Prostate gland is a sexual gland that wraps around the tube through, which urine passes to the bladder that is located in the pelvis of a male. Any discomfort or pain of the prostate gland is called prostate pain. This pain may occur due to enlargement of the prostate gland. This gland is very important in production of semen. Prostate pain can also occur because of number of other disorders or diseases.
This is one of the common diseases in man as he ages because of enlargement of the gland. This is called BPH (benign prostate hyperplasia).
Prostatitis is also other important reason for prostate pain. It is a bacterial infectious condition of prostate. Different persons exhibit different symptoms in case of prostatitis, but most common in all of them would be common problems with urination.
In some cases, presence of an abscess or cyst in the prostate may also cause pain.
Classification And Types of Prostate Pain
Prostate pain is mainly classified based on the place where it is located or felt.
- Location of Painful Prostate: In most of the cases it is difficult pin point the exact location of pain. Pain is persists in the entire abdomen or in the lower part of pelvic area. Pain may be present during orgasm or at the time of urination. Location of pain may also depend on different disease conditions related to prostate.
- Prostatitis: Inflammation of prostate gland is known as prostatitis. This may have non-infectious or infectious or non-infectious nature which depends on its cause. Pain is usually situated in the groin area and is felt at the time of urination.
- Pain Due To Prostate Cancer: Prostate cancer does not exhibit any early symptoms in the initial stages. The common issues would be related to improper urine flow and other problems related to urination. In severe cases, the pain will be wide spread and can be felt in the legs as a result difficulty moving the legs occurs as well as back pain.
- Symptoms of BPH: In BPH, the symptoms will progress gradually and often very silently and will be detected only after it is blown out completely. Means the symptoms are seen only after the urine flow is completely blocked and patient experience tremendous amount of pain. It is an abnormal non-cancerous growth of the prostate grand. This is known to be the second most affected disease in male population.
- Symptoms Are Mainly Of Two Types: Irritation at the time of urination and secondly obstructions of urine outflow.
Etiology And Risk Factors of Prostate Pain
Signs And Symptoms of Prostate Pain
Most of the symptoms of prostate gland are related to urination.
Some Of Them Are As Follows:
- Sensation of not voiding urine completely.
- Urine dribbling.
- Frequent urination particularly at night.
- Difficulty to start urination.
- Leaking of the urine.
- Blood in the urine.
- Painful urination due to urine infection.
- Weak stream of urine flow.
Pathophysiology of Prostate Pain
Most commonly men who are affected with enlarged prostate don’t exhibit particular symptoms. One important symptom of enlarged prostate is urine incontinence. Patient cannot sit for a long of period of time, especially without voiding. If we go through the anatomy of male, the flow of urine is from bladder through urethra. In case of prostate enlargement, extreme pressure will be on urethra. In this case, to overcome the situation of narrowing of urethra, the bladder tries to contract with more strength in order for it to push the urine out of the body. The bladder muscles will become sensitive, stronger and thicker. This will lead to altered function of the bladder in which condition it will void small quantity of urine.
Investigations for Prostate Pain
As men ages, possible risk of getting prostate pain increases, though underlying etiology may vary. Regular prostate examinations are important after the age of 50. Non-invasive procedure like ultrasound is more helpful in most of the conditions.
DRE (digital rectal examination) would be second step involved in examining the prostate through rectum. This will help in analyzing appearance, motility and the shape of the prostate to determine whether the condition normal, benign, or malignant. After determination, treatment modalities will be finalized.
Blood tests are included for PSA (prostate-specific antigen) in men. In this test, the levels of PSA are measured based on which number of follow up visits will be scheduled.
Treatment for Prostate Pain
Treatment is basically dependent on the condition and underlying factors of pain and can vary from chemotherapy, radiotherapy to antibiotics. The frequency and intensity of treatment will mostly depend on the conditions that are causing the pain. Prostate pain is very common in men, but not all conditions require medication treatment. In any case, consulting a doctor and taking advise is mandatory. Your doctor can suggest diet modifications, liquids, etc., which can be taken care of at home. In severe conditions, doctor may recommend surgical treatment or chemo or radiotherapy.
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