Difference between genital/medical issues & just muscles

In this post based on experience, I wanted to share the difference between a medical problem you could have with your genitals or that it might just be muscles. Luckily, I've experienced my hip muscles hurting, which comfised me with genital pain or testicle pain. There can be correlation. If you're feeling genital pain and you're dealing out, just know the symptoms before you call your doctor, it could be minor or it could be fatal. Here are some genital problems I've read along with symptoms men get. These source back to WebMd, MayoClinic, or you can look up articles on gov't health sites. The tips on muscles is from my knowledge.. The medical problems I lost below mostly consist of similar symptoms. 

Stds, urinary tract infection, anything urinary, bacteria related, urethra, etc:

Blood will be in your urine, experienced pain while urinating or ejaculating, testicle swelling, bad discusting discharge, etc. 

Prostate inflammation or prostatitis: 

Swollen prostate, painful urination or ejaculation, the urethra and/or prostate will have bacteria backed up into those parts. The bladder sits on the prostate. Also keep in mind that anal sex can cause a man's prostate to go bad for those who do that. My guess is the bacteria still coming from the anal, not a smart thing to do! 

Testicle torsion: 

One of your testicles will be higher than the other and the spermatic cord will get twisted, cutting off circulation. They could turn blue, this can be fatal. Must seek attention if it's too much to bear. Could ruin fertility. 

Just muscles: 

Now all those problems listed above will cause more pain than muscles will. So if it's muscles, this include hip flexor muscles like the iliacus that's in the iliac fossa but definitely the inguinal ligament on either side. It stretches down the pelvis and into each ball sac. Which was my issue. It pulled on the left testicle and caused strain. My testicles could have been strained in general too. Or very well be a inguinal hernia. Part of the intestines would poke out the abdomen though.  When you're not used to strenuous work or activity or outdoor work, this happens. Bending over can also flex the ligament and the hip muscles, hence "flexors." Any hip action or even sit ups! Anything to flex the ligament or flexors. It can even be related to the adductors such as the adductor brevis or pectineus. The brevis is perfectly angled toward the pubic symphysis. So you can have pubic pain. The cases are more in soccer players & such though. 

Treatments for the inguinal ligament/muscles. Using a frozen water bottle from the freezer. Lining it up with the ligament and the testicles. In your underwear, briefs, etc, to feel the cold more or on top of your underwear.  The ligament can't be anymore stretched like the adductors or hip flexors. Take pain meds like NSAIDS, etc.. Take it easy, don't bend over. If it's not as swollen, you can try doing all planes of motion. Kick the whole thigh/leg forward, backwards & side to side. To loosen up the hip. 

 

Avoid cereals with TSP (Trisodium Phosphate) like General Mills

This TSP is in many things like paint thinner products, (Trisodium phosphate). Think about having that in your body! One website I read this from was Livestrong.com. Don't limit yourself to one link though. I looked up phosphate, and the site brought up how it's PHOSPHORIC ACID, more correctly, used to make used to form phosphoric acid. It's used in carbonated drinks like sodas, used in animal feed & fertilizers, etc. It's a bad mineral that makes things tangy or breaks things down. Lots of links say it's a rust inhibitor. That's why coke cola is bad and said to break up rust. We all need acids, we have hydrochloric acid on our stomacs. But it all needs to be in natural forms, not modified.. When something's added to our food & drinks rather than what the food already has, that's not good! Acid breaks things down such as digesting our food. Acid can be bad for our teeth too. I can't believe this and didn't know. I'm not good with chemicals but a buddy who's like a holistic nurse knows his chemicals & biology.

I saw a post about Lucky Charms with it in it, and then I went to look at my other General Mills cereal of the dark chocolate cheerios. Sure enough it had TSP in it. Because I care about health, I post things no matter what. BHT is a fat preserver, another thing in the cereals & cheap granola bars, etc, to avoid! 

Headaches due to muscles

These  pictures demonstrate why people get muscle pain, on any part of their body as well as headaches. Blood flow and nutrients are blocked by muscle knots. Thick tissue that needs massaged out because it's starved. Not even chiropractic adjustments can help the muscles. It only helps the spine & nerves. It’s your trapezius muscles that knot up.. 

And people just go on with their day with the same chronic issue not knowing it's the cause! Try practicing better posture whether you sit a lot or as well as standing/walking. And be careful with “text neck.” Neck posture from texting.. Even try avoiding excessive so much Omega-6 acids from the fattening foods & sweets out there, which increase inflammation in the body in general. Instead, focus on Omega-3s such as in Salmon oil capsules. Make sure you buy dark ones with lots of oil in them. Not clear fish oil pills, they're not strong enough. I have experience taking Salmoon oil and it helps my mood, let alone any hint else. Take anything to get your blood flowing also like L-Arginine, one of 10 essential  amino acids needed. 

Kidney pain vs. Quadratus Lumborum stiffness

Alright here's a new post, this involves either the kidney or the QL muscle. The difference between kidney pain due to a stone and such or just muscle stiffness/spasm. If it's a QL (Quadratus lumborum) problem in the back, you will feel it in your lumbar vertebra, or at the floating ribs or down on the pelvis. Also tenderness in your butt. The dull ache will be closer to the vertebra besides on it. The kidneys do sit in far, you have to go through the tissues first. 

