Things that you can do!

 

Walking

One of the exercises that ALL PN specialists recommend is walking.  Walking is very safe and will not harm the pudendal nerve.  We would recommend that you start walking small distances at first and then build your way up to walking longer distances, if your pain levels are low.  There are some people even post op from PN decompression surgery, that are walking over 5 miles per day.  The one thing that we would also recommend is to not walk up any steep inclines.  This makes the gluteus muscles work harder and therefore could put more pressure on the pudendal nerve.  The same is true for hiking. 

There are some PN’ers that have recommended certain shoes, which are supposed to keep the body aligned while you are walking.  Most PN’ers though, use your basic sneaker to walk with.  We would suggest, finding a comfortable shoe, with plenty of room.

 

Swimming

Swimming is another great exercise that most PN’ers can do with relative safety.  The only swimming style that is not recommended is the breaststroke.  The breaststroke requires that a person flex their hips, which also work the gluteus muscles, which can cause compression on the nerve.  Also, when the hip is flexed, it will stretch the pudendal nerve.  This is one swimming style that we suggest you avoid.

 

 

Upper Body Exercises

The upper body exercises are great for building strength.  Most of the upper body exercises can be used without issues.  There are some upper body exercises though that requires the use of your abdominal muscles.  Any upper body exercise that requires you to use your abdominal muscles should be avoided.

Gliding Exercises

Most PN specialists suggest gliding exercises, especially after PN decompression surgery.  It helps to stretch the muscles, without stretching the nerve.