Pudendal Nerve Entrapment

[ty-ro]

An update on my condition... It's been a month since I first noticed pain.

I've been to the physical therapist who says I have oblique and twisted hips. He feels that the pressure on the saddle is the smoking gun. He suggested I not cycle again, unless I want it to come back or get worse. At this point, I am with him and NOT willing to take the risk. All I know is that I never want to go through the level of pain I was in several weeks ago. It was literally excruciating.

I am generally pain free, though I still have a high level of discomfort. I cannot put ANY pressure on my perineum area. I have a standing setup at work. The ONLY sitting I do is in the car using two pieces of foam on each buttock to elevate the middle/taint section. (It's actually two of those things you kneel on when you garden.)

I am now at the acceptance phase. I am adjusting my lifestyle to suit my current condition. I was prescribed some meds for nerve pain, which I think may be one of the reasons I am not having any issues with pain anymore. I don't want to be on meds forever, so after a while I am going to phase off of it and see how I feel. Now that I'm pain free, it has been increasingly difficult to deal with the mental/emotional side of things. The abrupt end is just a shock to the system.

I started going on short walks and swimming a little bit. My main goal is just to stay pain free.

I certainly don't want to spread mass paranoia around this place, because this is a very rare condition. I think my pudendal nerve happens to run along my undercarriage in a particularly vulnerable spot, making it more susceptible to becoming injured. I've only been cycling for about 5 years, so it sure didn't take long. If you do happen to have pain down there at any point, do yourself a favor and stop what you are doing until you get it figured out. It may be too late for me, but there are FAR worse things that could happen.

Thanks to everyone here for the continued support. The good vibes you guys have been sending my way have really helped!

[Too Tall]

Thanks for the update buster. You've done one he!! of a great job dealing with this and coming to terms.
What recumbent are you looking at?

[ty-ro]

Thanks for the update buster. You've done one he!! of a great job dealing with this and coming to terms.
What recumbent are you looking at?

Thanks Too Tall. I'm just rollin' with the punches. I just keep telling myself that things could be MUCH worse!

Lakeside said that he has some good suggestions for recumbents. My plan is to give this thing a solid 6 months off every type of sitting device. If the PT isn't working any wonders or if I don't see marked improvement, I'm headed to Austin to hook up with KGreene's PT down there who helped him with a similar nerve issue. (I've got family in Austin, so I'm there some anyway.)

Anyway, I've got a "plan" if you can call it that. Helps to have a plan.

I can't stress enough how much of a help this community has been for me. Thanks to everyone!

[bigbill]

An update on my condition... It's been a month since I first noticed pain.

I've been to the physical therapist who says I have oblique and twisted hips. He feels that the pressure on the saddle is the smoking gun. He suggested I not cycle again, unless I want it to come back or get worse. At this point, I am with him and NOT willing to take the risk. All I know is that I never want to go through the level of pain I was in several weeks ago. It was literally excruciating.

Did you ever get your knee problem figured out? I'm getting my right knee fixed in May and it causes my hips to be uneven on the bike. You're great to ride with, I hope it all works out. Hopefully I'm leaving the PNW this summer after I retire from the navy so maybe we'll ride together in Austin.

[ty-ro]

Hey Bill! Good to hear from you. Yeah, I got the knee under control with a scope and some good PT. If I were still riding, I'd be doing a little post ride stretching for the knee. That's all it really took to keep things in check. It was never 100%, more like 90-95%, which is plenty good enough.

At this point, there is no riding for me in sight. I can't even sit in a normal chair at all without significant pain. I'm either standing or laying down, period. I drive in the car to and from work using two cushions to elevate the problem area. It works temporarily, but I won't be a long-haul trucker any time soon.

I'm headed to Seattle to have an MRI to have a look at the nerves and things. I'm not so sure things will be conclusive. When they did 2 MRI's on my knee, they said it was fine. After the surgeon was in there with the scope, he said it was a "real mess" and he "took a lot of junk out of there". My knee improved because of the surgery and lots of diligent PT. It's fine now.

I think it's going to be a long road for me and it's nearly certain that cycling will not be a part of my future. I'm headed to the pool today, just to stay active and get some endorphins going. I won't lie; I miss cycling terribly, but life goes on and I have the rest of my health.

It's amazing how something like this really puts things in perspective; a real slap in the face about how lovely life is when things are just "ok". I'm in no way saying for everyone to stop cycling because this sort of thing could happen to you. It can come in any form and comes unexpectedly, but don't be paranoid; that ruins the beauty. Just carpe diem and know that life is tender, transient, and lovely at the same time.

Sorry for the rambling.

Hey, if you do end up in Austin, PM your details. I'm down there quite a bit visiting family. Great town. I think you'd love it there, especially for the sharp contrast to the Pac NW.

[ty-ro]

Hey Fixed, can you ask your buddy exactly WHERE he got the shots? Did he get a nerve block or was it in the perineum directly?

I'm reading a lot about it and there are a few different ways of getting at the nerve. I'm thinking us sycling guys might have the pinch in the same place just due to the saddle pressure location, right?

Thanks for the help!

i know what it is like not being able to ride and spending a lot of time dreaming about it
i may need a 3 wheeler when i start riding again ..at first the idea sucked after 10 months it is sounding almost doable .
my friend had cyclist syndrome he was back riding in under six months if i remember right
he did stretching and shots - steroids i think

hang in there bro


cheers

[bigbill]

It's amazing how something like this really puts things in perspective; a real slap in the face about how lovely life is when things are just "ok". I'm in no way saying for everyone to stop cycling because this sort of thing could happen to you. It can come in any form and comes unexpectedly, but don't be paranoid; that ruins the beauty. Just carpe diem and know that life is tender, transient, and lovely at the same time.

