PF injury by cycling

[Ron NB Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ron NB]

Greetings PeGym members, this is my first post, been reading this forum for months, it provides valuable content.
I didn't want to make a post, but I think it's time to commit.

My long story short is that I've been doing excessive cycling back in 2010 and 2011 (I was around 23-24y/o then). It was a bicycle courier job. cycling nearly all day long with often heavy loads .

One day I really messed up with a new saddle that was sharply cutting into my pelvic floor, around the bc muscle.
I was suffering from decreased EQ before, but since that day morning wood is gone. my EQ and pelvic sensitivity worsened even more and my T (testosterone) decreased over time. The pain stopped after a few weeks.
I've had full or nearly full HF and pain for months, I quit the job and got some Sildenafil, which stopped the turtling.

This was 8 years ago and I did not get any better since then. What stays is the pelvic numbness, decreased sensation, generally low EQ, relatively low T (relative to my age) and a libido of about 2 on a scale of 10.

I saw there is a thread about the perils of self diagnosis, in my case and I've read other posts that many cases Urulogist and Andrologist doctors are inefficient in even diagnosing uncommon problems.
I have not met a doctor here that acknowledges the importance of PF, there is no PF physio doc in this region either (central Eastern Europe). Urulogist and Andrologist doctors should focus more on PF problems (and read this forum!)

Therefore I'm left with self diagnosis on a very basic level, I got injury by pressure over a period of time that damaged my PF muscles, mostly the BC muscle.

Here are the treatments I've tried:
2011 PDE5i tablets do work with a 80-90% efficiency, but due to my low libido and T, I just don't have any motivation to have a partner. I get certain side effects from PDE5i's:blocked nostril or nostrils, headache, dizziness
2011 TRT Testocaps: this did not provide any increase in my T level, I took about 1 box of those capsules over a period of month
2012 Gingko bilioba: did not notice improvement, but I felt like my skull is going to explode from pressure
2014 I noticed that I get better EQ after consuming Lavender tea, this might be due to the muscle relaxant effect of lavender, but it also gave me a dull state of high, so I've stopped drinking it
2016 I've tried DAA and Tribulus supplements, did not notice improvements, but lost a lot of hair from one of the Tribulus products
2017 TENS EMS device placed on PF, I did get really good EQ in the first few days but later it seem to bugged my prostate, so I stopped using the device
2018 Kegels, RK, yoga, hindi squats, stretching: been doing these for a month: RK's really helped with fecal incontinence, rest of the exercises did not improve or worsened my EQ
2018 a few G's out of the 5 and NOWHARDS's mix: Started taking Turmeric, Ginger and Ginseng, noticed a slight increase in EQ and T

Treatments I did not and will not try:
ESWT, shockwave therapy, I was thinking about trying this therapy but unfortunately the source of my problem is elsewhere.
Vacuum Pumps I've read a few scary stories about these, I stay away from them just to be safe.

Treatments I'm planning to try

PRP injection to PF, mostly to BC muscle: I'm currently looking for a clinic to do this therapy, I might get turned away but I will keep trying.

I've learned about this when I heard about Ben Greenfield (journalist) who got P-shot in his penis.

I am interested in your observations about this method (PRP to BCmuscle) if you have any expertise or experience about this treatment.

On a side note here is what I've noticed: I often shave certain areas, including PF, I've accidentally cut myself two times very slightly at my injured area (small cut with a few drops of blood coming out on the dividing line, not sure what its called on the PF). I noticed increased PF sensitivity for 10-20 hours, long, firm erections during sleep and a nearly good morning wood.
This may not have much to do with palatet rich blood and I can't cut myself there every 16 hours.

Stem cell to PF
I have not done enough research about this, only heard about Ben Greenfield's experiment in getting Stem cell to the penis.

Other than these, I am out of ideas for treatments.

[Dangler Senior Administrator☼ Wizard ☼ White Tiger Award 2015 Find all posts View Profile Close Dangler]

Are you still cycling ?
Research/change bicycle seat.

