What is osteitis pubis?
Osteitis pubis, also known as pubic symphysitis, is pain and
inflammation at the pubic symphysis. The pubic symphysis is
where the right and left pubic bones meet. Your pubic bones
are a part of the pelvis at your lower abdomen and groin.
How does it occur?
Osteitis pubis usually occurs from activities that you do
often and repeat the same movement over and over, such as
running or jumping.
What are the symptoms?
The most common symptom is pain directly over the pubic
symphysis. The pain may begin gradually and may sometimes
move to different places along the groin and pelvis. You
may have pain in the groin, at the muscles that attach to
the pelvis, and at the pubic bone.
How is it diagnosed?
Your health care provider will ask about your symptoms and
examine you. You may have tenderness at your pubic bone or
at the muscles that attach to the pubic bone. You may have
an x-ray. Sometimes scans such as a bone scan or an MRI are
needed to check for irritation at the pubic symphysis.
How is it treated?
This problem requires rest until the symptoms go away. If
running causes pain, you should swim or bicycle instead.
You may need to rest from all activities. Participating in
activities that cause pain will mean that healing will take
longer. Sometimes it takes 2 to 3 months or longer for symptoms
to go away. Anti-inflammatory medicines (such as ibuprofen) and
putting an ice pack on the area for 20 to 30 minutes 3 to 4
times a day will help. Osteitis pubis requires more rest than
rehabilitation and most of all requires patience.
How long will the effects last?
The pain from osteitis pubis may take months to completely
go away.
When can I return to my normal activities?
Everyone recovers from an injury at a different rate. Return to
your activities will be determined by how soon you recover, not
by how many days or weeks it has been since your injury has
occurred. In general, the longer you have symptoms before you
start treatment, the longer it will take to get better. The
goal of rehabilitation is to return you to your normal
activities as soon as is safely possible. If you return too
soon you may worsen your injury.
You may safely return to your activities when, starting from
the top of the list and progressing to the end, each of the
following is true:
- You do not have any pain or tenderness over the pubic
bone.
- You can walk straight ahead without pain or limping.
This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to
change as new health information becomes available. The
information is intended to inform and educate and is not a
replacement for medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or
treatment by a healthcare professional.
Copyright © 2005 McKesson Corporation and/or one of its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved.
This
information is approved and/or reviewed by U-M Health System providers
but it is not a tool for self-diagnosis or a substitute for medical
treatment. You should speak to your physician or make
an appointment to be seen if you have questions or concerns about
this information or your medical condition.