Contents
What can be done?
Which therapy is suitable for pubic inflammation?
Self-treatment
The aim of treatment is first of all to reduce inflammation. The tendons must therefore be kept in a resting position so that the micro-injuries can heal.
Ice packs should be placed on the painful area 3 times a day for 20 minutes.
Any activity that could trigger the painful symptoms should be avoided at all costs; if necessary, other people should be asked for help to perform certain critical movements.
If stressful activities continue to be carried out for the pubic area, there is a risk of aggravating tendinitis until it becomes chronic.
An occupational therapist or physiotherapist could help to avoid bad postures in everyday life (at work, sleeping, etc.). Sometimes these measures are already sufficient to get well.
Pharmacological therapy
There are several types of drugs used to treat pubalgia. The doctor may prescribe painkillers such as acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Dolormin) or ketoprofen (Alrheumun), but these can cause side effects, such as abdominal discomfort or stomach ulcers. These drugs are effective in relieving pain for a while; they can also be applied to the affected area in the form of cream or gel.
If the symptoms of tendinitis persist for more than 2 months, cortisone-containing drugs can be injected directly to the affected tendon. These drugs can be very effective because they are strong painkillers, but the effect is not permanent if the tendon is not immobilized. Attention: steroidal drugs can have serious effects in diabetes because they make it difficult to regulate insulin levels. In addition, the cortisone can weaken the tendons, so that they run the risk of rupture. These medications are only available with a doctor’s prescription.
Physiotherapy for pubic inflammation
The techniques of physiotherapy such as laser and shock wave therapy are helpful in relieving swelling and discomfort because they exert an anti-inflammatory effect. Usually, these applications have a long-term effect. Tecar therapy does not act within the tendons, so it is ineffective in pubalgia. Manual therapy is very effective in the treatment of pubalgia: cyriax and myofascial manipulations can remove fibrosis and adherences that have formed in the abdominal and inguinal tissues. When pain and swelling subside, an exercise program with targeted exercises to stretch and strengthen the muscles and tendons, especially the straight abdominal muscle, can be followed.
Osteopathy is also one of the manual therapies and can be used helpfully to treat pubalgia because it relaxes the muscles that block the pelvic joints. There are many muscles that can affect the pelvis, such as the lumbar iliac muscle (iliopsoas muscle), the two-headed thigh muscle (biceps femoris muscle) and the quadratic lumbar muscle (quadratus lumborum muscle). Osteopathy loosens these muscles and frees the nerves that cause the muscle tension.
This form of treatment can also be used in pregnant women in the months following delivery.
Allowed
sports
Swimming and cycling are possible if they do not cause pain, that is, with a mild form of pubalgia.
Avoid running and ball sports (tennis, basketball, volleyball, etc.).
Athletics is not a trigger for pubalgia, but running can worsen any pre-existing inflammation.
Natural remedies for pubic inflammation
It is not easy to cure pubic inflammation with creams and ointments (e.g. arnica ointment), because the problem is caused by micro-injuries of the tendon and the inflammation is a natural reaction of the body.
The aim of the treatment is to stimulate the repair of the tendon.
Surgical intervention for pubalgia
Surgery is not a common solution for pubalgia, but if the pain persists, surgery may be useful, especially to remove calcium deposits. During the operation, the calcium deposit is removed arthroscopically and no long follow-up treatment is required.
The prognosis for recovery in pubalgia
A traumatic pubalgia heals faster than one caused by overload. If the affected person continues to perform the activity that triggered the tendinitis, the tissue cannot heal and the inflammation becomes chronic. Acute inflammation should heal within a month with immobilization and physiotherapy, but often pubalgia becomes chronic because athletes continue to exercise their sporting activities at the first symptoms appear. Untreated pubalgia can become chronic and the pain can last for years.
Read more:
- Pubic inflammation, symptoms
- Therapy for Achilles tendonitis
- Therapy for golfer’s elbow
- Therapy for tendinitis on the ankle