What to do when the testicles in a child hurt? Pain in the genital area can occur not only in mature men, but also in adolescents, as well as in children. Unpleasant sensations can be very pronounced. They can lead to vomiting and nausea. It is required to establish the cause of the swollen testicle as soon as possible by contacting a doctor.
Main reasons
The main causes of pathology, as a rule, include bruises with testicular torsion in boys, infectious diseases and complications after illnesses. In some cases, pain can occur due to inguinal hernia, as well as with varicocele, urolithiasis, or due to congenital atrophy of the genital organs.
When a child’s testicles hurt, it may be due to injury or wearing too tight underwear. In this case, in parallel with such manifestations, edema or irritation on the skin can be observed. According to statistics, the most common causes of pain in the testicles in children is a physical violation of the scrotum tissue.
Bruising discomfort
Often, the testicles in a child are sore as a result of a bruise that was received during active games, cycling or an unsuccessful fall on a solid object. In this case, the occurrence of very severe pain due to damage to soft tissues in the scrotum, and the appearance of edema or redness at the site of the bruise is also allowed.
Light strokes, accompanied by sharp and short-term pain, as a rule, quickly pass over time without serious consequences for the health of the child. However, serious injuries cause not only severe pain, but can also lead to loss of consciousness due to pain shock. In this regard, the nature of such a symptom makes it possible to determine the presence or complete absence of scrotal injury. For example, if the pain does not go away, but rather has an increasing character, this may indicate the presence of testicular injury.
What should be done when the testicles in a child hurt after a bruise?
It is necessary first to lay the boy down. If necessary, you should give him an anesthetic drug, and it is advisable to attach something cold to the site of the bruise.
In the event that the pain does not decrease or, on the contrary, intensifies, it is necessary to consult a doctor without fail. The doctor is likely to prescribe a conservative treatment. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are often used for such therapy.
Torsion
Pain that occurs for no apparent reason may be due to torsion of the testis in boys. A similar phenomenon can occur even in the absence of physical effects on the scrotum and is often observed during sleep. From a medical point of view, this disease does not have a clear cause. However, recently it became clear that against the background of hypothermia, the risk of testicular torsion increases significantly. And after a man reaches the age of 30, the tissues of his body become less elastic, so pathology is extremely rare.
The location of the testicles in the scrotum directly depends on the support of the spermatic cord, which consists of the seminal ducts and blood vessels. In this regard, compaction on the testicle leads to crushing of the cord, and often to the deformation of the spermatic canal and impaired blood supply.
Effects
In the absence of timely medical care, death of testicular tissue may occur, which may require removal. In some cases, surgery is performed to maintain the functions of this organ.
Infectious factors for pain
Penetration of the causative agents of bacterial infections into the genitals can also be one of the causes of testicular inflammation. Against this background, redness of the scrotum is observed , and edema appears along with inflammation.
Pathogens from the family of gonococci or chlamydia are also able to lead to inflammation of the appendages and the development of urethritis. Detection of the infectious nature of the disease usually contributes to effective and rapid treatment with antibiotics.
Epididymitis as a cause of testicular pain in boys
Against the background of testicular inflammation, which bears a unique name - epididymitis, infection of an infectious nature is manifested by intense pain and swelling in the scrotum. Severe pain can indicate not only the pathology of the testicle itself, but also inflammation of the appendages located directly near the genital organ. Despite the fact that most cases of this disease occur in men of mature age, sometimes this infectious disease affects boys in their teens.
One of the main signs of inflammation is a gradual increase in pain over several days. Often only one side of the scrotum is affected: its left or right side. At the same time, an increase in temperature can be observed along with a loss of control over urination, and itchy sensations in the area of the genitourinary ducts are also noted.
If there is any suspicion of an infectious disease, it is necessary to pass all the required tests under the supervision of a doctor, as well as undergo studies in a laboratory. This will make it possible to prevent future complications in the form of impotence or infertility.
Below we consider another disease - orchitis, and also dwell on the methods of treatment of such a pathology.
Treatment of orchitis and consequences for the child
When children suffer mumps or mumps, many parents of boys start to sound the alarm because they are very afraid of various complications in the form of infertility or other negative consequences for the child. But it is worth noting that this happens in extremely rare cases, since boys who have not reached puberty tolerate the disease with almost no health consequences.
Thus, if a testicle hurts a boy during mumps, this does not mean the development of irreversible processes in the organs of the reproductive system. Mumps viral disease manifests itself in children with high fever, severe swelling of the salivary glands and general weakness during the week. After this, as a rule, the child is recovering.
