Treatment of chronic pelvic pain in men and women

Abstract

Chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) is a common condition that is encountered by a variety of healthcare professionals. Unfortunately, physicians often misdiagnose this problem or recommend inappropriate and sometimes dangerous treatments that offer little hope of successful outcome. In addition, CPPS is typically a multifaceted disorder, simultaneously compromising psychological, peripheral nerve, autonomic, central nervous, visceral, connective tissue, hormonal and other systems. Thus, solo practitioners who may correctly diagnose CPSS are often ill-equipped to provide adequate comprehensive, multidisciplinary treatment. This article is intended as an overview of the most recent literature in support of various treatment modalities for chronic pelvic pain in men and women. We advocate a team-oriented approach in the treatment of CPPS, which employs the coordinated efforts of multiple practitioners, ideally in a subspecialty care setting.