Have you experienced a stinging, burning or irritating pain at the tip of your penis? This pain may be brought on or exacerbated by rubbing against clothing, urinating or prolonged time in certain positions such as sitting.
Because of the connection with going to the bathroom and due to pain being located at this vulnerable body part, patients experiencing penile tip pain will often be tested for a urinary tract infection (UTI) or given antibiotics as a trial, despite no medical test findings.
If symptoms are severe and long lasting, some people with this problem may even end up completing a series of invasive medical testing looking for a cause. If answers are not found, patients are often left to question whether or not the problem is all in their head, which can lead to stress, frustration and embarrassment.
Learn more about penile tip pain and how to treat it and reduce your symptoms.
What is Penile Tip Pain?
Symptoms of penile tip pain may include a burning, itching, throbbing sensation, leading to pain or discomfort at the head of the penis. Pain in the tip of the penis is often caused by irritation along a nerve pathway, known as your pudendal nerve. This is not necessarily the same as a diagnosis of “pudendal neuralgia”.
Penile pain and the pudendal nerve
The pudendal nerve emerges above your tailbone, wraps forward through connective tissues, then travels through muscles of your hip and pelvic floor, before splitting off into three branches toward the genitals. One of those branches, called the dorsal nerve to the penis, transmits sensation from the tip of the penis and urethra (the hole where urine exits) up to the brain.
Nerves love space and blood flow. If there is tension, compression, inflammation or other irritation along a nerve pathway, it can result in pain, despite no actual tissue damage at the area you feel it. This may be one of the reasons pelvic pain is so frustrating – it’s there, but the images, cultures and blood labs don’t necessarily explain it. This highlights the importance of a great physical exam.
Neuromuscular pain can often be reproduced by a provider placing your body in positions that alter tension surrounding that nerve or by pressing into tissues along your spine or that specific pathway. If this reproduces the same sensation of your pain, then that helps to identify the specific tissues causing the problem. Not only that, having a good quality physical exam can help avoid taking multiple courses of antibiotics or having to endure invasive medical testing without solutions.
Can Penile Tip Pain be Cured? Treatment Options
The specific exercises needed to resolve penile tip pain will vary person to person based on why and where along the nerve pathway the irritation occurs. Some examples may be pelvic floor mobility exercises, stretches that position your spine to offload the nerve irritation, diaphragmatic breathing and nerve glides.
Sometimes, manual techniques such as myofascial release, tissue distraction or dry needling can be excellent adjuncts for addressing nerve irritation symptoms. The exams traditionally performed in a Urology office are not the same as nerve tension, tissue mobility and orthopedic tests done in a pelvic health PT assessment.
Get Started With Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
Want to learn more about pelvic health PT assessments? You can contact your local pelvic health Physical Therapist to ask what they can do to help with penile tip pain.
Pillar Kinetic is a Las Vegas pelvic floor therapy clinic that works with both men and women to reduce conditions caused by pelvic floor dysfunction or weakness. Schedule your free consultation to get started.
Article Written By:
Dr. Antoinette Gagliard PT, DPT, PCES
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist at Pillar Kinetic