Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesWhen to See a Healthcare ProviderDiagnosisTreatmentPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
Pelvic pain in men may begin suddenly, as with akidney stoneor a pulled muscle, or it can come on gradually, as with prostatitis or aurinary tract infection (UTI). Other possible causes include, but are not limited to, aninguinal hernia,prostatitis, a bladder infection, or digestive problems.
If you are a male experiencing pelvic pain, it’s important that you see your healthcare provider promptly. While the cause may not be serious, there are other cases when pain can rapidly worsen and even cause long-term complications such as infertility without appropriate treatment.
This article looks at some of the most common causes of pelvic pain in men. It also discusses how pelvic pain is diagnosed and treated, and when you should see a healthcare provider.
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Causes of Male Pelvic Pain
Pelvic pain affects the lower abdomen or buttocks. Some causes of pelvic pain only affect people with male genitourinary organs and anatomy, while others can affect any person.
Male pelvic pain can have varying characteristics depending on the cause and its severity. Pain may be very localized or spread throughout a large area. Some describe the pain as dull or sharp, feeling more like pressure, constant or circumstantial, or having other qualities.
Prostatitis
Prostatic Hyperplasia (Enlargement)
The prostate can enlarge due to:
A large prostate can cause pelvic pain, bladder issues, or it might not cause any symptoms at all.
Urinary Difficulty Due to Enlarged Prostate
Hernia
A hernia occurs when a body part pushes through the muscle or tissue that normally keeps it in its place. A number of differenthernia types affect people with male anatomy, such as:
Herniorrhaphy: What to Expect with Hernia Repair Surgery
Male Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome
Male chronic pelvic pain syndrome may be associated with prostatitis or BPH, but the pain can last longer than expected with these conditions. It can even occur without an identifiable cause.
This is a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning that your healthcare provider will attempt to identify other causes of your symptoms before concluding that they are attributable to male chronic pelvic pain syndrome.
What to Know About Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome
Testicular Torsion
Testicular torsion can cause severe pelvic pain. While uncommon, it is a medical emergency. Surgical treatment is necessary, and a delay could cause loss of the affected testicle.
What Is Testicular Torsion?
Other Causes of Pelvic Pain in Men
If you have a chronic condition, such as IBS or recurrent constipation, pelvic pain can recur when your condition acts up. In this type of situation, your healthcare provider may have already prescribed medication for you to use whenever this happens.
When to Go to the ERIf you have severe pelvic pain and any of these symptoms of testicular torsion, seek immediate medical attention:Swelling of a testicleRedness/darkening of the scrotumAbdominal painNausea/vomitingFrequent urinationFever
When to Go to the ER
If you have severe pelvic pain and any of these symptoms of testicular torsion, seek immediate medical attention:Swelling of a testicleRedness/darkening of the scrotumAbdominal painNausea/vomitingFrequent urinationFever
If you have severe pelvic pain and any of these symptoms of testicular torsion, seek immediate medical attention:
Diagnosing Pelvic Pain
Your medical evaluation will include a history and physical examination. You may also need a blood test,urinalysis (U/A), and/or imaging.
Intake and Exam
During your medical history, your healthcare provider will ask for details about your pain, including:
As part of your physical examination, your healthcare provider will look at and around the area(s) where you have pain. Your physical examination will includepalpation (touching and gentle pressure)in the area of your pain. A hernia can usually be identified on a physical examination.
Depending on your symptoms, you might also have aprostate examination, which involves adigital rectal examination (DRE).
Labs and Tests
If there is a concern that you could have a bladder infection or inflammation of the bladder, your healthcare provider may order a urinalysis to evaluate your urine for evidence of infection or a tumor.
You might also need to have a blood test to see if there are signs of an infection, especially if there is concern about appendicitis. A blood test can also be used to detectprostate-specific antigen (PSA), which may indicate prostate cancer. However, the results of a PSA test do not necessarily rule prostate cancer in or out.
Understanding Your PSA Results
Imaging Tests
Imaging tests can include:
These tests may detect signs of:
How Pelvic Pain in Men Is Treated
Your treatment depends on the cause of your pelvic pain. You might need pain control as well as management of your underlying medical issue.