On the TENS usage, perhaps change of how long/often you use it, would have been preferable to stopping its use ?

[Ron NB Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ron NB]

I still use my bicycle max. 5-10 minutes a day, not carrying weight or doing any excessive cycling any more, my saddles are fine.
The injury was caused by one specific saddle in one day, I could only change at the end of that day but it was too late. This damage is over my body's self healing ability.

I've tried many TENS and EMS programs, varied intensity and session lengths. For now I stopped experimenting with it, it messes with my prostate and things get a bit drippy.

[KMWylie Senior MemberPEGym Hero Find all posts View Profile Close KMWylie]

First, welcome to PEGym.

A few questions -

When you were cycling, what mileage were you cycling, on average, per week? Were you regularly (every 15 minutes or so) coming up out of the saddle? Were you wearing padded shorts/pants?

My thought is this issue may be related to the pressure injury or it may be unrelated and just coincidentally happening at the same time.

I'm not familiar with a nerve injury to the pelvic floor from cycling directly affecting testosterone production. A testicular injury - yes, but not pelvic floor. You note your testosterone production decreasing - I'm assuming you've had this medically tested which is why you know this. Can you share your levels over time?

Just a note, as I mention in my article here -- https://www.pegym.com/articles/what-is-male-menopause -- it is absolutely normal and natural for men to lose 1% of their testosterone level, per year, starting around age 30. So, again, wondering if this "symptom" is just normal aging, as aromatase starts converting your testosterone into estradiol (estrogen).

Other questions - what's your lifestyle like? Diet? Do you drink? Do you smoke? Do you take any drugs - prescribed or not? How's your stress? What are your masturbation and porn habits like? How often, on average, do you have sex with a partner, per month?

Re: PRP injections.... be very sure to talk with a doctor BEFORE you do this procedure. There have only been two medical studies done on PRP injections to the penis -- both were of rats. Although it looks like injury healing was faster in the PRP rats (I don't even want to think that they had to injure those poor rats testicles for these studies!), your situation is definitely significantly different - as so much time has gone by - IF this is a nerve injury. I couldn't find any studies done with PRP at all for nerve damage, with the damage being as old as yours.

With PRP injections, there are significant risks, including, but not limited to:
- Pain
- Disfigurement
- Increased/new nerve damage
- Infection
- Blood clots - which can be fatal.

If you go this route - definitely ONLY do it under the care of a licensed physician who has fully examined you, reviewed your full medical history, and is trained for this procedure.

[Ron NB Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ron NB]

First, welcome to PEGym.

A few questions -
...

About 20-30 miles a day, it was mostly London city, where traffic lights occur every 30 second. I focused on riding in a way that I keep part of my weight on my legs, part on the arms and not all on the saddle.
I did use padded cycling pants for a while but they wore out quite fast, so I stopped using them mostly because my crotch was getting overheated from it.

It is indeed pressure injury, it's not a coincidence.

My Testosterone blood tests are the following:
2012 11.2nmol/l ; reference 5.5 - 25.2
2017 8.3nmol/l ; reference 6.1 - 27.1

I hardly ever drink, never really liked alcohol.
My diet changes slowly, the food I avoid is red meat or anything salty, greasy. My diet mostly consists of dairy, bakery and vegetables.
I used to smoke 1 pack a day: from 2003 to 2012. In 2012 I switched to vaping and my smoking is down to 1-3 cigarettes a day.
I don't take any medicinal or other drugs.
My stress level is well managed, I work an easy job from home, I'm financially very stable since 2012.
Masturbation depends on how healthy I feel, during periods when I feel better : once a day, when I don't feel good I keep it down to one per every 2 or 3 days.
Porn: sometimes on Friday, Saturday nights, 20-40 minutes.

