r/PelvicFloor

Can a tight pelvic floor cause brief, needle-like stabbing pains around the anus? Has anyone else experienced this?

Did anyone recover from numbness in their genital ? I mean like touch, temperature and sexual sensations.

If theres anyone please share a short story in comments.

I have I think hypertonic pelvic floor issues

This started some months ago feeling like I need to pee a lot.

The feeling never went away and was around every day

Had lots of tests that showed nothing up

Over the last few weeks I have focussed a lot on this as is often the case and gone down a rabbit hole

The thing is when I say I need to pee a lot I do produce a lot of clear urine

Initially I felt like I needed to go but often didn’t actually have a full bladder

Recently I do though pee a huge amount all the time and even if I don’t drink I can pee for 30 seconds straight every 2 hours all day long

Anyone else with bladder issues relating to the pelvic floor who do actually pee lots rather than just feeling like they need to pee or people who swap between both issues ?

I don’t know what to do, or even how to explain my situation. If anyone has ANY information on this would be greatly appreciated, because there isn’t much on the internet I can find.

So basically about a year ago i had a UTI and my only symptom was this weird arousal but uncomfortable feeling down there. The sort of feeling that makes u want to crawl up in a ball in the darkness alone, it’s a horrible sensation that can’t be explained. Anyways I took antibiotics and the said UTI apparently went away but this uncomfortable feeling stayed there it would show up some days and then disappear. About two months later it never came back I suspected PGAD or hypertonic pelvic floor but never knew I started taking magnesium and it just never came back.

Fast forward to about a week ago I was having UTI symptoms (burning pee, just feeling weird etc) and the WEIRD arousal feeling came back. I started taking antibiotics and it went away. Until today I’m on my final day of antibiotics and it’s back and BAD. I just want to understand why this is happening, and what I should do.

Side note also because of the antibiotics I’m having bad symptoms show up like watery diarrhoea 15 times a day, lower back pain, cold and hot flushes etc. Been going THROUGH it. Anyways, I don’t know if I show go to the doctors or if they will even understand what I’m talking about. Should I get tested for UTI, ureaplasma or mycoplasma? Or just go to a pelvic floor specialist? I don’t know, it’s just the worst feeling ever.

My back “went out” after I twisted awkwardly while holding my son. I tried traditional physical therapy, but I was still dealing with a constant ache in my lower back, butt, and sometimes pain that radiated down my leg.

I eventually saw a pelvic floor physical therapist because I had some mild incontinence after pregnancy years ago—and it completely changed everything. It turned out my pelvic floor muscles were extremely tight (hypertonic) and were contributing to all of my back pain.

After working on that, my back pain resolved. I had no idea the pelvic floor could have such a big impact on low back pain, so I wanted to share in case it helps someone else who might not be familiar with pelvic floor therapy.

Hello,
I am using an Njoy wand as a pelvic wand and I think it’s doing something. I should mention I also have a fissure that was chronic, alongside my urinary symptoms.
I’ve noticed there’s quite literally a specific spot that, when I press with the wand, radiates pain toward the glans — very similar to my chronic urinary pain. This gets triggered specifically when I press at the 12 o’clock position.

Is there a way to make that area stop being painful?

Thanks.

I had transvaginal rectocele repair 24 hrs ago. I have some questions for ladies that have went through the rectocele repair as a stand alone surgery ONLY .
Here’s the deal , oddly I’m not in pain. It burns to per, and I am bleeding enough to need a pad but I’m not feeling anything else. Directly after surgery I was administered a good dose of fentanyl and after I woke up maybe an hour and a half later I was given Tylenol and an oxycodone 5.
Could I still be feeling the effects of the fent and or anesthesia this far out? Is this a false sense of confidence? Will it get worse?
When did the pain really hit you?

Hello m 26 here, upon doing some research I’ve come to the realization I have HP. I realized due to shooting pain in my bum and did every test in the book came back clean.
Looking to schedule physical therapy soon for pelvic my question is anyone found relief in therapy for it ? I’ve also been doing some deep belly exercises which help a little just looking for some hope thanks 🙏

Does anyone here have bladder and urethral pain, that did not get an instillation, but was helped by getting pelvic floor botox injections?

