Burning pain Burning pain: When it tickles and stings in the body

Every one of us gets to know pain during the course of our lifetime. If this unpleasant sensory perception disappears again in time, we can usually live with it well. But when pain becomes a constant companion, it has a strong influence on the everyday life of the person affected. Chronic pain is not only a physical strain, it also burdens the soul. The so-called neuropathic pain (nerve pain or neuropathy), which is perceived as a permanently burning pain, is particularly agonizing, sometimes also felt as tingling or stinging, which is associated with burning. We understand what a life of constant pain is like.  

"Burning pain": Neuropathic pain

When we feel pain, our nerve cells usually only transmit pain information to the brain. However, in neuropathic pain - also known as nerve pain, neuralgia or neuropathy - the nerves themselves are responsible for the development of the pain. The cause is usually damage or irritation of the affected nerves, as long as this acts on the nerve fibres and nerve tracts, the pain persists, often for long periods afterwards too because the brain has stored the pain as a sensory program. Neuropathic pain quickly becomes chronic. Typical signs are unbearable "burning pain" or "electrical pain", sudden pain attacks that are perceived as shooting pain, and hypersensitivity to touch.

Pelvic nerve damage as a cause of nerve pain

The freeing of the nerves, decompression in the event of entrapment and electro-stimulation of the affected nerves are all possible treatments for neuropathy.
read more

Causes of neuropathic pain

Pudendal Neuralgia

Burning pain in the most sensitive part of the body

Pudendal neuralgia ("Alkock's canal syndrome") is characterized by chronic pain that is perceived as burning. In women, they range from the pubic area and clitoris to the perineum and anal region. The cause is usually compression of the pudendal nerve in the pudendal or Alcock canal. Women who have suffered a birth trauma are often affected, even 20 to 30 years after a vaginal birth.

Men can also be affected by pudendal neuralgia. The pain extends from the penis and testicles to the anal region. Since the pudendal nerve is also of particular importance for the bladder and intestines as well as for the genitals and sexual functions, nerve damage can also lead to irritable bladder, urinary or faecal incontinence and sexual dysfunction (erectile dysfunction).

Mesh complications

Nerve pain after mesh treatments

Mesh implants in the pelvis carry the risk of nerve injury - especially of the pudendal nerve and the so-called sacral roots. This can result in burning pain, sensory irritation or dysfunction, which can occur immediately after the operation or with a delay of several days. A nerve compression caused by scar tissue (fibrotic entrapment) or a nerve compression caused by constriction due to enlarged blood vessels in the pelvis (vascular entrapment) develops over several months or even years.

Treatment

Treatment of Pudendal Neuralgia
treatment-pudendal-neuralgia

Since Pudendal Neuralgia is based on a kind of bruising of the pudendal nerve, surgical nerve decompression is the most effective treatment method. The procedure is performed using a laparoscopic decompression procedure: tiny cameras make the fine sensitive nerve structures visible and allow for a gentle operation. The majority of patients are pain-free after a few short months.

If the pudendal nerve is not only compressed but also injured, pudendal neuromodulation is the therapy of choice. In a minimally invasive procedure, a microstimulator system a few centimetres in size is placed on the pudendal nerve by laparoscopy (LION procedure). The electrical stimulation is controlled by the patient with a remote control and leads to a relaxation of the nerve.

Mesh removal treatment
mesh-removal-treatment

If the mesh has damaged the pelvic nerves, the injured nerve must first be precisely pinpointed. A laparoscopic examination of the affected area can then be carried out. This enables an exact diagnosis of the cause. In the same treatment step, decompression must be accomplished by exposing the nerves. The aim of the intervention is not the removal of the mesh, but the complete liberation of the nerve, for which a systematic exploration of the damaged nerves by laparoscopy is necessary.

In the case of severe injury or destruction of the nerve, the implantation of electrodes for neuromodulation can help, but it is used in less than 5% of patients.

Photo Testimonials

Professor Marc Possover is one of the most incredible, rare professional, intellectual doctors whom i ever met.
I was lucky to be present at a difficult surgical oncological operation of one of my patients.

Prof Dr. med. Yanna B Md.Phd

read more

Dear Dr. Possover. We would like to thank you very much for the operation you performed in November 2014. Thanks to your excellent work we have become parents of two sons. Our family will always be grateful to you. Best regards.

Tatiana und Ilya

read more

For more than 4 years I suffered from a tearing pain in the pelvic floor and a strong irritable bladder. Oestopathy, urologists, acupuncture and a neurologist who wanted to send me to a rheumatologist could not help.

Maya Szabo

read more

My name is Mrs. Liat Nadel, 51 years old, married and live in Israel. I was only 12 when my Endometriosis knocked on my door/life, but was actually diagnosed only 11 years later by mistake, "thanks" to an emergency surgery.

Liat Nadel

read more

From the moment I walked into the consultation room and the Professor's initial response to my complaint I felt overwhelmingly at ease. For a healthcare professional to finally know exactly what your problem was but more importantly telling me he could fix the problem was like winning the lottery and he certainly delivered on his promise.

Steph Hechter

read more

Prof. Marc Possover MD

To help people in difficult situations to improve their quality of life has become his life's passion. Continuous research, decades of clinical experience and the focused determination to find a solution for previously unsolved medical problems, have enabled Prof. Possover to help often quite discouraged patients find release from their seemingly insurmountable problems.

Possover International Medical Center

Our center of excellence for Neuropelveology in Zürich is equipped with state of the art technical equipment, offering world-class treatment at the highest level. Enjoy individual attention in the most private and comfortable of settings.

Our team will take care of you

Here at our center, you will be treated not only as our valued patient but as our guest. Everyone in Prof. Possover's team is committed to making you feel completely at ease and in very safe hands. Our internationally experienced team members have an intuitive feel for the particular needs of every individual. We will accompany you every step of the way, from the initial contact right through to the conclusion of your treatment - with detailed personal attention, sincerity, courtesy and careful understanding.
Photo Neuropelveology Nerve Tracts

Neuropelveology:
Discovering the pelvic nerves

Neuropelveology is a medical discipline developed by Prof. Possover. It is based on the discovery of the pelvic nerves and includes the diagnosis of the diseases of these nerves by means of gynaecological examination methods and their treatment by means of laparoscopy.

Read more

Back to a better quality of life

We will dedicate our expertise and know-how to help you find the solution that is right for you.

Audrey Schroller

Practice Assistant

„As a cheerful, open and communicative person, I really appreciate coming into contact with people from all over the world. The well-being of others is very important to me.

Possover News
latest updates

New scientific findings and effective treatment methods - comprehensible and helpful for you.

Laparoscopic management of pelvic nerves tumors

Introduction

Peripheral nerve tumors can occur anywhere in the body. Most of them aren't cancerous ...

Neuropelveological approach to pathologies of the pelvic nerves

Pathologies of the pelvic nerves are conditions involving multiple, organ-specific medical specialties, each with its ...

Neuropelveologic management of intractable Vulvodynia

What is vulvodynia?

Vulvodynia is a chronic pain syndrome affecting respectively the vulva and occurs ...

Passing on knowledge: diagnose and treat endometriosis of the sciatic nerve - with expertise in Neuropelveology

The discipline of Neuropelveology, founded by Prof. Possover, offers new diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities in ...

Endometriosis of the Sciatic Nerve and the Sacral Roots: Diagnosis and Treatment in Neuropelveology

If women suffer from cyclical sciatica with onset of numbness in the buttocks or legs, or experience movement ...