Physical therapyhas been used to manage different causes of male pelvic pain, including chronic pelvic pain syndrome and pelvic pain after a prostatectomy.
Common treatments used for managing pelvic pain include:
Other treatments used in the management of chronic pelvic pain syndrome includeacupuncture, prostatic massage, and impulse wave therapy.
Sometimes it is not possible to avoid pelvic pain, but there are some approaches that can help reduce your chances of developing it.
Link Between Calcium Oxalate Crystals in Urine and Kidney Stones
Summary
Male pelvic pain can have many possible causes. Some common causes of pelvic pain in men include prostatitis, enlarged prostate, and hernias. Less common causes include testicular torsion and certain kinds of cancer.
See a healthcare provider any time you have new pelvic pain. Lab tests and imaging tests can help your healthcare provider confirm a diagnosis.
14 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bharucha AE, Lee TH.Anorectal and pelvic pain.Mayo Clin Proc. 2016;91(10):1471-1486. doi.10.1016/j.mayocp.2016.08.011Fu W, Zhou Z, Liu S, et al.The effect of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) on semen parameters in human males: a systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS One. 2014;9(4):e94991. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0094991UCSF Department of Urology.Prostatitis (male pelvic pain).Archambault-ezenwa L, Markowski A, Barral JP.A comprehensive physical therapy evaluation for male chronic pelvic pain syndrome: a case series exploring common findings.J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2019;23(4):825-834. doi:10.1016/j.jbmt.2019.05.021Urology Care Foundation.Testicular Torsion.American Urological Association.What is Testicular Torsion?American Cancer Society.Screening Tests for Prostate Cancer.Lakhoo J, Khatri G, Elsayed RF, et al.MRI of the male pelvic floor.Radiographics. 2019;39(7):2003-2022. doi.10.1148/rg.2019190064Orasanu B, Mahajan ST.The use of botulinum toxin for the treatment of overactive bladder syndrome.Indian J Urol. 2013;29(1):2-11. doi:10.4103/0970-1591.109975National Library of Medicine.Tamsulosin.Pelvic Pain Foundation of Australia.Medications.Franco JV, Turk T, Jung JH, et al.Non-pharmacological interventions for treating chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;5:CD012551. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD012551.pub3Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Update: Barrier Protection Against HIV Infection and Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases.National Kidney Foundation.Can Dehydration Affect Your Kidneys?Additional ReadingNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Prostatitis: inflammation of the prostate.Rees J, Abrahams M, Doble A, Cooper A.Diagnosis and treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis and chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome: a consensus guideline.BJU Int. 2015;116(4):509-525. doi:10.1111/bju.13101
14 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bharucha AE, Lee TH.Anorectal and pelvic pain.Mayo Clin Proc. 2016;91(10):1471-1486. doi.10.1016/j.mayocp.2016.08.011Fu W, Zhou Z, Liu S, et al.The effect of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) on semen parameters in human males: a systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS One. 2014;9(4):e94991. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0094991UCSF Department of Urology.Prostatitis (male pelvic pain).Archambault-ezenwa L, Markowski A, Barral JP.A comprehensive physical therapy evaluation for male chronic pelvic pain syndrome: a case series exploring common findings.J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2019;23(4):825-834. doi:10.1016/j.jbmt.2019.05.021Urology Care Foundation.Testicular Torsion.American Urological Association.What is Testicular Torsion?American Cancer Society.Screening Tests for Prostate Cancer.Lakhoo J, Khatri G, Elsayed RF, et al.MRI of the male pelvic floor.Radiographics. 2019;39(7):2003-2022. doi.10.1148/rg.2019190064Orasanu B, Mahajan ST.The use of botulinum toxin for the treatment of overactive bladder syndrome.Indian J Urol. 2013;29(1):2-11. doi:10.4103/0970-1591.109975National Library of Medicine.Tamsulosin.Pelvic Pain Foundation of Australia.Medications.Franco JV, Turk T, Jung JH, et al.Non-pharmacological interventions for treating chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;5:CD012551. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD012551.pub3Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Update: Barrier Protection Against HIV Infection and Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases.National Kidney Foundation.Can Dehydration Affect Your Kidneys?Additional ReadingNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Prostatitis: inflammation of the prostate.Rees J, Abrahams M, Doble A, Cooper A.Diagnosis and treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis and chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome: a consensus guideline.BJU Int. 2015;116(4):509-525. doi:10.1111/bju.13101
