Chronic Pain Types Overview of Pelvic Nerve Pain By Erica Jacques Erica Jacques LinkedIn Erica Jacques, OT, is a board-certified occupational therapist at a level one trauma center. Learn about our editorial process Updated on February 20, 2021 Medically reviewed Verywell Health articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and healthcare professionals. These medical reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by Anita C. Chandrasekaran, MD, MPH Medically reviewed by Anita C. Chandrasekaran, MD, MPH LinkedIn Anita Chandrasekaran, MD, MPH, is board-certified in internal medicine and rheumatology and currently works as a rheumatologist at Hartford Healthcare Medical Group in Connecticut. Learn about our Medical Expert Board Print Men and women alike are prone to chronic pelvic nerve pain, usually resulting from damage to one of the following four nerves: Pudendal nerve Iliohypogastric nerve Ilioinguinal nerve Genito-femoral nerve These nerves are present either in the abdominal wall, in and around the pelvic cavity, and in the groin and perineal area. Damage to any of these nerves can lead to chronic pelvic nerve pain. Illustration by Jessica Olah, Verywell What Causes Pelvic Nerve Damage? Pelvic nerve pain is caused by damage or dysfunction to pelvic nerves, which can happen through: Diabetic neuropathy Excessive compression, such as prolonged sitting on a bicycle seat Nicks or cuts during abdominal surgeries Excessive stretching during surgical procedures Trauma to or around the nerves Chronic pelvic nerve pain is pain caused by nerve damage in the pelvis or dysfunction that persists for longer than the expected healing time or is present for at least three to six months. Pelvic Nerve Pain Symptoms Like other types of neuropathic pain, chronic pelvic nerve pain is often described as burning or stabbing. It may come and go, or it may be fairly steady. Certain activities, such as sitting or lying down, may increase symptoms. Depending on the nerve involved, people with chronic pelvic nerve pain may experience any of the following symptoms:Pain when sitting, relieved when standingPain that radiates to the external sexual organsPain in the perineum (think of this as the area that touches a bicycle seat)Pain that radiates to the abdomen or the lower backPain during intercoursePain when urinating or having a bowel movement Treating Pelvic Nerve Pain If you're dealing with pelvic nerve pain, there are treatments you can try. Pelvic nerve pain can be treated with any of the following: Medications, such as anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants, or NSAIDsNerve blocksSpinal cord stimulation and sacral neuromodulationCryotherapySurgery (to reverse nerve entrapment)Steroid injectionsPulsed radiofrequency (currently undergoing research) Some types of pelvic nerve pain, such as genitofemoral neuropathy, have a good treatment success rate. Others, such as pudendal neuropathy, may be more difficult to accurately diagnose and treat. Coping With Chronic Pelvic Nerve Pain Coping with any chronic pain diagnoses can be difficult, but because pelvic nerve pain is often misunderstood and difficult to treat, finding ways to cope are vital to increasing your quality of life. Here are a few ideas to get you started: Keep a pain journal: Write down when your pain comes and goes, and what makes it worse. This can not only help your healthcare provider with your diagnosis and treatment, but it can help you plan accordingly. You can also use your pain journal to write down your feelings instead of keeping them inside.Practice relaxation: Stress can intensify feelings of pain. Since stress is hardly avoidable in the real world, learn to relax your mind and body to reduce this response. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit 4 Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Possover M, Forman A. Voiding dysfunction associated with pudendal nerve entrapment. Curr Bladder Dysfunct Rep. 2012;7(4):281-285. doi:10.1007/s11884-012-0156-5 Tu FF, Hellman KM, Backonja MM. Gynecologic management of neuropathic pain. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2011;205(5):435-43. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2011.05.011 Udoji MA, Ness TJ. New directions in the treatment of pelvic pain. Pain Manag. 2013;3(5):387-94. doi:10.2217/pmt.13.40 Ahmad AH, Zakaria R. Pain in Times of Stress. Malays J Med Sci. 2015;22(Spec Issue):52-61. Additional Reading Pelvic Pain: Causes. National Pain Foundation. Pudendal Neuralgia. University of Rochester Medical Center. Hough, D.M, Wittenberg, K.H, Wojciech, P., et al. Chronic Perineal Pain Caused by Pudendal Nerve Entrapment: Anatomy and CT-Guided Perineural Injection Technique. American Journal of Roentgenology. 2003; 181:561-567. Mitra, R., Zeighami, A, Mackey, S. Pulsed Radiofrequency for the Treatment of Chronic Ilioinguinal Neuropathy. Hernia. 2007 Aug;11(4):369-71.