Sitting Should Not Be Agonizing: Understanding Pudendal Neuralgia

Imagine feeling a constant, burning, electric-shock sensation exactly where you would sit on a bicycle saddle. It hurts to sit at your desk, it hurts to wear tight pants, and intimacy is out of the question.

If you are experiencing sharp, shooting, or burning pain in the clitoris, vulva, perineum, or rectum, you might be dealing with Pudendal Neuralgia—an irritation or entrapment of the pudendal nerve.

The "Bicycle Seat" Nerve

The pudendal nerve is the main nerve of the pelvis. It travels from your lower spine, weaves through the deep muscles of your buttocks and pelvic floor, and branches out to your genitals and anal region.

Because it threads through so many tight spaces, it is highly vulnerable to being pinched or irritated.

• Common Causes: A hard fall on the tailbone, prolonged cycling, childbirth trauma, or chronic clenching of the pelvic floor muscles (which acts like a tight fist squeezing the nerve).

Calming the Fire with Physiotherapy

Pudendal Neuralgia is incredibly distressing, but it is treatable. Because it is a nerve issue, doing generic "Kegels" will almost certainly make it worse by tightening the muscles around the nerve even more.

At Milton Physio Plus, our approach is specialized and delicate:

1. Nerve Glides: We teach you specific, gentle movements that help the nerve slide smoothly through its anatomical tunnel without getting stuck.

2. Muscle Release: We carefully release the deep muscles (like the Obturator Internus and Piriformis) that may be compressing the nerve.

3. Postural Adjustments: We evaluate how you sit, stand, and move to remove mechanical pressure from the area.

   
   

You don't have to live with the burning. Visit Milton Physio Plus and let us help you find the source of the compression and get you back to sitting comfortably.