thickcrustpizza
Newcomer
Hello Everyone,
I’m a male in my early 30’s. A little over a year ago I injured myself, and I’ve been dealing with pain and other symptoms ever since. I know this will be a long post, but trying to give a good description of my situation to see if others feel TMS could be playing a role in all of this.
My primary hobby prior to injury was mountain biking. I typically would ride a couple of hours 2-3 times a week. This was great not only for my physical, but also mental health. Other than some nagging lower back / SI joint pain, I was fairly pain free. Last November, as the riding season came to a close, I got access to an indoor trainer bike. I decided I’d train on that a few times a week to maintain fitness over the winter. After a couple of weeks of riding on the trainer 3x a week, for 45 - 60 minutes at a time, I started noticing some odd sensations.
During my rides on the trainer, I was starting to get numbness / tingling in my genitals and general perineum area. I never experienced this kind of sensation when riding my mountain bike on the trails. I chalked it up to sitting much more when on the trainer than I do on the mountain bike. I started making a conscious effort to stand every 10 minutes or so during my rides. I also started wearing padded biking shorts. Unfortunately, neither change brought any relief. The numbness / tingling during rides turned to pain, and I started having some pain with urination. I also was having some slight discomfort when sitting after a ride. I decided to take a few weeks off from riding over the holidays to see if it would go away.
After a few weeks, I was feeling better. The pain when sitting and urinating had gone away, so I decided to give riding on the trainer another shot. I had a few good rides before the pain came back with a vengeance. Despite standing every 5-1o minutes, the pain / numbness started coming on almost immediately during my rides. The pain with urination was back, and sitting was very uncomfortable on my perineum / sit bones. By the end of January, I decided something was very wrong, and I needed to stop riding and see a doctor. (I now know the saddle on the trainer was very wrong for my body)
I first saw my primary care doctor, wondering if perhaps I had a UTI. My urinalysis came back clean, but he diagnosed me with Prostatitis. I was put on antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory for 2 weeks. Unfortunately, this treatment did nothing for me, and if anything my discomfort while sitting increased during this time. I was also having some sexual dysfunction (which was completely new for me)
Next, I saw a Urologist. They again checked my urine and found nothing amiss. He felt as though I had simply irritated things down there while cycling. His suggestion to solve the issue was to stop riding. It was extremely disheartening to be told that the way to get better was to give up my passion / hobby.
After a few more weeks of staying off the bike and hoping things would get better, I started to do my own research and came across Pelvic Floor PT. The PT essentially diagnosed me with overly active pelvic floor muscles and irritated pudendal nerve. Since April 2024, I've seen two different Pelvic Floor PTs (once a week). Treatment consists of internal work as well as some external stretching / strengthening. At first I saw some decent progress, but unfortunately that stalled out after the first few months.
Last fall, I started going to a pain clinic at the recommendation of one of my PTs. They diagnosed me with Pudendal Neuralgia, and recommended a bilateral pudendal nerve block with steroid. From what I understand, the goal of the procedure is to confirm the issues is due to my pudendal nerve, as well as give some temporary relief while the nerve is numbed. Unfortunately, I don't think the block worked, as I did not feel much if any relief. I also had an MRI of my pelvis done, which showed some fairly significant arthritis of the lower back, pelvis, and SI joint and L4/L5 disc degeneration. I am scheduled to receive another pudendal nerve block in a few weeks.
At this point, I have been dealing with the pain for over a year. I would say it's certainly not as bad as early 2024, but I'm still not back to normal. I get quite a bit of pain after sitting for extended periods of time and driving. I also get some burning pain after urination and intercourse, and sometimes after walking decent distances. I haven't ridden a bike since January 2024, outside of very briefly sitting on an exercise bike during physical therapy.
Through social media and some other websites, I came across the idea of TMS. I read Alan's 'The Way Out', and have been trying to implement some of the techniques listed in the book. I connect with some of the common traits of people with TMS (perfection seeker, people pleaser, history of anxiety / depression, dealing with stressful career / finances). However, I also am 99.9% sure my pain was caused by a physical injury. Even when trying to focus on the idea that my brain is the source of the pain, in the back of my head, I'm also wondering if something is physically wrong with my pelvic floor muscles or pudendal nerve from the bike saddle. On one hand, I'm trying to be mindful when in situations with minimal to moderate pain to think about the pain and remind myself that it's just a mistake by my nerves / brain. But then I wonder if I'm actually causing additional nerve damage by putting myself through that.
Again, I'm sorry for the novel. I'd love any feedback about my situation, and whether you think TMS is applicable. I'd also appreciate any feedback on next steps I can take to really apply the concepts discussed in Alan Gordon's 'The Way Out.'