In newborns, orchitis can be diagnosed if infection has occurred during the gestation process. Therefore, during pregnancy, you should carefully treat all deviations and undergo timely treatment. If the umbilical cord is not followed during delivery, infection can also occur.
All these adverse effects can lead to the need for surgery - orchiectomy, when the testicle is removed. But with timely contact to a medical institution, the prognosis is favorable. The duration of treatment depends on the cause of testicular inflammation. Therefore, it is so important to pay attention to any symptoms. Remember, treatment for orchitis should be timely.
Which doctors should I contact?
Many parents are interested when a child has testicles, what doctor to contact, what to do, etc. First of all, you need to go to an appointment with a doctor. The first step is to seem to the pediatrician, who will subsequently most likely send a small patient to an appointment with a urologist. You may also need to consult a specialist such as an andrologist-urologist.
Diagnostic methods
In the event of pain in a child in the genital area, the doctor will prescribe a medical examination, within which it will be necessary to undergo the following procedures:
- Ultrasound examination of the scrotum.
- Dopplerography of the scrotum vessels.
- Performing a microscopic examination of the discharge from the urethra.
- Bacteriological analysis and cystourethroscopy.
Let's look at the main methods of treating this ailment.
Therapies
If the pain arose due to a slight bruise, then it is necessary to lay the child and wait for a gradual decrease in the intensity of unpleasant sensations. If necessary, you can give your child an analgesic. It is also advisable to apply cold to the bruised area for twenty minutes, and after a certain period of time it is recommended to make a warm bath.
When pain occurs suddenly for no apparent reason, self-treatment of a child is strictly contraindicated. In such situations, you must immediately consult a doctor. Specialists choose a treatment regimen based on the nature of the disease and the well-being of the patient. In order for the child to feel comfortable, and the therapy was successful, the testes should be at rest. This is achieved through the use of supporting swimming trunks and strict adherence to bed rest.
Against the background of inflammatory diseases, therapy begins with antibiotics. First, the pathogen is detected, and then a drug is selected that can destroy it. Anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed to relieve inflammation. It must be emphasized that the pain can pass only after 2-3 months after the end of treatment.
In more severe situations, there is a need for surgical intervention. Among the most dangerous pathologies is testicular cancer, which, however, is quite rare in children, but it still occurs in 2% of cases. With this pathology, the testicle is removed due to the possibility of further spread of the tumor to other organs. When it is not possible to avoid the spread of cancer, chemotherapy or radiation treatment is performed, as well as the removal of lymph nodes.
Torsion of the testis is in second place in terms of danger. Experienced doctors can quickly return the cords to the desired position, thereby preventing stagnation of blood in the organs of the reproductive system. If the testicles in a child hurt, then only a doctor can diagnose the disease. The consequences depend on the timeliness of the treatment of disorders.
Consequences for the child
The appearance of a symptom such as pain in the testicle in a child requires special attention. It is necessary to treat immediately any disease associated with the work of the organs of the reproductive system, since the lack of therapy can cause serious complications. What consequences? Does the child have testicles hurt? The risk of developing such abnormalities as impotence, infertility and even organ loss is high.
Prophylaxis
Despite the fact that many pathologies can develop suddenly, most problems can still be avoided. It is important to identify the causes of pain in the testicles in children in a timely manner. In order to protect the boy, parents should pay attention to the following recommendations:
- Once a year it is necessary to show the child to the doctor. Even if the symptomatology of the disease is absent, the pathological process can still occur in the internal organs. When a doctor discovers a disease at an early stage of its development, the risks of complications will be minimized.
- Boys should go to the toilet on time, not tolerate. This is especially true of schoolwork, when many teachers prohibit children from leaving the classroom. It is important to explain to the child that with a full bladder one or another exercise should not be performed.
- Diseases of the genitourinary system must be treated in a timely manner. The lack of therapy for cystitis or urethritis provokes the spread of infection throughout the scrotum and causes the appearance of new ailments, and also leads to the development of various complications. You can also not run other diseases, whether it is flu, SARS, or mumps.
- To protect the testicles from microtrauma, the child should only wear comfortable underwear, as well as loose clothing that should not hamper movement. For example, wide jeans or sweatpants and so on are perfect.
Each parent is always aware of childhood diseases, their symptoms and knows how first aid is provided for injuries. But the question of why a boy’s testicle hurts can be confusing for many. The reasons for this condition, as we found out, can be many. Most of them may carry a risk to the child’s continued health. In this regard, for any pain in the area of the testicles of the boys, you should immediately show it to the doctor.
Now you know when the testicles in a child hurt, how to treat the disease and who to contact.