Symptoms
There are no specific clinical signs or complementary test results for this condition. The typical symptoms of PNE or PN are seen, for example, in male competitive cyclists (it is often called "cyclist syndrome), who can rarely develop recurrent numbness of the penis and scrotum after prolonged cycling, or an altered sensation of ejaculation, with disturbance of micturition (urination) and reduced awareness of defecation. Nerve entrapment syndromes, presenting as genitalia numbness, are amongst the most common bicycling associated urogenital problems.
The pain is typically caused by sitting, relieved by standing, and is absent when recumbent (lying down) or sitting on a toilet seat. If the perineal pain is positional (changes with the patient's position, for example sitting or standing), this suggests a tunnel syndrome. Anesthesiologist John S. McDonald of UCLA reports that sitting pain relieved by standing or sitting on a toilet seat is the most reliable diagnostic parameter.
Other than positional pain and numbness, the main symptoms are fecal incontinence and urinary incontinence.
Differential diagnosis should consider the far commoner conditions chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome and interstitial cystitis.
Read more about this topic: Pudendal Nerve Entrapment
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