A common complaint among patients is numbness and/or tingling in the perineum area that occurs during workouts. Often, this is caused by compressed or pinched nerves in the pelvic cavity.
The pelvis is a pretty small area and everything is fit in pretty tightly so something as simple as a change in fluid or an overly tight muscle can pinch down on the nerve and cause that numbness and tingling.
How do you prevent numbness during workouts?
A common cause for perineum numbness and tingling during workouts is your posture and the way your pelvis sits during workouts. If your pelvis is tilting forward, you can pinch the nerves coming from the sacral area. To prevent this, it’s important to get your pelvis to a neutral position.
If you find yourself experiencing numbness and tingling during your work out, slow down and notice what you’re doing with your body and see if you’re actually in a neutral position.
Neutral means there is a small curve in your lower spine without over curving or flattening. To find neutral, rock back and forth to find that nice middle spot. To maintain it, contract your abdominals to hold yourself in that good posture.
Perineal Numbness and Tingling Treatment
Frequent numbness and tingling means you’re probably compressing a nerve. A holistic physical therapist can help you adjust the way you’re moving. If the root cause is muscular compression from either the hip flexors or pelvic floor, a pelvic floor physical therapist can release those muscles internally and externally to get that compression to stop.
To discuss your symptoms with one of our physical therapists, click here to schedule a complimentary phone consultation with one of our physical therapists.