Tight pelvic floor is phenotype of IC?

I had a hysterectomy for endometriosis in 2023. The OB rushed me into it and no patient education was done, for the surgery or the PF issues that followed. I had had some urine leakage from overactive bladder and 2 kids but it was controlled with meds. Now, even with meds it’s still not great.

I’ve seen a PFPT and was diagnosed with a hypertonic PF. No prolapses. She was nice and very insightful but out of network so I had stop seeing her. I have my symptoms as under control as they can be, making sure I am not constipated (INSANE levels of pain with that), on my OAB meds, wearing pantiliners, and I’ve quit my teaching job that had me on my feet on hard concrete all the time.

I did buy a home program from Dr. Bri a year or so ago but have been so burnt out and sick from chronic stress from work I didnt do it. It’s on my to do list now that I have a new job. My OB and GP and urologist all are pushing me to do PFPT. But even with this more flexible job, I can’t be using all my PTO to go once a week for PT and I’d have to because it goes past my one hour flex time and I’d have to leave work regularly on a new job. I can’t find any clinics that do late or weekend appointments that arent out of network.

Has anyone had success “DIYing” it? It sounds to me a lot of it is breath work, stretching, managing stress, diet changes, and the like. I have a wand but I don’t really need it? I went straight back in to teaching after I had my hysterectomy so I never really have had a time with the hypertonic floor where I wasn’t teaching so now that I’m remote working I’m hoping it will help?

Symptoms - persistent background burning in the vagina that’s constant throughout the day and gets better when sleeping. No pain during intercourse. All vaginitis tests negative. I just want to feel normal again. Do you think pelvic floor therapy will help me get my life back? The burning is non stop

While bottoming. In the middle of missionary my entire lower half started to hurt a lot like a Charlie horse but more on like my hips and actual pelvis like v line. I don’t know the right anatomy words. And so we stopped and I figured it was literally just like a cramp or something even though I’ve never gotten a “cramp” like this. It hurt pretty bad like to the point I couldn’t get up easily.

Yesterday still hurt just as bad and still Couldnt get up thst well had to call out of work etc. today it feels a lot better but still a lot of aching in my hips and pelvis. I’m very young so like idk I do NOT cramp up a lot anywhere. Google isn’t helping that much so if yk what this is or atleast how to make it feel better.

Also is this normal like a normal muscle cramp or sm Shi?

I never feel empty after bowl mouvement always like there s a little bit.

tail bone discomfort

when i m having a good fluid bowl mouvement my but just close.

sometimes i have to stand up to feel i got somthing left or walk a little bit so i can use toilet again.

Bowl mouvements always in bad times

Trapped gas

Feeling like incomplete urination especially if there s a littlz bit , it wake me a lot of time to just stand and force myself to pee even a little bit , and the sensation of relif isn t that much and last a little bit (i hope i can just pee myself and sleep but i can't) it gets worse especially after ejaculation like it get more sensible.

Forcing pee out espeically when there s a little bit of noise , i only can pee if i pull the water bag (idk the name , like when u finish your thing you gotta pull it so the water . U know what i mean)

Always sensation like there s somthing up the anus

I got piriformis syndrome before where the muscle press the nerve it was mostly in the left side , it was 2 years ago , now it never happend only once a while in mostly right side

I got assymetrical hips (up by 4mm)

In gym , u know the abduction and abbuction machine? In abduction i do 35kg ×10 but in adduction only 15kg× 8 , i found this a huge imbalance,. ( rarely in adduction i feel some sharp pain deep in the penis)

I do more stretches for hamstring glutes quads and not the inner thight.

I don t line to use toilet to poop outside or in highway most of the time, not because of fear , absolutly not , but i fear i have to go again, so for me trying to hold in and hoping getting constipated , better than going and want to go to toilet again.

(Btw i got ibs-D also , but i guess it all started from here)

And ect....

Idk what to do , u can say now i fear going out because of needing toilet mostly , (it s mostly fear of getting the sensation)

I just wanna use toilet once and feel empty .

