I am a 56 year old male. I’ve been practicing yoga for about 2 years [mostly beginner classes in a vinyasana power yoga style based on Andrey Lappa’s Universal Yoga style] 5 months ago I woke in the middle of the night with acute, sharp, stabbing pains in my lower left abdomen. This area is about one fist’s width left of the navel and 2 inches below. The pain increased as the day progressed and began radiating into the top of my left testicle. It persisted for several weeks until I finally sought help from a sports injury physical therapist/chiropractor. This was diagnosed as, most probably, multiple tiny tears in the psoas muscle from repetitive movement and was treated with Active Release Therapy sessions. According to him, the testicular pain is the result of a nerve that runs from the lumbar spine through the psoas muscle tissue and into the top of the testicle. This nerve is being squeezed by the inflammation and spasm of the injured psoas muscle as it reacts to being injured. These sessions provided immediate, temporary relief. After about 5 sessions and only moderate long lasting improvement, I quit going. Progress towards recovery continued, very slowly, as long as I did not do any lunges or warrior poses [especially warrior 2], and reduced the time and frequency of yoga practice from 5 days a week to one day a week. After about 4 months or so, all symptoms were gone and I resumed my regular practice which includes warrior poses, triangle poses, and sun salutations…3 days a week. For about 6 weeks I showed no symptoms whatsoever and felt completely back to normal. My yoga sessions left me feeling stronger each time, and confident that my previous rate of progress in yoga had resumed. Last night, almost 5 months to the day, I woke again with the exact same pains in the lower left quadrant of the abdomen. Today I can barely walk, wincing and grabbing my abdomen with each step, and sharp shooting pains into the left testicle. The pain is more severe then the first time. Any body else out there ever experience this kind of injury/symptoms?
This means that vinyasa which is doing fast sequences is not for you to do. You should find a more static yoga where the postures is held for longer periods of time , this will not only make you stronger but also more flexible.
You have recovered once so you will be able to recover again but dont continue with same tempo and make it 3rd time even.
Going to fast into poses makes it easy to do them wrong. I dont know if your teacher corrects his students but i assume he/she does but if you are a big class then the teacher might have missed to correct some. Also if you are warm its easy to go too deep and hence you create tiny tears this is why slow and static postures is preferable as there is less change to get tears and you become stronger by static postures.
I can’t help but wonder if the question is [I]only [/I]whether I’ve experienced this sort of injury or symptoms?
@InnerAthlete: Thank you for asking if my question should be expanded. It should. Here is what I would like to know:
1.) Is my injury common?
2.) What is the most effective way to treat this injury?
3.) How long will it take to heal COMPLETELY?
4.) Having injured this tissue twice now, how can I avoid re-injuring this tissue in the future?
In addition to being in physical pain, I am discouraged psychologically. The benefits I receive from doing yoga have been truly remarkable. It has helped me [I]significantly[/I] with depression, anxiety, insomnia, substance abuse, back pain, and digestive issues. My mind is clearer. I can think better. I feel better. I am utterly amazed at how the quality of my life has improved in the past two years of learning and practicing yoga. After each session I look forward to my next. I don’t want to go more than a couple of days without practice, let alone several months…which is what I fear I must do to heal this injury completely.
@fakeyogis: Thank you for your response. You offer pragmatic, sensible advice and make very good points. You also offer encouragement, which I truly appreciate. You are right: I have recovered once. I will recover again. Thank you for that.
My practice is usually done in a very warm room. I sweat profusely. So your comment about the potential for injury in a warm environment makes sense.
My teachers are very good about correcting poses, but they are only human and cannot correct everyone all the time.
Your advice makes sense to me: recover, then avoid vinyasana and instead practice a slower, static style.
Thank you.
You have my sympathies 2old4yoga. I had a hip-flexor spasm and the pain was off the scale.
