Testicle Injury

[mikkus]

I wonder if anybody else has experienced anything like this before. Having been training semi-seriously for a year I am quite new to weight training. Recently I have been feeling pain in my right testicle after training. After feeling the sore area I have noticed a bump in what I guess is one of the veins/tubes. The bump goes away by the next day but the ache persists. I think it is happening during my seated shoulder presses. I give maximum effort and do 3 sets of the heaviest weight I can. As I'm pushing hard I think I'm exerting a big strain on my groin and I'm popping something. I guess I'm going to have to switch to light weights until this heals. I can't find any info on it so it doesn't seem to be a common sports injury.

[ShockBoxer]

It sounds like a hernia... especially since you can actually feel a lump that goes away (more likely just diminishes) with rest.

If the lump was there all the time and was on one of the testes itself it could be testicular cancer.

Either way the plumbing is NOT something you want to mess around with. See a doctor.

[the doc]

see a urologist asap

[sCaRz*Of*PaiN]

Whenever I read thread titles like this it makes me cringe like nothing else.

You should see a doc...and make haste!

[mikkus]

Hey, it makes me cringe too! It's getting quite sore now and I'm off to the hospital tomorrow morning.

[sCaRz*Of*PaiN]

^^^^^

Good decision.

[mikkus]

Thanks for your tips. I went to the hospital today and was diagnosed with 'Testitis,' an infection that is not serious. So, in fact, it has nothing to do with my training!

[sCaRz*Of*PaiN]

What's treatment like for this thing?

[mikkus]

erm.. actually, the treatment is a series of drips (the Chinese administer intravenous drips for almost every ailment) and pills. However, the girlfriend is on standby at bedtime for if I've been a good boy and taken all my medicine!

[mikkus]

Well, it's back to the drawing board as the medication didn't work, so the diagnosis was wrong. I find that I only have a problem when doing seated exercises i.e seated shoulder press and bicep curls with one of those sitting down contraptions with the el
bow pads. I always work hard and do three sets of ten. I hold my breath and push during the exercise and this is straining something in the manhood department. I have now started doing the above excercises standing up and it seems to have cured the problem. Should I hold my breath when pushing during an excercise, and am I working too hard?

[Invain]

You shouldn't hold your breath when doing any excercise...

[gymrat4sir]

Call the local UK or US embassy/consulate and ask for referrals to docs trained in the West. Eastern medicine is great, but look for it to compliment what we know in the West (and vice versa), not replace it.

You definitly don't want to dick around (no pun intended) when it comes to the plumbing!

[sCaRz*Of*PaiN]

I hold my breath and push during the exercise and this is straining something in the manhood department.

That is the worst thing you could ever do. NEVER STOP BREATHING DURING AN EXERCISE. ALWAYS BREATHE. YOU CAN CAUSE MORE DAMAGE DOING THIS THAN YOU COULD EVER POSSIBLY IMAGINE. Breathe during exercise and your brain will thank you later.

Again...NEVER HOLD YOUR BREATH DURING EXERCISE. EVER.

[mikkus]

Thanks, I will never hold my breath again.

[mikkus]

Thinks a while and comes back... OK guys, before I change the way that I've been doing things let me be more specific. I breathe in, hold my breath, and push my weight up. When it's up there I exhale and lower, and repeat. Can you confirm this is wrong. If so, what kind of breathing pattern should I have. I find that holding my breath while I push gives me more power, although I now believe that it is doing damage. Looking forward to your reply before doing my sunday workout!

[sCaRz*Of*PaiN]

Um...a half second of not breathing should be fine. As long as you're breathing when you're handling the weight. For instance. You take a deep breath bringing the bar down in a bench press. Then at the bottom of the movement when you're not doing anything you're holding your breath for an incredibly short amount of time. Then you breath out during the entire pushing movement and repeat. But you NEVER WANT TO HOLD YOUR BREATH DURING THE ACTUAL MOVEMENTS.

[zimbo]

Breathe out as you're pushing the weight up. You might also try putting a foam pad underneath you when you sit in the preacher bench.

--Steve

[mikkus]

thanks guys, this is good advice. Gawd! I must have been close to blowing something inside on many ocassions as I really have been pushing hard inside when holding my breath. I've obviously strained something between the legs as, after a hard workout, I could feel a bump on a tube like something had popped. The swelling went down after after a day or two but a dull ache remained. I am hopeful that if I now train properly things will heal quickly, thanks again. Is this breathing thing common knowledge, because I'm an old geezer and nobody has ever mentioned it to me in my life?

[ectx]

a series of drips and pills doesn't tell us anything about your treatment. Did they give you an anti-inflammatory? Antibiotics? Just because the medication didn't work doesn't mean you got the wrong diagnosis...maybe just the wrong treatment. Not all antibiotics work for every infection. check with your doc and let us know specifically what you are taking.

[mikkus]

Sounds like you're a Doctor and I've offended your profession ectx?! You hit the nail on both counts. I was given anti-inflammatorys and antibiotics. They thought I had an infection which seemed a bit odd to me as the 'infection' only occurred after a workout, at which time I could feel something bumpy had appeared in my B***s. I haven't been back to the Doc because, to be honest, I'm not a rich man and I don't want to pay out a load of money for something that is going to heal by itself. I am reasonably sure that I've popped some tube. It still aches a bit but I can't feel any bumps. I have cut back to light weights until this heals. If it isn't better in a month or so then I'll pay.

[ectx]

Not an MD, but some kind of doctor. LOL...I'm not easily offended. My point was that without telling us what you were taking it's hard for others who are more knowledgeable to help you. I'm guessing that lifting just brought on more of the inflammation. Trust me, if you "popped some tube" you'd be in a world of pain. I realize that medical treatment is not cheap, but I'd seriously consider having the doc switch your antibiotics. Perhaps you need something more broad-spectrum, like erythromycin of something stronger like gentamycin (not sure what's indicated for UTIs of that nature). Keep in mind that it takes time for infections to clear up. 1 or 2 days isn't going to cut it. The anti-inflammatory should help make things easier regardless. Give your treatment a chance before you go nixing it...and if he just gave you abx as a one time shot, then there's your problem. You need to finish your treatment.

[razorcut]

Not an MD, but some kind of doctor.

ectx: "some kind of doctor" by day; gynecologist by request.

Carry on.

[ectx]

[mikkus]

Solution: I went back to the Doc and have discovered it's a Varicocele. This is a varicose vein in the scrotum. Apparently, they affect like 10-2% of adults 25-30 years old. It is not caused by weight-training, but heavy lifting aggravates it which explains why I could always feel something swollen after a workout. Treatment? Well, if it's bad enough they will cut through your sack and tie off the vein and kill it (under a local or general anaesthetic!). For milder cases they suggest buying some tight fitting underwear. I'm not sure what to do, as if I opt for surgery here it will cost me a lot of money and I'm going back to England in April where I can have it done free. The thing is it really aches after a workout for almost two days. So I might have to switch from weights to running for six months. But this will sadden me as I'm kind of addicted to weights now and will miss the testosterone boost that I get (or imagine I get!).

[razorcut]

I suggest getting it treated surgically. Whether the surgery is done there or England, it doesn't really matter. Varicoceles can ultimately cause fertility issues. This is one of those matters where I think aggressive treatment (i.e. surgery) would likely serve you best down the road.