For the moment , i'm thinking about

Curing the muscle imbalances

Streatching the inner tight.

btw even tho i got H.pylori, ibs , chronic anixeity and panick attacks .

everything started with not feeling empty and after have to have a bowl mouvement in a very wrong time, it was only in the morning now always.

the feeling not empty and a little abdominal discomfort is what make me know that i got h.pylori.

I have 24/7 urge to urinate. I get brief relief when I go, but the feeling of not fully emptying my bladder comes back rapidly. I can’t concentrate on any work or get sleep. From the urgency and pain of frequent urination, it’s making me feel disabled and nonfunctional. How do I fix this?

I was wondering if anyone else has the same thing?

2 months ago I (22F) suddenly developed a permanent urge to pee. The first two weeks were terrible, like very urgent urges even after I urinated. My streams were slow and weak.

I got tested for UTI and had an ultrasound done, both came back normal.

I have some terrible days, but usually I just feel this very annoying, permanent, mild urge to urinate all the time! I've been trying to take deep breathes, postponing voiding by 1-3hrs, relaxing my pelvic floor, but nothing seems to make a difference. (I don't consume any caffeine or alcohol.)

I'm seeing an urologist soon, as my family doctor thinks I might have OAB but wants a diagnostic before prescribing any meds. She discouraged me from seeing a pelvic floor physical therapist because "I'm young, never given birth, etc." However, I'm still planning on seeing one for an initial assessment in a few months.

Any other men out there think reciprocal muscle inhibition could be a key factor in decreased sexual function tied to pelvic floor dysfunction? i.e. tight levator ani is causing erection muscles to turn off, atrophy.

44M. Left-sided pelvic pain started about 3 years ago and sexual function decreased. My erections start out 85-90%, but when I start to move during intimacy they often drop to 60-70%. Labs are all perfect, cardio fit, and I’ve worked with a sex therapist on the psychological side.

I’ve made tons of progress in eliminating my pelvic pain, but my erections have not improved at the same rate. I’ve blamed this on still having tension down there. But after my left glute finally turned on when I rolled out and loosened my left thigh hip flexors, it dawned on me that maybe my erection muscles are inhibited by my remaining tight pelvic floor muscles.

I know in the end, I have to solve for why my pelvic floor is overcompensating, but looking at my sexual function issue from a perspective of reciprocal inhibition makes me want to approach it the same way I have with my other successes: loosen/stretch the tight inhibiting muscle while slowly strengthening the inhibited muscle.

In the past when I was still in pain, I avoided kegels because I felt they made things worse.

Now I plan to introduce some light “quick flick” kegels (10 reps, twice daily) to my daily routine as well as some 5s light contractions on my left IC/BC muscles (10 reps, 1-2 times daily), while still stretching my levator ani area, working on relaxation, breathing, etc.

Anyone else out there with a similar story where you solved for the pain, but still had to take a different approach to bring your sexual function back?

Anyone else think there OCD is the root cause for pfd and pudendal nerve discomfort ?

Hello! I thought I’d share some nuggets of wisdom to anyone suffering with IBS-C. I’ve had this condition for nearly two years. As many of you can imagine, this has really derailed my life and affects my mental health. Desperate for solutions, I’ve tried countless laxatives, been in and out of the GI doctor office (I’ve done a colonoscopy), done pelvic floor therapy, acupuncture, switched to a mostly plant based, whole/organic food diet. I’ve even repaired my hernia thinking that was causing it - but alas, it wasn’t. I am also a fairly physically active 29 year old male. So, in other words, I take really good care of my body. But I would say these things alleviated my symptoms to perhaps 30 percent, which is still something. And for that I’m grateful. But this pales in comparison to breath work (and the world of exercises it encompasses)

Breath work includes some aspects of pelvic floor therapy such as diaphragmatic breathing and breathing into the pelvic floor (and really just thinking about the pelvic floor without any judgement). Breath work also in includes sitting meditation and some yoga poses including corpse pose. However, the most rewarding one must be hypnotherapy in my opinion. You do not need to see a therapist for this specifically. You need only to use an application on your phone. Lie down, focus on your breath, and follow their words. Forget your thoughts. Forget your pain and discomfort. That’s just your nerves making more noise than it should. You are almost certainly not in danger. You’re fine. Breath work, especially hypnotherapy has made me have weeks where I am symptom free. It feels so good. It feels like I am getting my life back after it was taken from me for so many years.

