Summary:
Testicular pain may be chronic or sharp; may be felt in one or both the testicles depending on the cause. There are several reasons that can lead to pain in testicles including testicular torsion, epididymitis, orchitis, injury or trauma, inguinal hernia, growth of lumps or tumors, kidney stones etc. Diagnosis includes physical examination followed by some imaging tests. Treatment depends on the root cause of the problem and may be treated with antibiotics or surgery as needed.
In our previous article, you may have read about the possible causes of testicular pain, if you haven’t you may visit the following article and then continue reading this one.
Testicular Pain; pain in testicles/scrotum – Causes
In short, testicular pain may be felt in one or both testicles and can be a result of several medical conditions such as infection, tumor, inguinal hernia, testicular torsion, injury or trauma etc. If you have any type of testicular pain, it is always advisable to see a good sexologist because sometimes, it may indicate an underlying serious medical condition.
Diagnosis of Testicular Pain
When you present yourself to your sex specialist, the first he/she would do to you is a physical examination of your testicles. An experienced sexologist can easily feel any lumps or tumors in the area. If no condition is obvious through physical examination, he/she may ask to go for certain tests. Such laboratory tests and imaging tests include:
- Blood test
- Urinalysis
- Penile discharge (if any) will be collected using a swab and sent to lab for analysis.
Imaging tests may be asked by your doctor to see more details about testicular torsion, if he/she suspects one. Such imaging tests include:
- Ultrasonography
- Radionuclide imaging
- CT Scan or a kidney/ureters/bladder x ray.
Treatment of testicular pain
Treatment of testicular pain depends on the diagnosis and the root cause identified by your sexologist.
1. Treatment for Testicular torsion
If your doctor determines that your testicle(s) is/are twisted and is the cause of pain in your scrotum, surgery is most appropriate option. During the surgery, the twisted testicle is untwisted and is fastened to the scrotum so that it doesn’t twist again. At the same time, the condition of other testicle is checked and if your doctor feels that the other one may also twist in future (due to ‘bell clapper abnormality’), that testicle will also be fastened to the wall of scrotum.
In some cases, your doctor may untwist the testicle and can get rid of the symptoms without needing a surgery but this doesn’t warrant against the condition repeating. Ultimately surgery is the final option when it is the case of testicular torsion. The sooner the testicle is untwisted, the better it is because, the blood flow is restored and the testicle will soon become functional like before.
2. Epididymis treatment
The infection in testicle is treated with antibiotics. You need to take enough rest and may need to put up an elevation support for the scrotum. Typically this is an out-patient procedure. In case of complicated cases of epididymitis, hospitalization may be necessary.
3. Kidney Stone Treatment
If the testicular pain is due to the radiation of pain from the kidney due to the presence of kidney stones, treatment of kidney stones is done to get rid of the pain in testicles.
If the stones are small, your doctor may advise lifestyle changes along with drinking lot of water. If the stones are large, different treatment options such as breaking of the stones in the kidney with energy waves (radio waves or laser) or direct surgical removal of the stone from the kidney
4. Treatment of tumor is testicle
If the testicular pain is due to the presence/growth of testicle tumors, a piece of testicle tissue is sent for biopsy to determine if they are benign or cancerous. If a cancer tumor is found, then you will be referred to the oncology department for treatment of testicular cancer, if not, the tumor may be surgically removed.
5. Treat in cases of Injury or trauma to testicles
Your doctor will determine the extent of injury occurred to the testicle. If the injury is small or very light, anti-inflammatory medicines and pain killers will be prescribed. If it is a rupture, surgical intervention may be necessary to preserve the functionality of the testicle. Surgery may also be required when your doctor detects blood clots or if the testicles are dislocated.
6. Inguinal hernia treatment
If your doctor feels that you are fit for a surgery, inguinal hernia will be treated with a surgery. Surgery is the only right way to treat testicular pain caused due to the descended intestines. Otherwise, your doctor may just try to push the intestines up, which may not work always.
The gap opened in the abdomen has to be closed because; the chances of intestines (even after pushing back) descending into the scrotum are high. They may strangulate and cut off the blood supply to the intestines.
7. Treatment for Orchitis
Treatment for Orchitis depends on the type of infection. Antibiotics, pain medicines and anti-inflammation medicines will be the first line of approach to treat the infection. Scrotal support and ice packs may be advised.
