[Pathogenesis and treatment of intervertebral disc-originated testicular pain in traditional Chinese and Western medicine: An update].

Abstract

Of the complex causes of testicular pain, intervertebral disc degeneration is a nonnegligible one, which, however, often fails to get sufficient attention from doctors in clinical practice and consequently leads to misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis. This paper presents an overview of the pathogenesis and treatment of intervertebral disc-induced testicular pain in traditional Chinese and Western medicine, aiming to improve clinicians' understanding of this problem and provide some reference for the diagnosis and treatment of unexplained testicular pain. According to traditional Chinese medicine, the pathogenesis of intervertebral disc-induced testicular pain may be associated with exogenous cold and dampness, damp-heat invasion of Yin organs, qi and blood stagnation, and closely related to the liver, kidney and governor meridian. Western medicine believes that its pathogenesis may be related to nerve root stimulation, nerve root entrapment, Waller degeneration, referred pain, nerve hypersensitivity and other factors.