Thank you!
I’m a male in my early 30’s. A little over a year ago I injured myself, and I’ve been dealing with pain and other symptoms ever since. I know this will be a long post, but trying to give a good description of my situation to see if others feel TMS could be playing a role in all of this.
My primary hobby prior to injury was mountain biking. I typically would ride a couple of hours 2-3 times a week. This was great not only for my physical, but also mental health. Other than some nagging lower back / SI joint pain, I was fairly pain free. Last November, as the riding season came to a close, I got access to an indoor trainer bike. I decided I’d train on that a few times a week to maintain fitness over the winter. After a couple of weeks of riding on the trainer 3x a week, for 45 - 60 minutes at a time, I started noticing some odd sensations.
During my rides on the trainer, I was starting to get numbness / tingling in my genitals and general perineum area. I never experienced this kind of sensation when riding my mountain bike on the trails. I chalked it up to sitting much more when on the trainer than I do on the mountain bike. I started making a conscious effort to stand every 10 minutes or so during my rides. I also started wearing padded biking shorts. Unfortunately, neither change brought any relief. The numbness / tingling during rides turned to pain, and I started having some pain with urination. I also was having some slight discomfort when sitting after a ride. I decided to take a few weeks off from riding over the holidays to see if it would go away.
After a few weeks, I was feeling better. The pain when sitting and urinating had gone away, so I decided to give riding on the trainer another shot. I had a few good rides before the pain came back with a vengeance. Despite standing every 5-1o minutes, the pain / numbness started coming on almost immediately during my rides. The pain with urination was back, and sitting was very uncomfortable on my perineum / sit bones. By the end of January, I decided something was very wrong, and I needed to stop riding and see a doctor. (I now know the saddle on the trainer was very wrong for my body)
I first saw my primary care doctor, wondering if perhaps I had a UTI. My urinalysis came back clean, but he diagnosed me with Prostatitis. I was put on antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory for 2 weeks. Unfortunately, this treatment did nothing for me, and if anything my discomfort while sitting increased during this time. I was also having some sexual dysfunction (which was completely new for me)
Next, I saw a Urologist. They again checked my urine and found nothing amiss. He felt as though I had simply irritated things down there while cycling. His suggestion to solve the issue was to stop riding. It was extremely disheartening to be told that the way to get better was to give up my passion / hobby.
After a few more weeks of staying off the bike and hoping things would get better, I started to do my own research and came across Pelvic Floor PT. The PT essentially diagnosed me with overly active pelvic floor muscles and irritated pudendal nerve. Since April 2024, I've seen two different Pelvic Floor PTs (once a week). Treatment consists of internal work as well as some external stretching / strengthening. At first I saw some decent progress, but unfortunately that stalled out after the first few months.
Last fall, I started going to a pain clinic at the recommendation of one of my PTs. They diagnosed me with Pudendal Neuralgia, and recommended a bilateral pudendal nerve block with steroid. From what I understand, the goal of the procedure is to confirm the issues is due to my pudendal nerve, as well as give some temporary relief while the nerve is numbed. Unfortunately, I don't think the block worked, as I did not feel much if any relief. I also had an MRI of my pelvis done, which showed some fairly significant arthritis of the lower back, pelvis, and SI joint and L4/L5 disc degeneration. I am scheduled to receive another pudendal nerve block in a few weeks.
At this point, I have been dealing with the pain for over a year. I would say it's certainly not as bad as early 2024, but I'm still not back to normal. I get quite a bit of pain after sitting for extended periods of time and driving. I also get some burning pain after urination and intercourse, and sometimes after walking decent distances. I haven't ridden a bike since January 2024, outside of very briefly sitting on an exercise bike during physical therapy.
Through social media and some other websites, I came across the idea of TMS. I read Alan's 'The Way Out', and have been trying to implement some of the techniques listed in the book. I connect with some of the common traits of people with TMS (perfection seeker, people pleaser, history of anxiety / depression, dealing with stressful career / finances). However, I also am 99.9% sure my pain was caused by a physical injury. Even when trying to focus on the idea that my brain is the source of the pain, in the back of my head, I'm also wondering if something is physically wrong with my pelvic floor muscles or pudendal nerve from the bike saddle. On one hand, I'm trying to be mindful when in situations with minimal to moderate pain to think about the pain and remind myself that it's just a mistake by my nerves / brain. But then I wonder if I'm actually causing additional nerve damage by putting myself through that.
Again, I'm sorry for the novel. I'd love any feedback about my situation, and whether you think TMS is applicable. I'd also appreciate any feedback on next steps I can take to really apply the concepts discussed in Alan Gordon's 'The Way Out.'
Thank you!
