The most common urological disease among men is prostatitis, an inflammation of the prostate. The gland is located next to the urinary tract and the disease often occurs due to infection - bacteria, viruses or protozoa. Prostatitis is usually bacterial and, like any inflammation, is accompanied by acute pain. This is the first and main symptom of the disease. Treatment prescribed by a doctor will help relieve pain from prostatitis, but while waiting for the doctor, you can use methods that do not require medical intervention.
Onset and location of pain
Painful sensations vary depending on the activity of the inflammatory process.
- In cases of acute prostatitis or exacerbation of a chronic disease, pain usually appears within a few hours. Most often, it is located in the perineum, and can radiate towards the head of the penis, the suprapubic region, the anus or the lower back. An acute process causes severe pain, which becomes more intense after urination or ejaculation. Urinating can also be painful.
- With chronic prostatitis, aching pains often occur, especially intensifying in the morning or due to prolonged sitting.
- The patient experiences the most intense sensations with a prostate abscess or with acute advanced prostatitis. The pain is very intense, stabbing or throbbing, sometimes accompanied by fever and fever. This condition requires an immediate visit to the doctor.
What to do in case of pain
You should not sit and wait on your own for the sensations to subside. Acute prostatitis requires qualified medical treatment: the disease will not go away on its own, and in the absence of treatment it can become chronic. Chronic prostatitis is more difficult to treat and sometimes recurs. Its exacerbations resemble those of acute prostatitis and are relieved by medications prescribed by a urologist. Do not delay your visit to the doctor: the sooner treatment is started, the sooner you can get rid of the disease. But while waiting to see a urologist, you can relieve some unpleasant symptoms at home. This will not eliminate the cause of the disease, it will only improve the condition.
How to Relieve Prostatitis Pain
If the pain is caused by an acute process, it will not be possible to quickly and permanently get rid of it until the cause of the disease is eliminated. But you can weaken it. Recommendations are given by the doctor, but in general they come down to a healthy lifestyle, the absence of hypothermia and bad habits.
Walk if your condition allows. Chronic prostatitis, including chronic pelvic pain syndrome, develops, according to some data, against the background of stagnation. If a man sits for a long time, the pressure on the prostate increases and congestion forms in the pelvic region, which contributes to pain and worsening of the condition. Pain after prolonged sitting disappears if a person walks. Patients without exacerbations are therefore advised to maintain moderate physical activity and avoid stagnation. This is why patients are advised to undergo physiotherapy and prostate massage: they improve microcirculation and prevent stagnation. If we are talking about an acute process, physical activity is contraindicated, especially with temperature and fever. In such cases, it is instead recommended to stay in bed and, in case of signs of sepsis such as high fever and body pain, to seek emergency help.
Drink more water. Prostatitis is often accompanied by damage to the urinary tract: pathogens accumulate in the urethra and urethra. Urethritis develops, which only intensifies the symptoms: it is painful for a man to go to the toilet, he feels pain and burning, frequent urges, sometimes false or too intense. This condition also requires medication, but it can be alleviated by drinking plenty of fluids and frequent bathroom visits. During illness, the body needs more water and frequent urination helps flush bacteria from the urethra and reduce inflammation. During prostatitis, defecation can also be painful: drinking plenty of water will help soften the stool and relieve the pain. For the same reason, doctors sometimes include laxatives in the treatment regimen, but they should not be used without the advice of a specialist.
Take painkillers. Painkillers should not be used before taking tests or consulting a doctor: they can blur the clinical picture. But the doctor may prescribe painkillers to make the patient feel better. Try not to use medications without serious reasons. In treating chronic pelvic pain syndrome, urologists sometimes prescribe anxiolytics, medications that help relieve anxiety and depression that occur during long-term illness. You should not take such medicines without a doctor's prescription.
Get tested. The urologist makes a diagnosis based on examinations, and if you have the opportunity and don't want to wait, get tested yourself. To diagnose prostatitis, urine and seminal fluid examinations are necessary, not only microscopic, but also bacteriological. It is better to carry out a bacteriological study to determine the sensitivity of the pathogen to an expanded range of drugs - this will help the doctor prescribe more accurate treatment. Give the results to your urologist during your appointment. He will decipher them and prescribe drug treatment based on the results of the analysis.
