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Learn more about some of the common causes of abdominal pain that we treat at our office in The Woodlands.
The pelvic region of the body is located between the abdomen and the thighs (below the belly button and above the legs.) The pelvis protects internal organs including the bladder, intestines, and reproductive organs and supports the hip joints.
Chronic abdominal pain is noticeable but not crippling pain that lasts for more than a few days. It may also appear on and off over the course of several months. This type of persistent, nagging abdominal pain may be caused by a condition that needs to be treated, but is not an emergency and won’t go away on its own.
Reproductive Conditions
Chronic pelvic pain in women may be caused by:
- Endometriosis - when uterine tissue grows in other parts of the body, including the pelvis, causing pain and scarring
- Fibroid tumors - non-cancerous growths in or on the uterus
In men, it may be caused by prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate).
In men or women, chronic pelvic pain may be due to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), interstitial cystitis (a common bladder problem) or another condition of the digestive tract.
Pudendal Neuralgia
The pudendal nerve is the main nerve in the pelvis that supplies sensation to the lower buttocks, anal region, and genital region of both men and women. Pudendal neuralgia is a condition that occurs when this nerve is damaged or irritated. Symptoms of pudendal neuralgia include pelvic pain that feels like a burning, shooting, or prickling sensation. Pain may develop suddenly or gradually and may be constant but worse while sitting down. Other symptoms may include numbness in the pelvic region, pain during sex, and feeling a swelling sensation in your buttocks and genital regions.
Tailbone Pain
The tailbone, also known as the coccyx, is the small, triangular bone at the bottom of the spine. Tailbone pain is usually caused by trauma to the area resulting from
- a fall
- a blow to the area
- repetitive friction in the area – from bicycling, for example
- prolonged sitting on a hard surface
- joint degeneration
- injury to a woman’s tailbone during childbirth
Symptoms of tailbone injury include severe, localized pain and tenderness and possibly bruising.
Pain Management Specialists
in The Woodlands
Pain Management Center of Houston is a multi-faceted pain management practice that is focused on providing pain relief to patients in The Woodlands and surrounding areas. Our goal is to help patients find the cause of their ongoing pain so that we can not only provide relief, but treat the source of the pain.
Start your path to pain relief, a better future, and a more promising quality of life.
What is Radiofrequency Ablation?
After identifying which spinal nerves are causing a patient’s back pain, the doctor performs radiofrequency ablation to deactivate the part of those nerves that are signaling pain. Guided with x-ray imagery, the doctor guides a tiny probe into the spinal area until it is positioned next to the targeted nerve. Electrical pulses are passed through the probe, heating it up and destroying the part of the nerve that was sending pain signals to the brain. The targeted nerves still function, they’re just unable to transmit pain sensations.
There is a numbing agent given to the local area being treated. The patient remains awake during the procedure that usually takes less than an hour. Patients are able to go home the same day.
What is COOLIEF* Radiofrequency Ablation?
Like other radiofrequency ablation procedures, COOLIEF* disrupts pain signals. Unlike other radiofrequency ablation procedures, COOLIEF* uses water-cooled technology. Water is circulated through the probe at the same time the nerves are being heated. This creates a larger treatment area that leads to better, long-term pain relief and ensures that pain-transmitting nerves being targeted are not overheated, which protects surrounding muscle tissues from side effects like inflammation. COOLIEF* is simply a better version of a proven pain-relieving procedure.
What is Radiofrequency Ablation?
After identifying which spinal nerves are causing a patient’s back pain, the doctor performs radiofrequency ablation to deactivate the part of those nerves that are signaling pain. Guided with x-ray imagery, the doctor guides a tiny probe into the spinal area until it is positioned next to the targeted nerve. Electrical pulses are passed through the probe, heating it up and destroying the part of the nerve that was sending pain signals to the brain. The targeted nerves still function, they’re just unable to transmit pain sensations.
There is a numbing agent given to the local area being treated. The patient remains awake during the procedure that usually takes less than an hour. Patients are able to go home the same day.
What is COOLIEF* Radiofrequency Ablation?
Like other radiofrequency ablation procedures, COOLIEF* disrupts pain signals. Unlike other radiofrequency ablation procedures, COOLIEF* uses water-cooled technology. Water is circulated through the probe at the same time the nerves are being heated. This creates a larger treatment area that leads to better, long-term pain relief and ensures that pain-transmitting nerves being targeted are not overheated, which protects surrounding muscle tissues from side effects like inflammation. COOLIEF* is simply a better version of a proven pain-relieving procedure.