Cyclist's Syndrome
Symptoms include:
- Pain in “sits bones”, perineum, genitals, and/or anus
- Pain with sitting/cycling
- Urinary, bowel, and/or sexual dysfunction
- Feeling of foreign object in vagina and/or rectum
Cycling can lead to pudendal nerve irritation by compression (bike seat) and tension (through repetitive hip flexion). Because the Pudendal Nerve innervates the majority of the pelvic floor muscles, the genitals, vagina, urinary and anal sphincters and rectum, when it becomes inflamed it can cause pain and/or dysfunction in any of these structures. Patients with Pudendal Neuralgia commonly have tight pelvic floor muscles, severe obturator internus hypertonus, connective tissue restrictions, and sacro-iliac joint dysfunction.
Your physical therapist will normalize the tight muscles, tissue and mobility of the Pudendal Nerve with manual therapy techniques. A home exercise program will be prescribed to you to facilitate recovery and maintain the gains made. Resolution of the musculoskeletal dysfunction will result in the elimination of your symptoms.
Disclaimer: The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center seeks to educate the community on musculoskeletal causes of pelvic pain. Specific medical advice and/or answers to your personal health questions will require a full examination by one of our physical therapists. This website is not intended to be a substitute for a medical evaluation, but rather as an educational resource.