Men can occasionally suffer from chronic pain in the Testicle or the Epididymis gland, (a gland which surrounds the back of the testicle). This pain can be unbearable and cause a huge impact on quality of life.
Often the pain will occur after a Vasectomy, an infection, hernia surgery or trauma. Some of the surgical approaches which our surgeons employ to treat chronic pain in the Testicle or Epididymis include:
Removal of the testicle in some cases can resolve pain. However, this is the last resort because all of the function is lost from the testicle, like production of testosterone and sperm. If other methods do not work this can cure some men.
In this surgery the nerves that run to the testicle are clipped leaving the blood supply intact as well as the testicular function. This can be a very effective method of resolving the problem; it is done through a small incision in the groin.
When pain is localized to the epididymis then removal of the gland from the back of the Testis with a small surgery may cure the pain.
Men that develop pain from a Vasectomy may respond to reconnecting the sperm tube in order to restore the flow of sperm out of the testicle. We think pain can arise in men after vasectomy because of pressure in the testicle from the continued production of sperm. This is rare but in some men can be very debilitating.