Testicular pain: Possible causes and treatment

Testicular pain is usually triggered by an external stimulus, or it may be a symptom of an infectious disease. The risk is sexual transmission and invasion of the male reproductive organs.

While most diseases are easily treatable, there are also more serious diseases. Examples are cancer-type diseases.

Orchialgia = testicular pain.

External factors, colds and accidents

Many times the pain is caused by the influence of external factors. This includes injuries, mechanical damage of a traumatic nature.

Clothes that are too tight, especially underwear or trousers, also cause difficulties. This can also cause either painful conditions or superficial redness of the skin in the area.

In the same way, pain can also be caused by too frequent sexual intercourse.

Like tight clothing, prolonged sitting, as well as sitting on a bicycle seat, can cause discomfort. 

The worst is the combination: Tight clothing + Long term sitting.

The cause is pressure on the genital area and blood vessels. The latter worsens the blood supply to the intimate part.

Consequently, it can be a cold, hypothermia, staying in a cold environment and sitting on a cold mat in damp or sweaty clothes.

Testicular disease as a cause of pain

A very common disease is inflammation of one or both testicles (orchitis). The epididymis may also be affected. Depending on the side of the inflammation, there is also pain in the right, left or both testicles.

The pain often radiates to the lower abdomen. Sometimes it can also occur in the case of inflammation of the prostate gland.

In addition to soreness, this problem is also manifested by swelling, swelling and soreness already when touched. In most cases the inflammation is not too serious but needs to be treated. Neglecting and not treating the situation could cause complications or more frequent recurrent inflammations.

Repeated inflammation is a risk.

Rotation of the testicle in the scrotum, i.e. testicular torsion, is an uncomfortably and suddenly painful condition.

There is a rotation of the testicle with its vascular supply. This results in a restriction of blood flow to the testicle and the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the cells. Often the pain shoots up the thigh and is associated with nausea and vomiting.

Testicular pain most often arises in adolescent boys up to the age of 18. It requires medical treatment as soon as possible.

Varicocele is a condition where there is a multiplication and enlargement of the veins in the scrotum. It is also accompanied by pain. The manifestation is pressure in the testicle and a pulling sensation, and sometimes the testicle enlarges.

The cause is a disturbance in the outflow of blood from the testicles due to a change in the vascular conditions in the scrotum.

Hydrocele is also one of the causes. It is actually a swelling of the testicle caused by the accumulation of fluid in the scrotum, which is not absorbed sufficiently. This swelling usually does not present with pain. It is caused, for example, by inflammation, trauma and other diseases.

Testicular cancer

Probably the most dangerous disease that can have a seemingly innocent symptom is testicular cancer, a serious cancerous form. It most commonly affects men between the ages of 15 and 39.

It most commonly affects men between the ages of 15 and 39.

A testicle affected by this disease may not hurt at all, especially in the early stages of the disease. Another symptom is also stiffening, enlargement, and palpation of lumps and bumps on the testicle. Pain in the hips, abdominal and lower abdominal pain can be a manifestation of the late stage. 

Early detection and removal of the tumour is important. The tumour needs to be removed surgically and radiotherapy and chemotherapy are also used. However, thanks to new treatment methods, the prognosis is relatively positive.

Early detection = advantage.

Sexually transmitted diseases and testicular pain

More dangerous are various types of sexually transmitted infectious diseases, for example, yeast infection. The latter is common in women, but also occurs in men. It has a number of symptoms, from a white coating on the tongue, burning of the genitals, to discharge from the urethra.

The disease affects the whole organism and it is necessary to start treating it in time.

Along with itching in the urethra, testicular pain is also a symptom for another sexually transmitted disease, namely chlamydia, which is transmitted vaginally, orally and anally from an infected person.

Infection is caused by microorganisms. The sexual type of infection is due to chlamydia trachomatis. Very often there is also pain when urinating and pain in the lower abdomen.

Infection must always be treated with antibiotic preparations, for example, in gonorrhea.

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Other causes of testicular pain

Testicular pain in some men can be caused by prolonged absence of intercourse or ejaculation. Conversely, some experience pain with arousal or after climax, i.e. ejaculation.

The cause is increased blood supply.

A hernia of the abdominal wall, a bowel dislocation into the testicle, a hernia into the scrotum, also called scrotal hernia, may occur.

There is ivisble testicular swelling and a feeling of fullness inside the scrotum.

Pain can also be triggered by a kidney or bladder stone. If it moves in the ureter towards the bladder, it irritates the mucous membrane, and this provokes unpleasant pain. 

Pain can also radiate to the scrotum, i.e. the testicles and the sacrum, or lower back.

But testicular pain can also be manifested by inflammation of the parotid gland. This is one of the possible symptoms.

It is more likely to be a symptom of a complication of the disease and in most cases may not even be present.

A list of most common causes:

• infection - viral, bacterial, sexually transmitted disease
• urinary tract infection
• urinary stones
• excess pressure from outside
• Injury
• testicular torsion
• obstruction in blood vessels or spermatic ducts (varicocele, spermatocele, hydrocele)
• hernia
• aneurysm of a blood vessel
• spine - lower sections
• transferred pain
  • spine
  • urinary tract
  • pain in the muscles, tendons of the pelvis, pain from the pelvic floor
  • and others
  • read also What causes chronic pelvic pain and how is it treated?
• unknown cause
• inflammation and surgery / iatrogenic damage
• tumour (benign/malignant)

It is reported that up to 50% of cases may have no known cause = idiopathic aetiology = pain with no apparent cause.