The good news as you have discovered is that you will recover. The bad news is it will take a long time. Rest as much as you can and take whatever pain relief is offered. Liz Koch has an excellent book on psoas and how it affects the rest of the body. And she does workshops and podcasts. Good Luck
Please also do some stretching and some asanas at home even though you need to rest as when you stretch there is blood running and the blood is healing. Also becoming stiff can worsen the symptoms. But if you can not do leg stretching due to pain then its best to completely rest. When i do the dhanurasana if i didnt do it for a long time i get a burning sensation in my left thigh just where the leg meets my underbody due to stiffness.
Dont know though if doing dhanurasana will help you but if those tears made you stiff it might help. But ATTENTION carefulness is needed so that you dont stretch to much and make new tears. IF you have smallest sensation that is not good dont do it, then rest instead.
And last if the pain does not lessen soon see a doctor.
@InnerAthlete:
5.) Are my symptoms correctly diagnosed as psoas injury? Could something else be going on, such as a recurring bacterial infection?
[QUOTE=YogaPrem;78285]You have my sympathies 2old4yoga. I had a hip-flexor spasm and the pain was off the scale.
The good news as you have discovered is that you will recover. The bad news is it will take a long time. Rest as much as you can and take whatever pain relief is offered. Liz Koch has an excellent book on psoas and how it affects the rest of the body. And she does workshops and podcasts. Good Luck[/QUOTE]
fyi… parts of this book (THE PSOAS BOOK-LIZ KOCH) is online at google books. Thanks again to YogaPerm.
I’m concerned that your pain has not been properly diagnosed. Occasionally hernias can present as abdominal pain that radiates into the scrotum. Physical activity - stretching and twisting in Yoga - can potentially aggravate an underlying problem. Testicular torsion and infections are also possible but less likely. Kidney stones, too. Please see your primary care physician or urologist.
As far as your forum name goes, you are definitely not 2 old 4 Yoga, and it can continue to bring you many health benefits. I sincerely hope you can get to the bottom of this issue and find relief so that you may resume your practice in peace.
Wishing you well, Kathleen
[QUOTE=theYogadr.;78330]I’m concerned that your pain has not been properly diagnosed. Occasionally hernias can present as abdominal pain that radiates into the scrotum. Physical activity - stretching and twisting in Yoga - can potentially aggravate an underlying problem. Testicular torsion and infections are also possible but less likely. Kidney stones, too. Please see your primary care physician or urologist.
As far as your forum name goes, you are definitely not 2 old 4 Yoga, and it can continue to bring you many health benefits. I sincerely hope you can get to the bottom of this issue and find relief so that you may resume your practice in peace.
Wishing you well, Kathleen[/QUOTE]
Thank you for your input, Yogadr.
I hadn’t thought of a possible kidney stone.
I was initially very concerned about possible Inguinal hernia.
The physical therapist/chiropractor examined the Inguinal ring area located directly above the scrotum and found no evidence of Inguinal hernia. ( piedmontsurgery[DOT]org/files/2011/12/7121[DOT]jpg )
Pain has improved significantly since sunday’s onset [48hrs.].
I’m only experiencing mild, intermittent “twinges” now.
I’m bewildered but grateful.
Thank you for your encouragement.
I know that I’m not “too old for yoga”, but when I invented the login name on sunday, I certainly did feel that way!
Again…thank you for your input. I truly appreciate it.
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No it is not common based on my practice of 12+ years, my teaching, and my teacher’s teaching over the last 40 years.
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Treatments are choices left to the student. Yoga teachers are not medical doctors and do not offer medical advice. Students are supported no matter what they choose - D.O., M.D. or Shaman. When one comes to a yoga forum one gets yoga. When one goes to the ER one does not get Yoga. One gets what is within the western allopathic medical model.
Some yoga practice will support healing. Others unfortunately support injury. This of course assumes a level approach (sound intention, absence of aggression/violence/forcing) on the part of the doer.
There is no greater skill to cultivate for a person on the path of Yoga than discernment. Your task is to discern whether your current practice is solution or problem.
