The most common urological disease in men is prostatitis, inflammation of the prostate gland. The gland is located close to the urinary tract, and the disease often occurs due to infections - bacteria, viruses or protozoa. Prostatitis is usually bacterial and, like any inflammation, is accompanied by sharp pain. This is the first and main symptom of the disease. Treatment prescribed by a doctor will help alleviate the pain caused by prostatitis, but while waiting for the doctor, you can use methods that do not require medical intervention.
Appearance and location of pain
Pain sensations vary depending on how active the inflammatory process is.
- In acute prostatitis or in the exacerbation of a chronic disease, pain usually appears within a few hours. It is most often located in the perineum and can radiate to the head of the penis, suprapubic region, anus or lower back. An acute process is the cause of severe pain, which becomes more intense after urinating or ejaculating. Urinating can also be painful.
- With chronic prostatitis, aching pain often occurs, intensifying especially in the morning or due to prolonged sitting.
- The patient experiences the most intense sensations with prostate abscess or advanced acute prostatitis. The pain is very strong, throbbing or sharp, sometimes accompanied by fever and fever. This condition requires an immediate visit to the doctor.
What to do if there is pain
You should not sit and wait alone for the sensations to subside. Acute prostatitis requires qualified medical treatment: the disease does not go away on its own, and in the absence of therapy it can become chronic. Chronic prostatitis is more difficult to treat and sometimes recurs. Its exacerbations resemble the symptoms of acute prostatitis and are relieved with medications prescribed by a urologist. Do not postpone a visit to the doctor: the sooner treatment is started, the faster you can get rid of the disease. But while you wait to see a urologist, you can alleviate some of the unpleasant symptoms at home. This will not eliminate the cause of the disease - it will only improve the condition.
How to relieve pain with prostatitis
If the pain is caused by an acute process, it will not be possible to get rid of it quickly and permanently until the cause of the disease is eliminated. But you can weaken it. Recommendations are given by the doctor, but in general they boil down to a healthy lifestyle, absence of hypothermia and bad habits.
Walk if your condition allows. Chronic prostatitis, including chronic pelvic pain syndrome, according to some data, develops against a background of stagnation. If a man sits for a long time, pressure on the prostate increases and congestion forms in the pelvic area - this contributes to pain and worsening of the condition. The pain after sitting for a long time disappears if the person walks, so patients without exacerbations are 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 this is an acute process, physical activity is contraindicated, especially with temperature and fever. In these cases, it is recommended, on the contrary, to remain in bed and, if there are signs of sepsis, such as high fever and body aches, seek emergency care.
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 very intense. This condition also requires medication, but can be alleviated by drinking plenty of fluids and going to the bathroom frequently. 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 helps soften the stool and relieve pain. For the same reason, doctors sometimes include laxatives in the treatment regimen, but they should not be used without specialist advice.
Take painkillers. Painkillers should not be used before undergoing tests or consulting a doctor: they can confuse 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 a prolonged illness. You should not take these medications without a prescription.
Do the test. The urologist makes the diagnosis based on tests and, if you have the opportunity and don't want to wait, do the test yourself. To diagnose prostatitis, urine and seminal fluid tests are necessary, not only microscopic, but also bacteriological. It is best to conduct a bacteriological study to determine the sensitivity of the pathogen to a wide range of drugs - this will help the doctor prescribe more accurate treatment. Give the results to your urologist at your appointment. He will decipher them and prescribe drug therapy according to the results of the analysis.
What not to do during an acute process
Severe pain is usually associated with acute prostatitis or exacerbation of chronic prostatitis. In this condition, the prostate is especially vulnerable: even doctors are advised to handle patients with caution. The patient himself must observe certain restrictions. We will tell you what you should never do, so as not to inadvertently worsen your condition.
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, it consists of antibiotics to which the pathogen is sensitive, most often fluoroquinolones - they penetrate prostate tissue better than others. But prostatitis is a disease that requires a careful medical approach. The doctor determines 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 generally cause more concern.
Warm or cool the prostate. It may seem that heat and cold can relieve pain, but in conditions of bacterial inflammation they are, on the contrary, harmful. Warming an inflamed prostate increases blood circulation and helps bacteria multiply, thus worsening the condition. Cooling weakens local immunity and further combats the pathogen. When treating chronic prostatitis, it is recommended to avoid hypothermia and overheating above body temperature. This applies even to periods between exacerbations, and during an acute process it is especially important to follow the rule.
Use physical therapy. Physiotherapeutic methods such as finger massage are used in the treatment of chronic prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain syndrome to prevent stagnation, but using them during an exacerbation is harmful and even dangerous. Acute pain is a contraindication for any intervention: it can only intensify it and worsen the patient's condition. And if an abscess is suspected, physiotherapy can lead to its advancement, seriously aggravating the problems. It is best to resort to massage and other therapeutic methods under the supervision of a doctor after the condition has stabilized.
Drink alcohol. A man may think that alcohol will help him ease the pain at home. But alcohol in acute inflammation is strictly contraindicated. Patients, on the contrary, are recommended to exclude from the diet all foods that irritate the urinary tract: spicy, fatty, salty. Following a diet is much more effective in relieving pain, but alcohol only causes more damage.
Prevention of pain with prostatitis
Even if you have chronic prostatitis, you can keep the number of exacerbations to a minimum. In remission, the disease hardly bothers the patient, the pain is usually associated with an exacerbation or subacute process. For long-term remission, a series of recommendations must be followed.
Don't get too cold. Doctors advise dressing warmly in the cold, not staying in the cold for too long and not sitting in the cold. Hypothermia leads to a decrease in local immunity, which can cause an exacerbation.
Be physically active. A risk factor for the occurrence and exacerbation of prostatitis is congestion. People who lead an active lifestyle are less susceptible to stagnation. Chronic prostatitis is characterized by a weakening of muscle tone - physical activity will help prevent this outcome.
Get 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 prevent stagnation. As a rule, a classic digital rectal massage is prescribed, but if the patient cannot constantly go to the doctor, he can use self-massage devices.
Follow a diet. Drinking plenty of fluids and avoiding spicy and salty foods in your diet is the 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 and use barrier protection during sexual intercourse.
Final result
Don't worry. Prostatitis pain is a very unpleasant but treatable phenomenon. Remember that ways to reduce it at home will not eliminate the cause of the disease: see a doctor, get tested and start treatment. Only qualified treatment will help you cope with the problem and return to a full life.