New York
Vulvodynia, or an entrapped nerve?, seen through the experience of patients in New York, where sitting, commuting and desk work dominate the day.
Vulvodynia is a description of a symptom, not an explanation of a cause. When burning vulvar or perineal pain follows the territory of the pudendal nerve, worsens with sitting and includes rectal or clitoral involvement, an entrapment should be excluded before long-term symptomatic treatment is accepted.
Childbirth, pelvic surgery, cycling, a fall onto the buttocks or prolonged straining can all injure or tether the nerve. The pain frequently starts months after the event, which is one reason the connection is so often missed.
Our female patients are assessed by a surgeon who treats this condition every week, with time allowed for a full history — because the history, more than any single scan, is what points to the diagnosis.
Video consultations are scheduled for Eastern Time so New York patients do not need to take a day off to be assessed.