Stretching - I'm a believer

[painagain]

Guys,

I have not posted in a couple of months - I've had considerable improvement, but wanted to give it some time - since I have suffered with chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome for enough years to know it comes and goes at will. When I joined this group earlier this year I was in agony once again after having gone for almost 5 years without the pain. I was not ready to believe that a pain that manifests itself in so many different forms could be muscle related. I still thought it had to be more than muscular. For some, I'm sure there are further complicating factors that go beyond muscular, but I'm now certain that a good bit of this IS muscle/nerve related.

Why am I so sure? My improvement came from an odd/accidental form of stretching where I unmistakably felt some muscles in my pelvic area loosen up. I had always sat with my left leg crossed over my right - I imagine that most of us have a favored leg to cross over the other when we are sitting. Well - two months ago, I was sitting at my desk on the computer and for whatever reason, crossed my right leg over my left (with my right ankle on my left thigh), and propped my right knee on the edge of my desk. I was typing on the computer - hunched over a little in this position for some time - 10 or 15 minutes. I reached a little further forward to pick up my phone from further on my desk - and felt a muscle in my pelvic area release once, twice, and three times right in a row. Immediately, I felt some relief from the pain. Over the next few days, I stretched a lot (all the stretches from the HITP book) and went from the excruciating pain that I had been in to an itching irritating golf ball in the rectum feeling. I continued to stretch and continued to improve with the irritating golf ball feeling mostly gone. I went to about 80% better and remained that way for 6 weeks or so.

Then, I started stretching a little less, and once again held my bladder longer than I should have on a road trip just last weekend - and the pain returned. I am stretching like a maniac now, and think I am improving again. My latest stretch is putting one leg on my bed and bending it so my heel is in my groin area. I keep my other leg on the floor stretched out behind me. Then I lay forward on the bed so my face comes down on my bent knee that is on the bed. I feel a good stretch in the buttocks muscles, and I think that is helping.

Just wanted to share with you guys what seems to help me, and that I am completely sure of two things.

1. Much of my pain comes from muscles that somehow get screwed up or over tightened when I hold my bladder for too long.
2. Stretching improves it.

I will post again to give progress on whether stretching will get me through this latest flare-up. Lastly, some advice for what it is worth - if the stretches you are doing now don't seem to help you - try some new stretches. Get creative with it. I know some guys report improvement when they get into yoga - which I understand to be some pretty intense and creative stretching activities.

Hoping this helps somebody to cope with this difficult ailment,
Painagain