Guys do talk bollocks...

As a woman who has a husband, works in healthcare, and has plenty of guy friends, I am always genuinely surprised—and slightly baffled—at how different men are from women when it comes to seeking professional healthcare.

Maybe it’s because, as women, we go through the absolute trauma of periods when we’re in that hormonal cycle, trying to find our identities as young girls. Or maybe it’s because we are used to an array of strangers "staring into the abyss" during smear tests more often than we’d probably like (though not often enough by my count, but that’s a different story!).

We get used to being vulnerable.

Men? Not so much.

My work has led me into a specialism within women’s healthcare, but I do treat my fair share of men. While these are typically non-intrusive sports and mobility treatments, I had one patient recently whose story I really felt we needed to share to raise some awareness.

So... This blog is about how I can help men with their ball pain!

I’m always amazed when I hear stories from people who have sought support from the NHS before coming to private holistic therapy. We are bred from childhood to follow mainstream medicine as the first port of call. But for men, getting there is half the battle.

I know from my experience with my husband, Dave, that getting him to do anything remotely sensitive regarding his manhood is a struggle. He would rather live in blissful ignorance than face the embarrassment of getting his "wang" out for people to look at.

The Patient's Story

I felt quite bad for this particular patient. He had gone to the doctors following years of suffering, prompted finally by a friend’s diagnosis of testicular cancer which resulted in the removal of a testicle.

I asked him to contribute his own words here, because reading his reality is far more impactful than my summary:

"I went to the quacks because, of course, I was a little worried. When I went in, he asked what I wanted help with.

I told him my mate had just had his nut removed after a cancer diagnosis. We were having a chat at the pub and I realized I had all the same symptoms—just not the colour change.

The Doc asked if I’d seen any changes recently. In my head, I thought 'maybe,' so I said I didn’t know. He was pretty rude, basically ushering me out saying if I haven't seen any changes it won't be anything to worry about.

Cheers, Doc. What’s the point in coming to you if you’re not going to help? At this point, he said he’d have a look. Great laugh—get your nuts out on this bed for me. I thought, 'Flippin' heck, you ain't even bought me a drink yet, mate.'

He had a little grasp around and said there's nothing to worry about. I thought, 'The way you’re handling these so roughly is something to worry about, pal!' But at least it was the all-clear!"

The Holistic Approach

While it was great news that it wasn't cancer, the issue hadn't gone away. He had visited the doctor over 3 years ago, but he suspects he’s had the symptoms for 5 or 6 years in total.

The Symptoms: He explained that if he doesn't ‘bust a nut’ every so often, a pain starts to creep up in his hip, groin, and left testicle. When he eventually gets a release, the pain goes for a few weeks until it builds back up again.

Initially, I wasn't 100% sure if I could treat this or even where to start. But I thought, Come on Leanne, you’re a professional—just take 2 minutes to think about what you’re doing.

Fortunately, after over 10 years of studying, CPD, and research, it’s fair to say I’m pretty knowledgeable about human anatomy. I know how tendons, nerves, ligaments, fascia and organs link together and what can cause distress.

After getting a thorough medical history from him and finding out he has no underlying health conditions, we done a postural assessment to see what he was like generally and then went from there.

The Treatment & The "Pop"

We had a little discussion on how we would treat it. This involved working on the muscles and fascia as he didn't have great mobility - he admitted he very rarely does any type of stretching or mobility work & isn't helped by him working at a desk all day! This gent was pretty happy knowing he didn't need to fully expose himself; I could do the treatment with strategic towel placements and boxers remaining on, doing the bulk of the work on the groin, leg, and hip.

After around a 30-minute session, he stood up to rearrange himself. As he did, he looked at me with a bit of a panicked face.

"I've just felt a pop..." he said.

We paused.

"Oh... actually, that’s starting to feel more comfortable."

He went on his way, and I’ve had a couple of messages since then to say how amazing he is feeling. It has been over a month—maybe 6 weeks—and he hasn't had the build-up of pain since.

The key thing he noticed: For as long as he can remember, the testicle giving him the issue (the left one) used to sit substantially higher than the right. Since we’ve done the work, it has dropped below his right one and overall feels a lot more relaxed.

The Bottom Line

So, gents, for those of you who have concerns about 'your boys,' or ladies, if you are fed up with your man having a moan about tightness or experiencing something similar—get in touch!

For me, in this line of work, it’s great to see somebody feel so much better with their confidence back.

And I can assure you... this is the only type of happy ending anybody gets in my clinic!

(Note: I write these blogs to highlight conditions and how we help. However, if you have noticed any changes or discomfort, you should always seek a doctor's diagnosis first to rule out anything more sinister.)