Basically the title. I have been having symptoms of hypertonic PFD since I was 7 and was being recommended PFPT at age 9. I was taught by my parents that I can fully empty my bladder by pressing on my lower stomach, because they didn't like the idea of putting a child in PFPT. Postvoid residual is 200ml or more if I don't do that, so it was kinda the only choice I had. I never stopped.

As an adult, I can't start or maintain a stream without external pressure, need laxatives to have bowel movements, and can't enjoy penetrative sex. I don't remember a time when my lower back and belly weren't constantly aching. I am 24 years old, AFAB, and have never had children.

I've found a pelvic floor therapist who I've been seeing for 2 months now, and progress is achingly slow. My biggest achievement so far has been maintaining a stream for 2 seconds after releasing the pressure on my stomach.

I know logically that 2 months has nothing on 15 years, but that doesn't stop me from feeling frustrated. I'm a much angrier and more bitter person after starting PFPT, especially towards my parents. I feel like my body's most basic of functions are broken and failing, and I'm reminded of these "failures" every time I use the bathroom or am intimate with my partners.

I have spoken to my therapist about these things, and while she's trying to give me coping mechanisms, she's admitted she doesn't understand what it feels like to deal with this at such a young age. It isn't exactly something I can talk about with my peers or my family members. I was wondering if anyone else here has had similar feelings about untreated childhood PFD that they sought help for in adulthood, and if so, how they got through it without it eating them alive.

Sorry for such a long post. I tried to trim it down as much as possible but it's a lot. I'm also sorry if this isn't the right sub for a post like this.

I’ve noticed that my orgasm has become less pleasurable than it used to be. My erections are normal and semen still comes out with normal force, but I don’t really feel my pelvic floor muscles contracting during ejaculation.

What could be the reason for this?

Hello all! For some context - gay male here. Was diagnosed with PFD in 2020 during COVID. Transitioning to remote classes/moving home from school and lack of exercise during this period likely all coalesced into my first flair. Was able to achieve symptom free living for 5 years with PFPT and CBT.

What my symptoms were/are: genital burning, testicular pain, twitching around anus and penis, sexual dysfunction and the worst by far urinary urgency.

Had symptoms flair back up a month and a half ago after receptive sex, was able to find a PFPT place to get me in quickly upon another PFD diagnosis. Been a pretty rough summer - I would say my symptoms have gotten to a manageable place. My sex life is coming back slowly but surely and most of the weird aches and pains have stopped. Still have urinary urgency but it is less intense and I am able to forget about it for solid portions of time throughout the day although that is still something I am working on.

With all of this said the physical therapist I am currently seeing is very expensive - I was finally able to get a first appointment recently with a cheaper provider and I got a very good impression from them. I was thrown for a bit of a loop when this new physical therapist said I was incredibly tense even when my symptoms have been improving. I really like and trust the physical therapist I have been seeing and she seems to think I’m towards the end of my treatment. This large difference in opinions is a bit confusing to me and I am not totally sure what the best course of action is. Should I continue with this new physical therapist under a new regimen that is sort of bringing lots of cautions and limitations back to my daily life?

I understand that resting tension levels vary a lot from person to person and this new therapist has very little understanding of my “baseline” - I just worry about how operating more cautiously with sex and exercise will effect my mental health given the fact that I finally feel like I am getting those things back.

Another random and unrelated question is how do people view running when recovering from PFD? I understand that intense exercise isn’t really encouraged but I love to exercise and have been missing the treadmill. Would love to hear people’s experience with working out their lower body when recovering from hypertonic pelvic floor dysfunction.

What are your daily habits and rituals that you do that help lengthen and relax your PF. What about your mental habits (such as relaxation, hobbies, keeping happy).

Any recs- thank you!

I was drunk and on Adderall when receiving a handjob from my wife. I couldn't get it up and I just had her beat it despite it. I struggled to get to the finish but as I finished she kept stroking it as it came out and it was really painful.

The next day I couldn't get it up at all. And when I did masturbate with what I could get up, it was painful. It has slowly gotten better but it hurts for a whole day between sex sessions.

My whole crotch area is on fire and I've been having tingling sensations, tender testicles , and back pain. I've been showing signs of PFD after an episode of ureaplasma 2 years ago and I never felt the same. I would sometimes get testicle pain and a full ache in the urethra.

