Scrotum Pain When Sitting: Find Out the Causes

Common Causes

Continuous testicular pain can be a result of a potentially dangerous disease. However, in most cases, it is usually a result of small underwear, very tight pants, little to no movement, cross legged sitting position, horse riding etc.

Uncomfortable bicycle seats can also be responsible for scrotum pain when sitting. The seats with their springs can dismantle perineum nerves and as a result, you will feel pain in the penis, back and testicles.

Usually, any object which blocks the flow of blood to your penis or testicles by either squeezing the path or by squeezing the penis or testicle itself would cause scrotum pain.

Trauma

Trauma is one major cause of testicular pain with trauma often caused by a direct hit to the sensitive region (a kick or a punch or a strong object hitting the region as a result of an accident). The good thing about trauma is that while the pain is strong to begin with, it usually goes away with time. Trauma usually causes bruising in the region though testicles may swell though as a result of any injury.

Inguinal Hernia

Inguinal hernia, one cause of scrotum pain when sitting, is the name given to the condition when the fatty tissue sticks its head out close to your seam. The pain felt in the scrotum is because the hernia follows the same path as the one taken by fetal testicles and since the journey of fetal testicles ends at your scrotum, the pain caused by inguinal hernia is felt in your scrotum too.

Varicocele

Varicoceles is the name given to the condition which is caused due to failure of veins in the scrotum which are responsible for taking back blood to your heart. The veins start to grow in size inside the scrotum due to the blood that they fail to take back. The pain is less to start with but increase gradually. Usually, the problem in which only the left testicle hurts when sitting is caused by Varicoceles. The condition isn’t exactly that serious and can easily be treated through NSAIDs prescribed by the doctor or through a small surgery for removal of these veins.

Spermatocele

Spermatocele is the name given to the cyst which usually causes pain as a result of its growth in the epididymis. There is nothing to worry about though as the cyst is totally benign. Once found, unless it is too large, the doctors just keep monitoring it and give antibiotics to dispel any sort of infection. In a very small amount of cases, the spermatocele is removed though there is a chance that of the individual becoming infertile as a result of the surgery.

Epididymitis

Epididymitis is the name given to the condition in which the epididymis swells up as a result of infection. Epididymitis is often the result of STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) like Chlamydia and Gonorrhea. However, an anomaly of the genitourinary system can also cause epididymitis. The inflammation of prostate gland is another probable reason of epididymitis.

Orchitis

Orchitis is the name given to the inflammation of testicles as a result of epididymitis, bacterial infection (like mumps) or STDs. The inflammation is often accompanied with blood in the semen and fever in case of orchitis. If orchitis is caused due to mumps, then there is no cure for it with the person normally becoming infertile. Any other cause of orchitis is treatable easily, usually only with antibiotics and NSAIDs.

Kidney Stone

You may wonder why kidney stones would cause testicular pain though patients with kidney stones do complain about pain in their testicles. This because the pain felt in the kidney often translates downwards into the scrotum giving the impression that the pain is being caused only in the scrotum. Kidney stones are often easily removed through urine through a combination of great amount of water and pain medicines. There are hardly a few cases which warrant surgery for the removal of kidney stones.

Testicular Cancer

Testicular cancer is not one of the major causes of scrotum pain when sitting as 90% of the testicular cancer patients don’t feel pain in their scrotum. Testicular cancer is often diagnosed through detection of a lump. However, there are 10% cancer patients who do feel pain in their testicles and therefore, it remains important that you visibly see for lumps, heaviness or enlargement of the testicles (symptoms of testicular cancer) when you feel scrotum pain.

Testicular Torsion

Testicular torsion is a condition which develops as a result of twisting of testicles and is usually the result of trauma. The condition causes pain because the twisting interrupts the flow of blood to the testicle. Since twisting leads to stopping of blood flow, it can lead to the testicle’s ‘death’ and this is the reason why it usually requires immediate surgery.

Torsion of a Testicular Appendage

Tissues like the epididymal appendage and testicular appendage stay alive in the body from the days when the body was in its embryonic stage even though they don’t serve any purpose. The condition is similar to testicular torsion. Here the testicular appendage gets twisted and stops the flow of blood to the testicle. This condition usually affects younger kids (around seven to fourteen year olds) and it requires immediate surgery.

Treatment

The treatment for scrotum pain depends squarely on the reason behind it. In most of the cases, the problems heal on their own and there is no treatment required. However, in some cases, like that of testicular cancer or testicular torsion, immediate treatment is necessary. You should contact a doctor to know which case requires treatment and which doesn’t.

When to See a Doctor

Whenever you see that your scrotum has swelled a bit or you are experiencing even the slightest pain in the region, you should not hesitate in getting touch with a doctor. In case you feel extreme bouts of pain, you should visit a doctor on the same day as the root cause behind the pain may end up causing the loss of the testicles or lead to sterility.

Tests May Be Done

It is up to the doctor to decide whether there are any tests needed or not and the doctor’s decision would mostly depend on what he/she finds during the physical examination. Normal tests done as a response to testicular pain are:

• Urine Culture along with urinalysis

• STD tests

• Color Doppler Ultrasonography (for cases where testicular torsion is suspected)

Immediate surgery is required in cases of testicular torsion and doctors often ask the patient to get the surgery done as soon as they confirm testicular torsion.