Regarding PRP, I stated that I'd try PRP injection to PF, BC to be accurate, which is not my penis, it's a muscle .
What you are saying is very scary, I'd not try to get a cheap treatment from charlatans, only someone professional who is qualified to do this.

[marksanchez397 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close marksanchez397]

Greetings PeGym members, this is my first post, been reading this forum for months, it provides valuable content.
I didn't want to make a post, but I think it's time to commit.

My long story short is that I've been doing excessive cycling back in 2010 and 2011 (I was around 23-24y/o then). It was a bicycle courier job. cycling nearly all day long with often heavy loads .

One day I really messed up with a new saddle that was sharply cutting into my pelvic floor, around the bc muscle.
I was suffering from decreased EQ before, but since that day morning wood is gone. my EQ and pelvic sensitivity worsened even more and my T (testosterone) decreased over time. The pain stopped after a few weeks.
I've had full or nearly full HF and pain for months, I quit the job and got some Sildenafil, which stopped the turtling.

This was 8 years ago and I did not get any better since then. What stays is the pelvic numbness, decreased sensation, generally low EQ, relatively low T (relative to my age) and a libido of about 2 on a scale of 10.

I saw there is a thread about the perils of self diagnosis, in my case and I've read other posts that many cases Urulogist and Andrologist doctors are inefficient in even diagnosing uncommon problems.
I have not met a doctor here that acknowledges the importance of PF, there is no PF physio doc in this region either (central Eastern Europe). Urulogist and Andrologist doctors should focus more on PF problems (and read this forum!)

Therefore I'm left with self diagnosis on a very basic level, I got injury by pressure over a period of time that damaged my PF muscles, mostly the BC muscle.

Here are the treatments I've tried:
2011 PDE5i tablets do work with a 80-90% efficiency, but due to my low libido and T, I just don't have any motivation to have a partner. I get certain side effects from PDE5i's:blocked nostril or nostrils, headache, dizziness
2011 TRT Testocaps: this did not provide any increase in my T level, I took about 1 box of those capsules over a period of month
2012 Gingko bilioba: did not notice improvement, but I felt like my skull is going to explode from pressure
2014 I noticed that I get better EQ after consuming Lavender tea, this might be due to the muscle relaxant effect of lavender, but it also gave me a dull state of high, so I've stopped drinking it
2016 I've tried DAA and Tribulus supplements, did not notice improvements, but lost a lot of hair from one of the Tribulus products
2017 TENS EMS device placed on PF, I did get really good EQ in the first few days but later it seem to bugged my prostate, so I stopped using the device
2018 Kegels, RK, yoga, hindi squats, stretching: been doing these for a month: RK's really helped with fecal incontinence, rest of the exercises did not improve or worsened my EQ
2018 a few G's out of the 5 and NOWHARDS's mix: Started taking Turmeric, Ginger and Ginseng, noticed a slight increase in EQ and T

Treatments I did not and will not try:
ESWT, shockwave therapy, I was thinking about trying this therapy but unfortunately the source of my problem is elsewhere.
Vacuum Pumps I've read a few scary stories about these, I stay away from them just to be safe.

Treatments I'm planning to try

PRP injection to PF, mostly to BC muscle: I'm currently looking for a clinic to do this therapy, I might get turned away but I will keep trying.

I've learned about this when I heard about Ben Greenfield (journalist) who got P-shot in his penis.

I am interested in your observations about this method (PRP to BCmuscle) if you have any expertise or experience about this treatment.

On a side note here is what I've noticed: I often shave certain areas, including PF, I've accidentally cut myself two times very slightly at my injured area (small cut with a few drops of blood coming out on the dividing line, not sure what its called on the PF). I noticed increased PF sensitivity for 10-20 hours, long, firm erections during sleep and a nearly good morning wood.
This may not have much to do with palatet rich blood and I can't cut myself there every 16 hours.

Stem cell to PF
I have not done enough research about this, only heard about Ben Greenfield's experiment in getting Stem cell to the penis.