What not to do during an acute process
Severe pain is usually associated with acute prostatitis or an exacerbation of chronic prostatitis. In this condition, the prostate is particularly vulnerable: even doctors are advised to handle patients with caution. The patient himself must adhere to certain restrictions. We will tell you what you should never do so as not to inadvertently make your condition worse.
Self-administer antibiotics. Do not take serious medications without a prescription! For acute and chronic bacterial prostatitis, a treatment regimen is prescribed by a urologist. As a rule, these are antibiotics to which the pathogen is sensitive, most often fluoroquinolones - they penetrate the prostate tissue better than others. But prostatitis is a disease that requires a thoughtful medical approach. The doctor determines both the duration of treatment and the dosage needed to kill the bacteria. It is difficult to determine these details on your own, without medical training. Therefore, self-medication often leads to the fact that bacteria do not disappear from the prostate, but become resistant to antibiotics. These forms of prostatitis are more difficult to treat and are generally more concerning.
Warm or cool the prostate. It may seem that heat and cold can soothe pain, but in conditions of bacterial inflammation, on the contrary, they are harmful. Heating an inflamed prostate increases blood circulation and helps bacteria multiply, only making the situation worse. Cooling weakens local immunity and fights the pathogen more poorly. In the treatment of chronic prostatitis, it is recommended to avoid hypothermia and overheating above body temperature. This applies even to the periods between exacerbations, and during an acute process it is especially important to follow the rule.
Use physiotherapy. Physiotherapeutic methods such as finger massage are used in the treatment of chronic prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain syndrome to prevent stagnation, but their use during an exacerbation is harmful and even dangerous. Acute pain is a contraindication to any intervention: they can only intensify it and worsen the patient's condition. And if an abscess is suspected, physiotherapy can lead to its breakthrough, seriously aggravating the problems. It is best to turn to massage and other therapeutic methods under the supervision of a doctor once the condition has stabilized.
Drinking alcohol. A man may think that alcohol will help him relieve his pain at home. But alcohol in case of acute inflammation is strictly contraindicated. On the contrary, patients are recommended to exclude from the diet all foods that irritate the urinary tract: spicy, fatty, salty. Dieting is much more effective at relieving pain, but alcohol will only cause more harm.
Prostatitis pain prevention
Even if you suffer from chronic prostatitis, you can minimize the number of exacerbations. In remission, the disease hardly bothers the patient, pain is usually associated with exacerbation or a subacute process. For long-term remission, a number of recommendations should be followed.
Don't be too cold. Doctors advise dressing warmly in cold weather, not staying in the cold for a long time and not sitting in the cold. Hypothermia leads to a decrease in local immunity, which can cause an exacerbation.
Be physically active. Congestion is a risk factor for the onset and exacerbation of prostatitis. People who lead an active lifestyle are less prone to stagnation. Chronic prostatitis is characterized by a weakening of muscle tone - physical activity will help prevent this outcome.
Benefit from physical therapy and massage. Not all sources confirm the effectiveness of physiotherapy, but in some cases it can alleviate the condition of patients. Massage, like physical activity, is necessary to avoid stagnation. As a rule, a classic digital rectal massage is prescribed, but if the patient cannot constantly visit the doctor, he can use self-massage devices.
Stick to a diet. Drinking plenty of fluids and avoiding spicy and salty foods in the diet is a doctor's recommendation to alleviate the condition. It is recommended to get rid of bad habits.
Maintain sexual hygiene. Intimate hygiene, especially after sexual intercourse, prevents bacteria from entering the urethra and going up to the prostate. To prevent infections, do not neglect it, and use barrier protection during sexual intercourse.
Conclusion
Don't worry. Prostatitis pain is a very unpleasant, but treatable phenomenon. Remember that ways to reduce it at home will not remove the cause of the disease: be sure to consult a doctor, get tested and start treatment. Only qualified treatment will help you cope with the problem and return to a full life.