Sorry for the rambling.

Hey, if you do end up in Austin, PM your details. I'm down there quite a bit visiting family. Great town. I think you'd love it there, especially for the sharp contrast to the Pac NW.

I hear you, on 12/30 I went to see the doctor at work because I was having chest pain and shortness of breath. They wired me for sound and said my heartbeat was abnormal and did blood work. I was standing around feeling like I was going to die when the blood work came back indicating that I was having a heart attack. They laid me out and started oxygen while waiting on an ambulance. I was able to walk into the ambulance and spent the next three days at Harrison Medical Center Cardiac Unit in Bremerton. The Naval Hospital doesn't have a cardiac unit. My enzymes continued to increase until the afternoon of the 31st when they started dropping off. That night I had a stress test and mulitple cat scans. I was released on the 1st with three Cardiologists scratching their heads. I had all the indications of a heart attack but had no clots, no damage to my heart, no blockage, and a stress test that says I'm a cardiovascular horse. My cholesterol was 179 and my ratios where perfect although my triglycerides were a little high. It took me another three days to feel normal again.

The whole time I was in the ambulance on the way to the hospital I kept thinking about the frame I had just bought and if I'd ever get to ride it. I retire in September after 27 years and I'm going to be pissed if something screws up my ability to ride. For my knee, it doesn't really bother me when I ride, it bothers me when I umpire little league since I have to stay semi-crouched behind the plate. Who would have thought.

[ty-ro]

Damn Bill! I'm so sorry to hear of your heart issues. I hope it gets better or rather never happens again. We do these things for our health and someone who rides as regularly as you do is doing all the right things. Seriously, take care of yourself and take it easy. I'm headed to the pool right now for some easy laps. I figure it's better than nothing. Yeah, I was just looking at recumbents too. I know...banished forever! I guess, "You gotta do what you gotta do." I'm going to give this "taint" nerve thing about a full year of tests of pokes and prods before I go "bent", but the moral of the story is that you have to adjust your lifestyle. My priorities sure have changed too!

Bill, best of luck to you in your heart issues. I wish you MANY smooth miles and constant tailwinds in retirement. You've worked very hard need to reap the spoils!

I hear you, on 12/30 I went to see the doctor at work because I was having chest pain and shortness of breath. They wired me for sound and said my heartbeat was abnormal and did blood work. I was standing around feeling like I was going to die when the blood work came back indicating that I was having a heart attack. They laid me out and started oxygen while waiting on an ambulance. I was able to walk into the ambulance and spent the next three days at Harrison Medical Center Cardiac Unit in Bremerton. The Naval Hospital doesn't have a cardiac unit. My enzymes continued to increase until the afternoon of the 31st when they started dropping off. That night I had a stress test and mulitple cat scans. I was released on the 1st with three Cardiologists scratching their heads. I had all the indications of a heart attack but had no clots, no damage to my heart, no blockage, and a stress test that says I'm a cardiovascular horse. My cholesterol was 179 and my ratios where perfect although my triglycerides were a little high. It took me another three days to feel normal again.

The whole time I was in the ambulance on the way to the hospital I kept thinking about the frame I had just bought and if I'd ever get to ride it. I retire in September after 27 years and I'm going to be pissed if something screws up my ability to ride. For my knee, it doesn't really bother me when I ride, it bothers me when I umpire little league since I have to stay semi-crouched behind the plate. Who would have thought.

[siclmn]

An update on my condition... It's been a month since I first noticed pain.

I've been to the physical therapist who says I have oblique and twisted hips. He feels that the pressure on the saddle is the smoking gun. He suggested I not cycle again, unless I want it to come back or get worse. At this point, I am with him and NOT willing to take the risk. All I know is that I never want to go through the level of pain I was in several weeks ago. It was literally excruciating.

I am generally pain free, though I still have a high level of discomfort. I cannot put ANY pressure on my perineum area. I have a standing setup at work. The ONLY sitting I do is in the car using two pieces of foam on each buttock to elevate the middle/taint section. (It's actually two of those things you kneel on when you garden.)

I am now at the acceptance phase. I am adjusting my lifestyle to suit my current condition. I was prescribed some meds for nerve pain, which I think may be one of the reasons I am not having any issues with pain anymore. I don't want to be on meds forever, so after a while I am going to phase off of it and see how I feel. Now that I'm pain free, it has been increasingly difficult to deal with the mental/emotional side of things. The abrupt end is just a shock to the system.

I started going on short walks and swimming a little bit. My main goal is just to stay pain free.

I certainly don't want to spread mass paranoia around this place, because this is a very rare condition. I think my pudendal nerve happens to run along my undercarriage in a particularly vulnerable spot, making it more susceptible to becoming injured. I've only been cycling for about 5 years, so it sure didn't take long. If you do happen to have pain down there at any point, do yourself a favor and stop what you are doing until you get it figured out. It may be too late for me, but there are FAR worse things that could happen.

Thanks to everyone here for the continued support. The good vibes you guys have been sending my way have really helped!

Hello, I am new here, I have the same thing that ty-ro has and would like to know if he is still around this forum or even better, if someone has his email. Thank you.