The most common urological disease in men is prostatitis, inflammation of the prostate gland. This gland is located next to the urinary tract, and the disease often occurs as a result of 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 this disease. The treatment prescribed by the doctor will help relieve the pain caused by prostatitis, but while waiting for the doctor, you can use methods that do not require medical intervention.
Appearance and localization of pain
The sensation of pain varies depending on how active the inflammatory process is.
- In acute prostatitis or exacerbation of chronic disease, pain usually appears within a few hours. Often it is localized in the perineum, and can radiate to the head of the penis, the suprapubic area, the anus or the lower back. The acute process is the cause of severe pain, which becomes more intense after urination or ejaculation. Peeing can also be painful.
- With chronic prostatitis, painful pain often occurs, especially in the morning or because of being in a sitting position for a long time.
- Patients experience the most intense sensations with prostate abscess or with advanced acute prostatitis. The pain is very severe, throbbing or shooting, sometimes accompanied by fever and chills. This condition requires an immediate visit to the doctor.
What to do if there is pain
You should not sit and wait by yourself for the sensation to subside. Acute prostatitis requires qualified treatment from a doctor: the disease will not go away by itself, and if there is no therapy it can become chronic. Chronic prostatitis is more difficult to treat and sometimes recurs. Its exacerbation resembles acute prostatitis in symptoms and is relieved by drugs prescribed by a urologist. You should not delay your visit to the doctor: the sooner treatment is started, the sooner you can get rid of the disease. But while you wait to see a urologist, you can relieve some unpleasant symptoms at home. This will not get rid of 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 able 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 doctors, but in general they boil down to a healthy lifestyle, the 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, the pressure on the prostate gland increases, and congestion forms in the pelvic area - this contributes to pain and deterioration of the condition. Pain after sitting for a long time disappears if a person walks, so patients without exacerbation are advised to maintain moderate physical activity and avoid stagnation. That is why patients are advised to undergo physiotherapy and prostate massage - they improve microcirculation and prevent stagnation. If we talk about the acute process, physical activity is contraindicated, especially with temperature and fever. In such 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 help.
Drink a lot of water. Prostatitis is often accompanied by damage to the urinary tract: pathogens accumulate in the urethra and urethra. Urethritis develops, which only increases 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 reduced by drinking plenty of fluids and going to the toilet frequently. During pain, 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 ease the pain. For the same reason, doctors sometimes include laxatives in the treatment regimen, but they should not be used without expert advice.
Take painkillers. Analgesics should not be used before taking a test or visiting a doctor: they can obscure the clinical picture. But the doctor may prescribe painkillers to make the patient feel better. Try not to use medicine without a serious reason. In the treatment of chronic pelvic pain syndrome, urologists sometimes prescribe anxiolytics - drugs that help relieve anxiety and depression that occur during long-term illness. You can not take the drug without a doctor's prescription.
Get the test. A urologist makes a diagnosis based on an examination, and if you have the opportunity and don't want to wait, get the test yourself. To diagnose prostatitis, examination of urine and seminal fluid is required, not only microscopically, but also bacteriologically. It is better to perform a bacteriological study to determine the sensitivity of the pathogen to a wide range of drugs - this will help the doctor prescribe a more accurate treatment. Give the results to your urologist at your appointment. He will interpret it and prescribe drug therapy according to the results of the analysis.
What not to do during the acute process
Severe pain is usually associated with acute prostatitis or exacerbation of chronic prostatitis. In this situation, the prostate is very vulnerable: even doctors are advised to manipulate the patient with caution. The patient himself must comply with certain restrictions. We'll tell you what not to do, so you don't accidentally make your condition worse.
Self-administer antibiotics. Do not take serious medicine without a prescription! For acute and chronic bacterial prostatitis, the treatment regimen is prescribed by a urologist. As a rule, it consists of antibiotics to which the pathogen is sensitive, often fluoroquinolones - they penetrate the prostate tissue better than others. But prostatitis is a disease that requires a smart medical approach. The doctor determines both the duration of treatment and the dose needed to kill the bacteria. It is difficult to determine such details on your own, without a medical education. Therefore, the drugs themselves often lead to the fact that the bacteria do not disappear from the prostate, but become resistant to antibiotics. This form of prostatitis is more difficult to treat, and it usually causes more anxiety.
Heat or cool the prostate. It seems that heat and cold can relieve pain, but in the case of bacterial inflammation, it is, on the contrary, dangerous. Heating an inflamed prostate increases blood circulation and helps bacteria multiply, therefore only making the condition worse. Cooling weakens local immunity, and it fights pathogens worse. In the treatment of chronic prostatitis, it is recommended to avoid hypothermia and overheating above body temperature. This applies even to the period between exacerbations, and during the acute process it is very important to follow the rules.
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 exacerbations is dangerous 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, physical therapy can lead to its success, seriously exacerbating the problem. It is better to switch to massage and other therapeutic methods under the supervision of a doctor after the situation has stabilized.
Drink alcohol. A man may think that alcohol will help him relieve pain at home. But alcohol in acute inflammation is strongly contraindicated. Patients, on the other hand, are recommended to exclude from the diet all foods that irritate the urinary tract: spicy, fatty, salty. Following a diet is more effective in relieving pain, but alcohol will only cause more harm.
Prevention of pain with prostatitis
Even if you have chronic prostatitis, you can reduce the number of exacerbations to a minimum. In remission, the disease hardly bothers the patient; pain is usually associated with an aggravating or subacute process. For long-term remission, some 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 requires a decrease in local immunity, which can trigger exacerbations.
Be physically active. A risk factor for the occurrence and exacerbation of prostatitis is congestion. People who lead an active lifestyle are less prone to stagnation. Chronic prostatitis is characterized by weakness of muscle tone - physical activity will help prevent this result.
Get physical therapy and massage. Not all sources confirm the effectiveness of physiotherapy, but in some cases it can alleviate the patient's condition. Massage, like physical activity, is necessary to avoid stagnation. As a rule, classic digital rectal massage is prescribed, but if the patient cannot always go to the doctor, he can use a self-massage device.
Stick to the diet. Drinking plenty of fluids and avoiding spicy and salty foods in the 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 ascending to the prostate. To avoid infection, do not ignore it, and use barrier protection during sexual intercourse.
Anyway
Do not worry. Prostate pain is a very unpleasant phenomenon, but it can be treated. Remember that the means to reduce it at home will not eliminate the cause of the disease: be sure to consult a doctor, get tests and start a course of therapy. Only qualified treatment will help you overcome the problem and return to a full life.