Pelvic pain is a complex disorder that affects both men and women. If you are experiencing pain in the pelvis or genitals you may be suffering from pelvic pain. Chronic pelvic pain is defined as nonmenstrual-related pain below the belly button in men or women that has continued for greater than 6 months and creates a functional disability or requires long-term medical or intervention treatment. Pelvic pain is considered a “diagnosis of exclusion”, a condition that is typically diagnosed only after more obvious and testable causes are ruled out.

• Burning and/or lancinating pain the pelvis, anus, and/or genitals

• Pain with sitting

• Pain with urinating and/or defecating

• Pain with intercouse or painful ejaculation

• Paresthesias (pins and needles sensation) and numbness

The exact cause of Pelvic Pain is unknown. Due to the chronic nature of illness, the instigator for the pain may be gone but changes in the nervous system continue; thus, pain itself becomes the disease.

Medications: A wide variety of medications have been found to be effective in the treatment of chronic pelvic pain such as anti-inflammatory drugs that can help decrease pain and swelling. Certain antidepressant medications such as duloxetine modulate pain by increasing the brain’s ability to inhibit incoming pain signals. Gabapentin and Pregabalin are another class of medications used to treat epilepsy that quiet nerve cell electrical signaling. Opioid medications can also help attenuate the pain signal.

Physical therapy and Biofeedback: Exercises focusing on pelvic floor muscle relaxation, as well as ultrasounds, and stretching have been shown to relieve pelvic pain.

Minimally Invasive Procedures:

• Hypogastric Plexus Block

• Ganglion of Impar Block

• Peripheral Nerve Block

• Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS)

• DRG Stimulation

• Epidural Steroid Injection

• Implantable pain medication pump

• IV infusion therapy