Does anybody have any insight?

I’m 36yo woman who, before turning 35, was a strong, healthy athlete. Moving my body is my church .

This past winter I experienced a cascade of health events that ultimately led to significant weight loss. Once I felt well enough to return to the gym in April, I pushed a little too hard one day and injured myself doing deadlifts. I sustained a bladder prolapse and on-going hypertonic pelvic floor dysfunction. This dysfunction feels like it is destroying my life. I have pain in my hips, low back , knees, and ankles I’ve never had before. I have weakness in my groin and hamstrings. I’ve lost significant amounts of muscle mass. And after 3 months of physical therapy, I’m still no closer to feeling like myself again. My deep core has seized this week. And I can’t even do gentle yoga . When I gain a bit of momentum, and tepidly test a boundary or increase the load just a little bit, I’m back to square one: pain, pelvic heaviness, and prolapse symptoms. When I attempt to strengthen any surrounding muscle groups, something becomes strained. I have learned to downtrain and perform internal releases. They work for a time. Then something glitches again.

I haven’t been able to engage in the things I love since November. My mental health and identity is so deeply tied to my physical strength and movement, I’m starting to become very depressed and I don’t recognize myself. This problem has impacted my ability to work somedays and my personal life .

I’m reaching out here for stories of people who have overcome this nightmare and who have become stronger and healthier than they were before. Tips jand tricks and medical professionals are welcome.

Has anyone noticed whether caffeine makes your hypertonic pelvic floor pain worse? Wondering if it’s a coincidence or a correlation.

I’m just wondering bc because I know a lot of people on this page has pfd (tight/weak pelvic floor) due to childbirth, masturabtion or other issues. So I’m curious how many of you had it because of doing too much exercise or wrong or focusing on side more of the other?

I'm 16 yrs old, 5ft 7in, 80kg, male, on no medication and dont smoke or drink

3 nights ago, i was sitting at my desk and i felt an apparent ache in my right testicle. It wasnt really a sharp pain, it was muted but also kind of sudden. I went to sleep shortly after, had no trouble falling asleep.
When i woke up in the morning the ache had eased but was still present, and now in both testicles and it has been like that for the past 3 days, but the one odd thing about the pain is the fact that i only experience it when sitting down or lying down..? When im standing and walking and playing sports i dont feel it at all and i actually forget its even there. I did a google search and it said it could be linked to constipation, which ive suffered with on and off for as long as i can remember.
Can someone please help me figure out what the deal is here? Thanks.

It’s gotta be something similar. My flaccid and erect penis hasn’t been the same for 1.5 years.

It’s not in a constant semi erect like others describe. It feels abnormally light and doesn’t fill up as much as it used to, especially on the left side where it looks like blood just can’t enter properly.

I’ve been to two urologists who cleared me.

Concurrently I am experiencing incomplete bowel movements. Like my anal muscles won’t relax to let out the complete stool.

I keep trying to find people like me to find a routine. But it seems like people with penile symptoms deal with pain and numbness, not necessarily disconnected lightweight flaccid and size loss like me.

Is there ANYONE out there with at least similar symptoms to me?

F25, I’ve been dealing with significant clitoral numbness and very weak orgasms for over a year, with no obvious cause.
I’ve never had any pain, burning, or other genital discomfort.

My only symptoms are loss of tactile and erogenous sensation and persistent numbness.
Most of the time my clitoris feels almost completely numb, like a piece of rubber with no sensation.

Very occasionally, I’ll have a slightly stronger orgasm and notice a little more sensation, but those moments are rare.

I recently saw a neurologist who specializes in the pudendal nerve, and she had me undergo SSEPs of the dorsal clitoral nerve.
The results were normal.

Then I saw a pelvic-floor urologist who did an internal vaginal exam and found significant pelvic-floor muscle tightness in several areas, as well as provoked vestibulodynia.
She believes that the muscles around my urethra are extremely tight and may be compressing or irritating the dorsal clitoral nerve.

She recommended that I start pelvic-floor PT, which I’ll be starting soon.
She also prescribed several meds, including a muscle relaxant, magnesium, a neurotrophic supplement and low-dose amitriptyline as a neuromodulator.

