CONDITION: Pubic Symphysis Injury

DESCRIPTION:
The anatomy of the pelvic girdle is quite complex. The pelvis is a ring, and any anatomical change or force of pressure to one area will expand throughout the ring. The pubic symphysis is an overlooked joint located in the front of the pelvis that is strongly bonded and rarely injured in isolation. It is actually a fibrocartilagenous disc supported on the top by the superior pubic ligaments. Severe shearing stress injuries, such as a fall in which a motorcycle or a horse rolls across one's pelvis, may disrupt the pubic symphysis as well as fracture the pelvis.

How does a pubic symphysis injury develop?
Damage can occur to the ligaments of this pubic joint as a result of repetitive stress. It can also be caused by falling, tripping or slipping. Activities such as swimming the breast stroke will result in groin pain from a pubic symphysis injury. Particular movements or activities can cause a slight but continual separation or shearing in the symphysis, which can erode the joint surfaces, causing a kind of roughening in the cartilage and bones that form the joint. This condition is known as osteitis pubis, which means an inflammation of the pubic bone. Any type of back or sacroiliac problem that causes excessive movement of the pelvis can result in excessive movement in the front of the pelvis – the location of the pubic symphysis and its ligaments.

What are the symptoms of a pubic symphysis injury?
Lesions may develop in patients who have sustained a rough trauma, such as a traffic accident or high fall. Many athletes may experience this injury, for instance, with the cumulative effect of the shearing movement involved in kicking. Pain may be felt in the front of the pelvic area, as well as in the back. Another symptom of pubic symphysis is unresolved abdominal or inner leg pain, which are part of the referral pain pattern of the ligaments involved.

Cyclists may experience uncomfortable friction directly under the groin from the saddle. Friction in this area may cause numbness, tingling or pain. Also, a secondary effect of a pubic symphysis injury in men is a constant, painful erection due to nerves experiencing excessive pressure in the groin area.

Conventional medical treatments may help relieve the symptoms of a pubic symphysis injury, but they do not address the root of the problem. By strengthening structural weaknesses in the body, as natural medicine treatments like Prolotherapy do, pain associated with a pubic symphysis injury may be alleviated permanently.

Discover why we believe that natural medicine treatments are the best way to treat a pubic symphysis injury.

Learn about the treatments for Pubic Symphysis Injury