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Bharucha AE, Lee TH.Anorectal and pelvic pain.Mayo Clin Proc. 2016;91(10):1471-1486. doi.10.1016/j.mayocp.2016.08.011Fu W, Zhou Z, Liu S, et al.The effect of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) on semen parameters in human males: a systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS One. 2014;9(4):e94991. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0094991UCSF Department of Urology.Prostatitis (male pelvic pain).Archambault-ezenwa L, Markowski A, Barral JP.A comprehensive physical therapy evaluation for male chronic pelvic pain syndrome: a case series exploring common findings.J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2019;23(4):825-834. doi:10.1016/j.jbmt.2019.05.021Urology Care Foundation.Testicular Torsion.American Urological Association.What is Testicular Torsion?American Cancer Society.Screening Tests for Prostate Cancer.Lakhoo J, Khatri G, Elsayed RF, et al.MRI of the male pelvic floor.Radiographics. 2019;39(7):2003-2022. doi.10.1148/rg.2019190064Orasanu B, Mahajan ST.The use of botulinum toxin for the treatment of overactive bladder syndrome.Indian J Urol. 2013;29(1):2-11. doi:10.4103/0970-1591.109975National Library of Medicine.Tamsulosin.Pelvic Pain Foundation of Australia.Medications.Franco JV, Turk T, Jung JH, et al.Non-pharmacological interventions for treating chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;5:CD012551. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD012551.pub3Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Update: Barrier Protection Against HIV Infection and Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases.National Kidney Foundation.Can Dehydration Affect Your Kidneys?
Bharucha AE, Lee TH.Anorectal and pelvic pain.Mayo Clin Proc. 2016;91(10):1471-1486. doi.10.1016/j.mayocp.2016.08.011
Fu W, Zhou Z, Liu S, et al.The effect of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) on semen parameters in human males: a systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS One. 2014;9(4):e94991. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0094991
UCSF Department of Urology.Prostatitis (male pelvic pain).
Archambault-ezenwa L, Markowski A, Barral JP.A comprehensive physical therapy evaluation for male chronic pelvic pain syndrome: a case series exploring common findings.J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2019;23(4):825-834. doi:10.1016/j.jbmt.2019.05.021
Urology Care Foundation.Testicular Torsion.
American Urological Association.What is Testicular Torsion?
American Cancer Society.Screening Tests for Prostate Cancer.
Lakhoo J, Khatri G, Elsayed RF, et al.MRI of the male pelvic floor.Radiographics. 2019;39(7):2003-2022. doi.10.1148/rg.2019190064
Orasanu B, Mahajan ST.The use of botulinum toxin for the treatment of overactive bladder syndrome.Indian J Urol. 2013;29(1):2-11. doi:10.4103/0970-1591.109975
National Library of Medicine.Tamsulosin.
Pelvic Pain Foundation of Australia.Medications.
Franco JV, Turk T, Jung JH, et al.Non-pharmacological interventions for treating chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;5:CD012551. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD012551.pub3
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Update: Barrier Protection Against HIV Infection and Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
National Kidney Foundation.Can Dehydration Affect Your Kidneys?
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Prostatitis: inflammation of the prostate.Rees J, Abrahams M, Doble A, Cooper A.Diagnosis and treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis and chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome: a consensus guideline.BJU Int. 2015;116(4):509-525. doi:10.1111/bju.13101
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Prostatitis: inflammation of the prostate.
Rees J, Abrahams M, Doble A, Cooper A.Diagnosis and treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis and chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome: a consensus guideline.BJU Int. 2015;116(4):509-525. doi:10.1111/bju.13101
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