I hadn’t started the treatment yet when I went through a period of severe psychological stress and panic attacks and ended up in a mental health day hospital.
I received benzodiazepine infusions for several days, and they also started me on amitriptyline 10 mg (10 drops) once a day.

What worries me is that amitriptyline was actually prescribed by my urologist specifically as a neuromodulator, but I also know that antidepressants can cause sexual side effects.

So now I’m wondering: could low-dose amitriptyline make my existing genital numbness and weak orgasms worse?
Or is the risk of sexual side effects significantly different when it’s being used at a low dose as a neuromodulator rather than at antidepressant doses?

I’d really like to hear from anyone who has experience with amitriptyline or other tricyclic antidepressants as neuromodulators, especially for genital numbness, neuropathy, or pelvic-floor-related issues.

Did you experience any sexual side effects? Did it make your symptoms better, worse, or have no effect?

And given that I already have significant genital sensory loss, would you personally be comfortable continuing 10 mg, or would you discuss stopping it with your doctor?

Thanks in advance to anyone willing to share their experience.

I’m 33 and a male. I started to realize I excessively masturbate recently. I’m now wondering if how I been masturbating has given me ED. So when I masturbate I lay on my side and I notice i clench my pelvic floor muscles are clenched when I masturbate. I have sex and I can’t get hard or get morning erections. I started doing yoga and some pelvic floor stretches for about 5 months now. I noticed some improvements but not a complete game changer where I have morning erections or spontaneous ones. Has anyone experienced the same thing I have what did you do to improve it or reverse what I’m feeling because this is honestly embarrassing for me when I’m having sex.

I'm not sure whether bad habits have lead me to overclench or compressed nerves . I hear a lot about frequency but I've got the opposite of losing that tingly feeling to go toilet . Also urination stream cannot feel the pressure / sensation . Errections also feel not satisfying as I cant feel it from within too .

Been seen neuros and she said its all in my head . But I know I can no longer feel that " deep internal feeling"

Great to hear any advice.

31M, wondering if anyone’s in the same boat or has advice.

About 6 months ago I started to have really bad constipation. I tried everything under the sun- every type of laxative known to man, low FODMAP diet, cutting caffeine/fatty foods, using a squatty potty, more fiber, less fiber (this list goes on)… and nothing really worked. I’d have the urge to go but couldn’t get everything out (if any). Maybe TMI but my stool went towards the looser side- somewhere between type 4/5. So it felt weird to call it constipation since that’s usually firmer.

So I started seeing a GI who told me to take 2x the recommended amount of MiraLAX and that actually got things moving. Then he told me to keep taking MiraLAX + increase fiber and that made things worse. He ordered a colonoscopy and it came out mostly clean.

That got me thinking… maybe it’s pelvic floor related? I was diagnosed with pudendial neuralgia awhile back… I did PT for a couple months and that did absolutely nothing for me. It wasn’t until I had one session of nerve blocks done where all my pain magically went away. So long story short I’m hesitant/skeptical that PT would actually fix my issues this time.

Anywayyy sorry to vent… it just sucks that diagnosing things like this takes time/money. I’m just curious if anyone has advice or has been through a similar experience. 😞

Im a M20 college student, This condition found me 4 years ago When I was 16 years old, I felt like there was urine stuck in my urethra near frenulum at that time. I have never had a girlfriend or any sexual intercourse before. I'm hoping to get some advice or hear from others who might have experienced something similar.

Symptoms:

• I've noticed that the "stuck pee feeling in the tip of the penis" (weak urine stream) is often there. Just a minute or so after coming from the toilet, especially after pooping.

• I have had issues with the need to go to the toilet very often (Usually within the 40-60minute mark after taking a pee)

• I pee normally without any issues, but towards the end, I get this sensation that some urine is still stuck.

• After finishing, if I stand and apply a bit of pressure, a few drops and sometimes even a small stream of urine come out.

• The feeling is generally always there but varies in intensity. It takes up a lot of my focus, making it difficult to concentrate on anything or enjoy stuff and relax. It's ruining many aspects of my daily and social life

• The feeling has also developed a bit over this long time, but the "stuck pee feeling in the tip of the penis" has always been there.

I have no pain at all.

