Can a nerve block diagnose PN if I have primarily numbness?

[quest]

Hello,

This is my first post; a huge shout out to Violet for all her work here! Thank you!

My (35M) primary symptoms are
-genital numbness (glans, as well as on left side of shaft) which sometimes turns into pain after a strained bowel movement
-rectal pain and hypertonia
-perineal pain
-a spasming left obturator internus muscle

I have two questions for anyone who may know:
1) Can an irritated pudendal nerve cause numbness (in the genital region in my case)? I've read mostly about pain. I also have pain, as mentioned above, as well as after orgasm sometimes, but it's intermittent.

2) Can a nerve block be useful diagnostically if I'm just currently feeling numbness at the time of the procedure? There is no pain to "go away" or "made better", since it's intermittent. Would the numbness go away following a nerve block, i.e., would sensation return?

Thank you, and wishing you all a full recovery!
Bryant

[Violet M]

Hi Bryant,

Yes, you can have numbness with an irritated/damaged pudendal nerve. I'm not sure of the answer to your second question about nerve blocks. The way Dr. Antolak described it to me is that after a nerve block you test for loss of sensation (not numbness) in the area of the block to see if it was effective. There is a fine line between numbness and loss of sensation but I think that numbness goes along with a feeling of discomfort whereas a loss of sensation is more like an injection into your gum for a dental procedure where you don't feel the drilling/cutting, etc. Hopefully the provider who you are considering having your nerve block from can answer your question better than I can.

Violet

[quest]

Hi Violet, thanks for your reply! For some reason, I didn't get an email notification about this post, whereas I just did for a private message, which is why I logged in and saw this. I'll look into notification settings.

That makes total sense re. numbness vs. loss of sensation. I still have tactile sensation (and some low grade "pain") in the numb regions, but they have lost the ability to sense temperature, hot or cold. But it's not a complete loss of sensation, like during a dental procedure.

I'm seeing Dr. Hibner at AZCCPP sometime soonish, so I'll be sure to ask. Thanks again,

[Violet M]

Good luck with your visit to Dr. Hibner. If you have the contact information for his new clinic would you be able to share it? I wasn't sure if what I found online was the current info. Thanks,

Violet

[quest]

Thank you Violet! This is his current practice: https://azccpp.com/