organs that are located inside the scrotum, which is a thin pouch of skin behind the penis. Most males (or those assigned males at birth) have two testicles, one of the left and right side of the scrotum. 

Pain can be described as sharp and shooting, or as a constant dull ache. Due to the fact that the testicles contain many sensitive nerves, testicular pain can be very severe. Pain is either acute, meaning that it develops suddenly and lasts for a short period of time, or is chronic, meaning that it develops slowly and lasts for an extended period of time. It’s important to note that if a sudden onset of testicular pain lasts for longer than an hour, it’s essential to seek help from a medical professional as soon as possible. 

What Causes Testicular Pain?

There are many different causes of testicular pain, but the most common is trauma. This usually happens during physical activity or exercise and for younger men. While still painful, this type of pain is usually temporary and resolves without any sort of medical intervention. 

Outside of trauma, the most common reasons why a male might experience testicular pain include: 

• Infection: other than trauma, an infection is the second most common reason why a male might experience testicular pain. A common infection is epididymitis, which is an infection or inflammation of the epididymis, which is the duct through which sperm passes. This could be caused by an STD or an enlarged prostate, which is most often seen in older men. The symptoms of epididymis include a redness or swelling of the scrotum, nausea, vomiting, fever, painful urination and painful intercourse. If epididymitis has gone untreated, this can lead to orchitis, which is another painful condition. 
• Hernias: an inguinal hernia is a type of hernia that can cause testicular pain and swelling if it pushes into the scrotum. Inguinal hernias occur when tissue pushes through a weak spot in the abdominal muscles. Symptoms usually include a bulge in the groin area (especially when straining), pain or swelling around the testicles, weakness or pressure, or more. 

In addition to those two main causes of testicular pain, additional causes might include: 

• Kidney stones
• Testicular cancer
• UTI
• Undescended testicle
• Mumps
• Prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate)
• Diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage caused by diabetes)
• Fourneier’s gangrene (a rare but deadly infection of the genital and perineum)
• Henoch-Schonlein purpura (inflammation of the blood vessels)
• Scrotal masses (a lump or bulge in the scrotum)
• Varicocele (enlarged vein in the scrotum)
• Post-vasectomy pain
• Testicular torsion (when the spermatic cord twists and cuts off blood flow to a testicle)

How is Testicular Pain Diagnosed? 

A pain management specialist will perform a physical exam and review your medical history to better understand why you might be experiencing testicular pain. If testicular pain is deemed serious, such as testicular torsion (twisting of the spermatic cord that cuts off blood flow to the testicles), testicular rupture or serious trauma, medical intervention is necessary for addressing the cause of pain as well as the painful symptoms. 

In addition to a physical exam and medical history, your healthcare provider might also opt for blood tests, urinalysis and an ultrasound. They will also ask you about when the pain started, what the pain feels like, if any activity makes the pain worse, and where exactly the pain is felt. 

How is Testicular Pain Treated?

The best way to effectively treat testicular pain is to receive an accurate diagnosis as to why you’re experiencing pain in the first place. Once that is found, your healthcare provider will recommend one or a few of the following treatment options with the goal to alleviate your symptoms and treat the cause of pain. These include:

• Comfort measures: ice or a cold pack can help to significantly and temporarily reduce pain symptoms, especially if pain was caused by a traumatic event
• Medication: anti-inflammatories, anti-depressants, neuropathic medications and opioids have all proven helpful for pricing pain relief, as well as injected medication
• Acupuncture: this treatment method can help to reduce scrotal swelling as well as stimulate certain acupoints that can help to alleviate pain symptoms
• Biofeedback: learning how to manage some of the body’s processes can help a person to better manage pain and reduce symptoms of chronic pain
• Physical therapy: this method includes pelvic floor muscle training, hot and cold applications, ultrasound therapy, and stretching, which has proven helpful for chronic and idiopathic pain

More

• Nerve blocks: peripheral nerve blocks that include ilioinguinal, iliohypogastric, or genitofemoral nerve blocks, as well as sympathetic nerve blocks and sacral nerve blocks are helpful in treating testicular pain by blocking the pain sensations from reaching the brain
• Spinal cord stimulation (SCS): this minimally-invasive and wildly effective pain management technique involves the placement of an electrical current into the epidural space near the source of a person’s chronic pain, which replaces pain sensations with a tingling sensation. This has proven an effective technique for patients who have not found pain relief with other conservative methods. 
• Surgery: for chronic pain that hasn’t responded to other treatment methods, especially for conditions such as a hernia or testicular torsion, a spermatic cord denervation and a reversal of vasectomy have proven helpful

If you are suffering from testicular pain that has lasted longer than an hour, or have pain that continues to increase in severity and frequency, it’s important to seek treatment as quickly as possible. Please schedule an appointment with the Nevada Advanced Pain Specialists in the Reno, Sparks and Carson City areas today. Not only can our team help to alleviate symptoms, we can also expertly treat the underlying health condition.