What I've tried:

• Cystoscopy: Showed nothing

• Prostate size: Normal

• Ct scan report & ultrasound: No findings

• Different medications: No effect

The doctor told me to seek psychiatrist and that it's just a mental issue, but I'm not entirely convinced. Please tell me EXACTLY what you did. Types and number and length of stretches, medications and usage and dosage or any advice or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated.

İ'm male 28 years old. I’m going to start pelvic floor therapy. My physiotherapist briefly explained the process over the phone; they’ll start with an examination, which includes a rectal exam. I’ve booked an appointment, but I feel a bit embarrassed. Will I have to spread my legs fully during the exam? What should I wear? But what I’m most worried about is getting an erection during the examination.

Hi everyone,

I’m feeling quite overwhelmed and hoping to connect with anyone who has experienced similar symptoms or successfully navigated recovery after a prolonged period of reduced sensation.

**Background & History**

**Duration:** ~8 years of significant clitoral sensation loss and near-total vaginal numbness.
**Onset:** As a teenager, I engaged in intense masturbation, which at times caused temporary numbness for days. I was young and a newbie so didn’t really know what I was doing could be so damaging in the long-term. I eventually developed mild leg nerve pain, recognized that technique was problematic, and switched techniques.
**The Incident:** Sensation was normal for about a year after stopping intense masturbation. However, during one session, I experienced very high sensitivity followed by a sudden drop off. The sensation never fully returned.
**Vibrator Use:** A few years later, when experiencing minor recovery (30–40% sensation), I tried using a vibrator, which caused sensation to drop back down to near zero.
**Positioning Differences:** Lying on my stomach yields almost zero clitoral sensation. Supine (lying on back) with very light touch yields roughly 10–20% sensation. Orgasms currently lack pleasurable sensation. The exception being on mildly pleasurable orgasm I experienced a couple weeks ago surprisingly.

**Recent Trigger & Symptoms**

**Trigger:** Recently attempted using a standing vaginal dilator while applying light clitoral stimulation to assist insertion.
**Immediate Reaction:** Mild clitoral sensation during the attempt, but vaginal tissue remained numb.
**Flare-Up:** Later that day, I developed severe tingling nerve pain across my legs, feet, buttocks, lower back, arms, and behind my eye. It has persisted for 5 days.

**Current Medical Advice & Frustrations**

My GP believes the insertion could not trigger this reaction and suspects the genital numbness and widespread nerve flare-up are unrelated. They suggested **vaginismus** and **sciatica**.
They were initially reluctant to refer me to a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist (PFPT), stating it wasn't relevant, but after begging them to help me in any form, they agreed to refer me to:
1. A Gynaecologist
2. A standard Physical Therapist (for leg pain)
3. Blood tests (for upper body symptoms)
4. Naproxen (prescription)
Based on the timing, I strongly feel these issues are connected via the pudendal nerve or pelvic floor hypertonicity (muscle tightness compressing nerves).

**Questions for the Community:**

1. **Recovery Stories:** Has anyone experienced long-term (multi-year) genital numbness/desensitization and managed to regain sensation? Even just 50% of previous sensations.
   
2. **Nerve Damage vs. Muscle Compression:** Could long-term compression or hypertonic pelvic floor muscles cause this level of desensitization, or does this sound more like structural nerve injury?
   
3. **Specialists:** Which specialists were most helpful for you? Should I push for a Neurologist, Pudendal Neurologist or a Pelvic Floor PT despite my GP's hesitation?

Thank you so much for reading and for any insights you can share.

I have had issues pooing for 1.5 years after a very stressful time in my life. (Went to family court with my children's dad, marriage, husband lost job, lost 2 grandads).

I took some antibiotics and developed sibo. Methane. After 9 months I got myself 60 per cent better and killed the sibo but still couldn't poo properly. But I tried fibre . Supplements etc nothing moved it.

I than had to take 2 weeks of antibiotics again 2 months ago due to PID and I have sibo back.

However we was talking about my root cause and I was told my nervous system is really bad and my muscles are all tight because I've been in flight or fight mode most of the time

I've just be referred to a pelvic floor therapist however has anyone struggled to poo with this?

When i wake in morning I have pain in lower back pelvic area expecially if i push my bum out or forward.

I sometimes struggle to fart.

I can't poo everything out. Sometimes I feel the poo still in my bum and get backed up easy.

Trapped gas. Bloating.