I should add that you have to do this breath work everyday to have the greatest benefit. A good 20 to 30 mins of breath work exercise per day will do wonders. I personally do a combination of all of them each day. But please, please, please, do not push aside things such as good diet, proper sleep, exercise, etc just because you are doing breath work. And also, don’t just buy into the laxative hype (I see a lot of this on Reddit). Laxatives are one tool. And they are far from a cure. Sending IBS-C into remission costs more work than merely taking a laxative.

As for my symptoms, before I did breath work, I would experience a lot of uncomfortable bloating, pain in my colon, distensión, and the worst of all: incomplete bowel movements. Now after having done breath work consistently for the past 3 months or so, I have minimal bloating, no pain, no distensión, and best of all! I have complete/nearly complete bowel movements each morning. I am normally able to have multiple bowel movements per day. The thing that bothered me the most was the incomplete bowel movement. But now, that’s mostly gone…

HM: Doing chill activities such as saunas, massages, swimming, walking. This may address micro tension in your body which is tightening your pelvic floor and causing dysfunctional/shallow breathing. These activities can calm the nerves as well as relax your muscles. In a culture (I’m from the US) of so much stress, you have to fight back by bringing your entire body in a rest and digest state the vast majority of time. This whole hustle culture is truly doing a disservice to our bodies.

But of course, this is my personal experience. Take it with a grain of salt. Each person’s body is different! I hope that you find what helps you. I am so sorry that you are suffering from this condition. It is so debilitating and causes so much anguish. But know that you are not alone, that you have this community by your side. You can do this!

Hello All!

I'm a 35 year old woman who was raised in the height of purity culture and other high anxiety situations, and additionally have spent my entire adult life working in high stress/crisis work.

Growing up, no one talked to me in depth about my body or guided me through puberty, and I was scared to explore my own body because of PC. I attempted to use a tampon a few times as a teen and even in my early 20s, but always felt like I was physically hitting a wall when trying to insert one and it was painful when I tried to push through that "wall". I never had a pap smear and never had anyone I could safely talk to about these things.

I left the church and, for the most part, the religion, around 2016 (Trump, among several other things, pushed me right out the door).

About a year and a half ago, I started dating a man who was never raised in the church or in purity culture. I knew that if I continued the relationship, I wanted to be able to successfully have sex. I shared with him my struggles, how I was raised, that I had never been sexually intimate, and that I had never successfully been able to insert anything into my vagina. He was nothing short of kind, gentle, supportive, and loving.

In trying to figure out what to do and how to address the situation, I thankfully stumbled upon a new practice in my small rural town that addressed pelvic health specifically. They noted that one of the things they addressed was painful sex. I have been attending pelvic floor physical therapy for almost a year and to say it has been life-changing is an understatement. I am so incredibly grateful for the PT's that have worked with me and I am so proud of myself for how far I have come. They helped me learn and understand my body better, as well as how much stress/tension/anxiety I hold in my vagina. They helped me understand that the fear that had been instilled in me growing up, in addition to my daily stress and anxiety, had essentially left me clenching my vaginal muscles 24/7 - shortening my muscles and leaving my body unsure how to loosen and relax. We worked on different types of breath work, external and internal stretches, and relaxation techniques. I practiced with dilator sets and was amazed to really make the connection between my stress/anxiety level and my pelvic floor - I could use one size dilator one day and be fine, but if two days later I was having an extremely stressful day and tried to use that same dilator, I would not be able to fit it in my vagina because I could not fully relax myself.

When I started PT about a year ago, a single finger sitting at the entrance of my vagina immediately led to panic for me and a sensation of pain. Roughly a month ago my partner and I had successful and pain-free penis-in-vagina sex for the first time, and today I used a tampon successfully and pain-free for the first time!

I just want to share because not only am I incredibly proud of myself and my progress, but I also want to give hope/encouragement to those who are in my position. I certainly wish that I knew about pelvic floor therapy many years before, but I had never heard of it, and no one had ever shared their experiences with me.

And finally, FUCK PURITY CULTURE.