Other than these, I am out of ideas for treatments.

-Did you take SSRI (Antidepressants), Propecia/Finasteride (Anti-hairless) or Accutane (Anti-acné) anytime in the past?
-Can’t you get erected with porn without physical stimulation?

[Ron NB Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ron NB]

-Did you take SSRI (Antidepressants), Propecia/Finasteride (Anti-hairless) or Accutane (Anti-acné) anytime in the past?
-Can’t you get erected with porn without physical stimulation?

I have not taken any of the drugs you mentioned.
Other than this problem, I never need to go to a doctor .
I prefer dietary supplements, adjusting diet, lifestyle and avoiding illnesses .

Most of the times I get somewhat of a nearly acceptable erection watching porn, without stimulation. In other cases I only get somewhat of an erection when my blood pressure drops.

The biggest problem is that I feel disconnected from my erections if that makes any sense, it feels like there is a blockage, numbness around my BC muscle.

[fanpanman Member Find all posts View Profile Close fanpanman]

I can see you blocked some nerves there.

[KMWylie Senior MemberPEGym Hero Find all posts View Profile Close KMWylie]

About 20-30 miles a day, it was mostly London city, where traffic lights occur every 30 second. I focused on riding in a way that I keep part of my weight on my legs, part on the arms and not all on the saddle.
I did use padded cycling pants for a while but they wore out quite fast, so I stopped using them mostly because my crotch was getting overheated from it.

It is indeed pressure injury, it's not a coincidence.

My Testosterone blood tests are the following:
2012 11.2nmol/l ; reference 5.5 - 25.2
2017 8.3nmol/l ; reference 6.1 - 27.1

I hardly ever drink, never really liked alcohol.
My diet changes slowly, the food I avoid is red meat or anything salty, greasy. My diet mostly consists of dairy, bakery and vegetables.
I used to smoke 1 pack a day: from 2003 to 2012. In 2012 I switched to vaping and my smoking is down to 1-3 cigarettes a day.
I don't take any medicinal or other drugs.
My stress level is well managed, I work an easy job from home, I'm financially very stable since 2012.
Masturbation depends on how healthy I feel, during periods when I feel better : once a day, when I don't feel good I keep it down to one per every 2 or 3 days.
Porn: sometimes on Friday, Saturday nights, 20-40 minutes.

Regarding PRP, I stated that I'd try PRP injection to PF, BC to be accurate, which is not my penis, it's a muscle .
What you are saying is very scary, I'd not try to get a cheap treatment from charlatans, only someone professional who is qualified to do this.

20 to 30 miles a day isn't really that much. If you are cycling now - or will in the future - you need to make sure you are fully out of the saddle every 15 minutes or so. Standing climb. But, 20 to 30 miles a day, in and of itself, isn't really aggressive. Plus, if you're stopping at stoplights, so off the saddle at those, I'm wondering if there was some other injury. There are cyclists - many I personally know - who ride a lot more and don't have an issue.

Smoking is definitely not helping you. I high refined-carb diet (baked goods) is also not helping. Both are inflammatory, which can be putting pressure on nerves.

Regular porn use - weekly - could be a part of the problem. There tons of posts and articles regarding the challenges with regular porn use.

What about personal stress. Work and finances are in order - good - but, personal relationships - family, friends, etc. - as well as your general state of mind about yourself can be a major factor of stress.

Re: testosterone - you didn't mention what your estradiol levels are. It's not just testosterone you should be concerned about, but rather the ratio with estradiol. One can be in the normal range, but the other can be out of whack, throwing off the ratio.

Read - What Is Male Menopause?

Re: the PRP injection -- don't just go with a "professional" - go with a licensed, medical doctor. And, question them about how often they've done these injections, and see if they'll let you speak with other patients that have had the procedure done.

[Ron NB Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ron NB]

I'm aware of the source of my problem and thanks for all the helpful posts.
I will keep trying, although I'm going skip the PRP therapy for now.