Did you know that testicular pain and swelling are indications of severe testicular condition? Occasionally, some conditions can affect your testes and affect your fertility. But most of the time, they are treatable. Learn how testicular conditions are treated and what home remedies you can use to manage your symptoms in this article. You can contact us by visiting our clinic or visiting our website at https://www.urologistbrooklyn.com.

Medical management of testicular conditions

Testicular conditions are rare and usually treatable; however, some testicular conditions need to be noticed earlier to get the required treatment to prevent severe complications. Here are the medical treatments for common testicular conditions:

1. Inguinal hernia:

This condition is common in children and young adults. It happens when a portion of the intestine or other abdominal tissue starts to bulge in the weakened area of the abdominal muscles. This enters the scrotum and causes constant swelling and pain. It gets worse when getting up from rest, bending over, or lifting weights.

Treatment options: To treat inguinal hernia, surgery is required. The doctor fixed the portion of the intestine in the right place and reinforced the weakened abdominal muscles.

2. Epididymitis:

This condition occurs when you develop inflammation of the epididymis due to a bacterial or viral infection. You may experience severe pain, swollen testicles, redness, and fever with chills.

Treatment options: Medication is prescribed based on the underlying cause of infection to treat epididymitis. Antibiotics like ceftriaxone or quinolones and anti-inflammatory drugs are usually prescribed for treating infections. In severe cases, bed rest, pain medications, athletic supporters, or ice packs are also prescribed to manage symptoms which may take weeks and months to heal.

3. Testicular torsion:

This is an emergency that happens when your testicle gets twisted and blocks the spermatic cord that supplies blood to the testicle, increasing the risk of testicle death if not treated immediately. It’s more common in people in their early 20s and causes intense pain. However, if torsion doesn’t happen completely, the result can be mild symptoms like pangs of pain with certain movements.

Treatment options: To treat testicular torsion, surgery is required to untwist a testicle to save the affected testicle. Usually, surgeons perform orchiopexy to secure the testicle to the scrotal wall to prevent future chances of torsion. If an anatomical abnormality is detected, then surgeons will correct the abnormality in both testicles if needed. This can also prevent the risk of infertility. For a 100% success rate, you need surgery within 6 hours of the onset of the condition. The success rate drops drastically from 0 to 10% if the surgery isn’t performed after 24 hours. So, early detection is essential.

4. Varicocele:

This condition happens when your testicle’s veins get swollen. Mostly it occurs in the left testicle, but it can also happen only right or both at the same time. It is often discomforting especially after walking and engaging in physical activity.

Treatment options: In most cases, varicoceles don’t need treatment, and you can manage the pain with analgesics like acetaminophen. However, sometimes it can increase the risk of infertility which needs to be repaired surgically to restore fertility. This surgical repair is called varicocele repair. The surgery can be done traditionally, by making an incision in the abdomen or below the groin, or laparoscopically. Recovery is quick, and you only experience mild pain and discomfort. Another treatment option is percutaneous embolization, which is performed by an interventional radiologist and is a minimally invasive procedure. In this surgical procedure, a small catheter is inserted into a vein in either the groin or neck to deliver a combination of coils and medication into the vein to restore normal blood flow to the scrotum and testicles.

5. Testicular cancer:

This type of cancer rarely causes pain however, in severe cases, you can expect pain and swelling. It happens due to abnormal growth and lumps, which are visible and indicate the affected area.

Treatment options: For testicular cancer, you need to detect it early before it spreads to other parts to get better chances of getting cured. Usually, doctors surgically remove the affected testicles in most cases. The surgical method that is used to remove testicular cancer is called orchiectomy. In case your testicular cancer spreads to other parts, then along with surgery other methods are also used such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or a combination of both. For better results, you need to notice its sign earlier.

6. Testicular pain and swelling:

Testicular pain and swelling are the most common symptoms if your testicular is injured or affected by some condition. The pain can be acute and chronic. Acute pain usually goes away on its own, it may only last for a few hours or days. It occurs mostly due to direct trauma.

If you experience chronic pain, it may last for several weeks or months. It’s a sign of a more serious problem like inguinal hernia, varicocele, or other inflammatory conditions.

Treatment options: Treatment of testicular pain and swelling will depend on the cause of the pain. Mostly treatment is given with medications and surgery. Sometimes, doctors may recommend home remedies, supporters, or other therapies to manage pain and swelling.

7. Mumps:

While mumps is a viral infection that affects the parotid glands and causes swelling on the side of the face, however, it can also make its way down to the testicles and cause inflammation. Additionally, you can also experience swelling along with pain in the testicles if mumps spread systemically.

Treatment options: Mumps are usually treated with anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs such as ibuprofen to manage symptoms. Additionally, staying hydrated and resting also eliminates the virus from the body.

Home remedies

To manage testicular pain and swelling at home, these methods are commonly used:

• Get plenty of rest
• Use Ice or cold packs, make sure it is wrapped in a towel, and apply them intermittently throughout the day for no more than 15 minutes at a time.
• Scrotal supporter
• Take a warm bath.
• You can elevate your scrotum by putting a rolled towel under it while lying on the back.

Testicles play an essential role in men’s sexual health. It produces testosterone and sperm that make them fertile. However, some conditions or injuries can affect their health. But most of them are treatable if detected earlier. In case of acute testicular pain or swelling, you can use ice packs to manage them. If chronic, then you need to seek medical help.

If you’re experiencing testicular problems, visit our urology clinic in Brooklyn for professional medical support. You can schedule an appointment with Doral Health and Wellness Urology Center’s best urologist in Brooklyn and inquire about your concerns. Our specialists will work with you in managing your condition. To schedule an appointment, please visit us at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11212 or call 1-347-384-5690. You can also visit our website at https://www.urologistbrooklyn.com/.