If it's a kidney problem then you will feel more inflammation in between the ribs or towards the outside more too.  Flank pain or labor pains. It'll still spasm in there deep as it's trying to exit maybe. In my case my kidney was still swollen, which was causing my tenderness in the back.. You'll pee out blood, which looks brown in your pee, it'll feel like a pinch, and when you pee it should go away. Things like that. Always ask questions on what it is! Look at these pictures and decipher the difference. I've had the kidney stone pain now so I can tell the difference. If it's a dull ache or stiffness, it's the QL and soft tissues. The kidney causes labor pains in the sides or down your groin rather than stiffness or achiness.. 

The muscle treatments can't be a moist heating pad, massage & stretching over to the side or on a ball. Kidney treatments are accordingly with your doctor. Avoid Apple juice, cranberry, orange or grape juice, anything acidic. Drink water, lemonade or anything alkaline. Maybe berry juice.. Avoid excess animal & dairy protein. Moderation. Look up kidney flushes or buy some dandelion root. Becareful with meds being mixed. 

             Kidney stone pain areas

Don't do ab coaster exercises or leg raises!

 If u see these ab coaster things in a fitness store, online or at a gym where they're more commercial, don't go for it, they're a waste of $ and time. Unless your goal is to work your hip flexor muscles that cross your hip joints & connecting to your vertebrae, you don't need it. You think it's working ur abs but not for very long. Your hip flexor muscles cross your hip joints, the one major group is the (iliopsoas), the iliacus sits on the iliac fossa of the pelvis, and the psoas major attaches to the lumbar vertebrae. The muscle group helps you bring your knees up or sit your whole body up. These are as stupid as doing hip/leg raises on the floor or on knee raise machine that you rest your elbows on.. If u study what the muscle actions are & their attachments, then you'll understand how exercises work. It's Kinetics..

  

DON'T DO SIT UPS, they're ineffective, read my post on why!

The military, the gym classes in schools and still athletes and others are still doing sit ups anywhere, WHY? It's because nobody is educated enough or has the common sense knowledge about the muscles involved or not being involved. People think it's doing something for them, they think it's an ab work out when it's not!! 

I provide a picture here that shows the iliopsoas (iliacus and psoas major), these are the muscles more involved in sit ups. The iliopsoas muscles help you sit up in a chair for posture and also initiate hip flexion. The abs aren't isolated, they maybe pulled on a little bit but ideally the iliopsoas is sitting you up! Look at the picture and you'll see the attachments for iliopsaos. You'll also see the different in the rectus abdominis.  

The iliacus orginates on the iliac fossa as in the picture and the psoas major orginates off the transverse processes and bodies of the lumbar vertebrae, and both insert on the lesser trochanter, where that iliopsoas tendon comes down to in the picture. The last arrow on the left. 

 

In this picture of the rectus abdominis you can see why it wouldn't be involved in sit ups, they don't help you sit up. The rectus abdominis helps compress your abdominal contents, helps for deification, trunk flexion and inhalation. The rectus abdominis orginates on the pubis and inserts onto the xiphoid process and 5-7 ribs via the cartilages. You'll feel the abs pull but it's the iliopsoas helping you sit up, feel for these muscles.

 

Flexibilty/stretching including sciatic pain relief

Flexibility is so important for injury prevention and to help your posture. It helps relieve or prevent back pain, hip pain, leg pain, etc, Muscle tightness and muscle knots can occur, because of bad habits, bad posture.

Stretches/flexibility (Hold stretches for at least 30 sec)

           Stretching will help you prevent injury and it also helps relieve back pain. Back pain comes from tight glutes, tight lat muscles, and from having an anterior pelvic tilt (bent forward with butt sticking out) or a posterior tilt (pelvis shifted forward where the hamstrings and butt are tight). Your knees can also buckle in or supinate outward. 

          Neck & traps stretches. You can also ankle your head down to the right Ur left at an angle to stretch the levator scapula. 

(Piriformis stretch), on your own without somebody twisting your leg for you. Stretching this muscle can relieve sciatic nerve pain or piriformis syndrome. All three pictures below

     

     

Chair stretch. Push down on your knee and lean forward on the chair or do the one on the floor 

  

(Buttocks)

Pull on the knee more

(Hamstrings) 

   

   

You can use an athletic band also, get assistance or use a wall for better support 

      

(Quads) careful not to pull on the foot unless it's flexible

    

(Hip flexors and quads) 

Only do these if you can handle them. You can touch your knee on the floor with this type of lunge stretch. Point your toes forward, step ahead so you get more of a stretch, keep the knee behind toes.

       

(Adductors) 

Using the stairs or bench or ply-metric box, etc, to raise one foot/leg up, will provide you a quick stretch vs the side lung using the floor. The higher you step up, the more rang you get. (This is me (Adam) by the way) 

Don't push on your knees such as this below. Keep feet lined up. 

(Glutes) 

Good back twister 

    

(Back) 

  

(Calves) 

    Extend the leg for the gastrocnemius, and bend the knee in for the soleus muscle stretch

  

Lean in on your stretch to feel it more 

     

Here are 100% wrong stretches to do in this picture from my NASM book. A hurdle stretch places great strain on the tibial collateral ligament, which is on the inside of the knee. The plow stretch places much stress on your neck and spine obviously, the shoulder stand places strain on the neck, shoulders and spine, the straight-leg toe touch places high stress on the vertebrae, cartilage or possibly ligaments, and arching your quads will place high stress on the knee caps and surrounding tissues. People with a history of any back injury, weak ligaments or degenerative cartilage, or any body problem besides healthy people should all avoid these.