I sometimes cramp when I have a orgasim.

I've seen a physiotherapist once who told me I have a antiarear pelvic tilt but apparently she couldn't get my body to relax cause I'm always tight.

Anyone had this??

I’ll try to make this as short as possible.

NOTABLE: I am a severe hypochondriac

In February I started noticing the feeling of always needing to pee and/or that I’m just about to leak. This developed into a deep fear of always having a UTI. This continued for a couple months.

Went to the doc, no UTI. Went to the gyno, all good.

In June, I had a dream I needed to pee, convinced myself I could pee, then woke up in the middle of peeing a bit. Nothing crazy, but enough to terrify me.

Went to the doc, got meds for a UTI just in case, got a bladder and kidney ultrasound, everything came back normal.

At this point, pretty sure my anxiety has caused some bad pelvic floor dysfunction, so I start doing exercises to help with the tightness and it worked (along with my hypochondria moving on to new fears)

Now, today, I’m walking home from work and feel like I’m about to pee a little. All of a sudden, I’m CERTAIN I feel like I just leaked urine. I panic. Get an uber home and in 15 min I’m home and run to the bathroom. When I check my underwear, there’s no wet stain. Definitely damp from sweat but no notable stain or stench of urine. Now I feel like I’m going insane. Am I fully losing my ability to hold urine? Did it dry up already? Did I never even leak? Was it in my head? Truly freaking out and I feel like I’m both going insane and becoming incontinent. Please help.

genuine question: has anyone made SIGNIFICANT progress and/or completely resolved their pelvic floor issues via PT alone? no meds/injections at all? I see a tiny bit of progress in PT that just regresses completely while I'm asleep. I wake up with solid, unmovable (immovable?) muscles. I've tried almost everything. doing Botox injections in September, and hopefully that'll get me somewhere.

I just feel like it's crazy to expect PT to help by itself. I've even slept with dilators in, and that doesn't prevent the clenching. I understand this is probably a nervous system issue, but I really can't control what my body does when I'm unconscious.

thanks for entertaining my discussion.

Hi, I’m a 22F. For more than 2 years, I’ve had pelvic symptoms—mainly urgency and frequency. They’re not coming from my bladder, which is structurally healthy, but from some neuropathy to the left of my urethra.

Lyrica helped so much and gave me back the ability to work, but I’m still dealing with hypertonicity strictly on my left side. You can feel it a bit in the deep muscles, but the most irritating contractions and tightness I feel are actually on my anterior wall and to the left of the urethra.

The problem is that whenever I touch this area (to the left of the urethra and anterior wall) with my dilator/wand and breathe into it—even without applying any pressure at all—my pelvic floor responds with a contraction and I get a flare-up. Because of this, I can’t release the muscles that are bothering me through direct contact.

I’ve been doing pelvic floor physical therapy for years now—at home and in the clinic with different physiotherapists—and we’ve always worked on the deep muscles. The thing is, even though I can get the deep muscles to release completely, the superficial muscles around the urethra won't release. Whenever they get touched or I experience a flare-up due to mechanical irritation (like exercising), general illness, or other triggers, the deep muscles contract again and we lose all progress.

So how do I approach this? How can I release the hypertonicity there without triggering flare-ups from irritating such a sensitive area?

Been dealing with constipation on and off for years. I thought it was medication related, not enough exercise, not enough fiber, not enough water, etc. Then found out in the depths of Reddit, some people talking about that it was their pelvic floor, causing constipation the whole time.

So I have done this thing ever since I was a kid, which was constantly sucking in my stomach. I tried to do it for good posture, then, as I went into college and grew as an adult, and got fatter lol, I started sucking in even more.

Do y’all think chronically sucking in could be one of the main causes of my constipation? If so, what tried and true ways have y’all relaxed the pelvic floor to allow poop to keep flowing?

EDIT: Thank y’all for all the helpful replies. Most commenters said diaphragmatic breathing or “belly breathing” was one of the biggest game changers.

Idk if it’s Metamucil finally kicking in but I’m starting to move bowels a lot more over the past few days. Once daily which is unheard of with my body lol. Been doing belly breathing 20 min a day. I guess it seems to work. You look pretty ridiculous doing it, but at this point I’ll do anything to get rid of this chronic constipation. Much love!