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No one knows this. The younger we are the faster the healing process - for a variety of biological reasons too numerous to list - not to mention too dull. When I work with students who are under a doctor’s care, once they are released I still wait another 4-6 weeks. My job is to err on the side of caution. TIt is of note that the healing process is impacted in a positive way when the student has a pristine diet, clean thoughts, works with breath, light, and energy, and understands the role rest plays relative to the immune system.
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There is one rule. Keep doing what you are doing you’ll keep getting what you are getting. This applies to all of us equally in all that we do.
@InnerAthlete: Thank you. An excellent response, overall. I especially like this [and agree]: "There is no greater skill to cultivate for a person on the path of Yoga than discernment. Your task is to discern whether your current practice is solution or problem. "
2old4yoga,
How are you doing? Has the pain completely resolved and not returned?
I’m glad I found this particular thread. I didn?t put two and two together until I was examining where the discomfort was emanating from while in the tub.
I?ve had similar symptoms in the past from time to time but It?s mostly occurred after particularly deep postures such as Anjaneyasana and Utthan Pristhasana. It felt like an aching testicle but on further examination it?s further up around the inguinal canal. It feels as though that is the root of the ache until I have a poke around and then it feels as though it?s deeper and maybe behind the pelvis?
I was thinking maybe something connected to the psoas (I run a lot) but I?m not so sure. The session that caused it was pretty good, one where you feel as though you can stretch that little bit further, I think maybe I held the posture for too long or perhaps leant back a little too far.
I?m going to keep an eye on it, it?s not painful but I don?t want to aggravate it.
This article may prove useful: sportshernia.com/sports-hernia-approach/sports-hernia-examination
[QUOTE=2old4yoga;78282]@InnerAthlete: Thank you for asking if my question should be expanded. It should. Here is what I would like to know:
1.) Is my injury common?
2.) What is the most effective way to treat this injury?
3.) How long will it take to heal COMPLETELY?
4.) Having injured this tissue twice now, how can I avoid re-injuring this tissue in the[/QUOTE]
How did chiropractor diagnosed you? Did you have mri of left abdomen and lumbar spine ? or any other images done?
There could be few things going on. Very rarely sliding or occult hernias can form and they will trap fat, nerves, other tissue and cause pain. Some of those hernias are not pulpatable, not bulges( what chiro and drs are looking for) , and not visible on images, only dinamic mri might show em. Some are just seen during laporiscopy 
Lumbar bulges and si joint dusfunction goes unnoticed sometimes. Other things as well. Are you sure that all the pain you having is due to the tear in psoas? Even as a yoga tharapist im not a big fan on a " all pain comes from your psoas" myth. Go seek a surgeon. Get second oppinion. No one should live in pain. There are are options.
As for yoga practice. I would avoid all hip flexions for a while.
Feel better! We here for you!
I have had these symptoms for three months. Here are the possibile causes I came across and how to diagnoze them
1 Torrosion in testicle or no blood flow to it (testicle will be damaged in hours or days if not treated, very severe pain). Diagnosis: Doppler on the testicles
2 Cancer in the testicle. U can check urself for any lumps, but the doppler done above should also eliminate it
3 Urinary track infection: A urine culture will tell if there is bateria and what antibiotics is best to kill them
4 Prostate problems (cancer, enlarged without cancer, infected or inflammed): Total and free PSA will tell + ultrasonic on the pelvic area + semens culture + prostate fluid culture
5 epididmitis: An infection or inflammation in the cord carrying the sperm. The doppler done above should tell. The simens culture will show if it us infected. Can be acute/chronic/recurring infection
6 Hernia: the doctor should ask you to cough and if the hernia is there it should move and he will feel the motion by his hand. However, there is an uncommon type called a femoral hernia that is hard to detect. A MRI on the pelvic area should tell
7 Iliopsaus muscle: Easy to treat but most commonly ignored in the diagnosis. U can tell urself if you do the stretching of this muscle and feel better