Beware: Can trigger Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome

Hello Concerned and Forum Members,

There is no known correlation between the usage of the Aneros Line of Simulators and Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CPPS). The term prostatodynia, or Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CPPS), is a term used to describe any unexplained chronic pelvic pain. There is no medical literature implicating prostate massage or Kegel exercises to cause CPPS. Inflammation is thought to play a large role in CPPS. Prostate massage HELPS with inflammation associated with chronic prostatitis. In addition, Kegel exercises which are frequently prescribed for urinary incontinence and sexual health, is the same exercise maneuver associated with Aneros Stimulation. There are hundreds of medical articles attesting to the numerous health benefits of the Kegel exercises. There are no known health detriments to exercising your pelvic floor muscles.

The reference that you quote is from a website advertising to sell a book. If you read the full medical article by the Stanford Urologists, you will see that they agree to the fact that the cause is unknown. In addition, there is no reference in the entire full medical article that contracting your pelvic muscles causes CPPS. In fact, part of their physical therapy involves contracting and relaxing your pelvic muscles, in a similar manner to Kegel exercises. Their case study, as they even state, is not randomized, not prospective, nor is there a placebo control. Any physician will tell you that one cannot base treatment decisions off of such studies.

More information on CPPS:
Causes are thought to be from:
1) Bacteria: A recent article from Dr. John Krieger at the University of Washington (Krieger, 2004) reviews the role of bacteria, fungus and viruses that cannot be isolated or identified as being the cause of CPPS. Another intriguing study from Cohen, et al 2005 revealed the presence of Propionibacterium acnes in the prostate of patients with CPPS. This organism could only be detected through highly sensitive genetic sequencing tests. The organism could not be identified by routine histology, Gram stain, or by routine culture techniques.
2) Neuropathy: Spasticiy of the pelvic floor muscles secondary to a neurologic disorder. In patients who already have CPPS, there exists certain triggers that can set off a spasm, but this can be actions such as urinating or sneezing.

The latest comprehensive 2004 update reviews the numerous mechanisms implicated as the potential cause of CPPS. Pontari and Ruggieri reviewed the medical literature from 1966-2003 and reached the following conclusions:

1. The etiology (or etiologies) of CPPS remains unknown.
2. Special signaling molecules called cytokines, which are produced by WBCs (and also by other cells), may play a role.
3. There seems to be some genetic predisposition to getting CPPS.
4. Autoimmunity, the abnormal tendency of the body to react against itself, has long been thought to play a role in the development of CPPS. In CPPS, the body may be attempting to reject its own prostate.
5. Testosterone has been shown to protect against inflammation within the prostate. Perhaps a low testosterone level (or, more likely, a breakdown in the mechanism whereby testosterone inhibits prostatic inflammation) may be at work in some men with CPPS.
6. Abnormal functioning of the nervous system, at the local level and/or within the central nervous system, may also play a role in the development of CPPS. For example, a substance known as nerve growth factor (NGF) can cause an increase in the number and the sensitivity of the pelvic nerves that transmit pain. An increase in NGF has been correlated with the development of CPPS symptoms.
7. Psychological stress and depression have long been associated with CPPS flare-ups. Psychological stress and depression may have a measurable influence on the local production of cytokines (eg, interleukin 10, interleukin 6) in the pelvis, thus directly exacerbating CPPS inflammation.
8. Some cases of "abacterial" prostatitis may not actually be abacterial. Recent data suggest that gram-positive bacteria, which have traditionally been dismissed as normal florae in prostatic fluid cultures, may not be so normal in men with CPPS. Normal defense mechanisms allow healthy men to render these bacteria harmless as mere microbial "hitchhikers." However, these defense mechanisms may be defective in men with CPPS. This theory helps explain why prolonged courses of antibiotics sometimes provide symptomatic relief for men with CPPS, despite the absence of bacteria that are traditionally considered pathogenic.
Pontari and Ruggieri conclude that "To what degree these factors interact in a given patient and to what degree there is a common pathway or several pathways that lead to the end point of pelvic pain remains to be determined."

This information is for public education only. Only your doctor can give you medical advice so check with your physician for any further information. Thanks!

The Aneros Staff

Hi there,

I read this thread with interest.

I am a sufferer of CPPS and have been in contact with those that run the pelvinpainhelp website you mention and indeed purchased their book.

In a way it was a bit of a relief to stumble across their site around 12 months ago - because up until then I had gone for around 5 years with no answers to why I was experiencing this constant pain in my pelvic floor muscles. It was having a severely detrimental effect on my sex life - with my stamina dropping dramatically and orgasms becoming unfulfilling and often painful.

I would say that the book itself was very helpful in recognising that the problem was unconciously tensing my pelvic floor muscles when under stress. The symptoms were also exacerbated by prolonged sitting. In fact the first symptoms appeared when I changed career and hence spent more time at a desk.

Anyway, I digress. The point is that I am still suffering with the pain but I do have it under a degree of psychological control. I need to make sure that I constantly think about whether my pelvic floor muscles are contracted throughout the day...and if they are...to concentrate on relaxing them. The same goes for sex. As long as I feel relaxed enough, I can stop the involuntary tension in the muscles in order to enjoy more fulfilling orgasms.

However, it's my belief that the Aneros product could actually help. Overcoming CPPS is not about never contracting your pelvic floor muscles - it's about making sure that your the muscles do not become chronically tense.

A good way of decreasing stress is exercising muscles vigorously then relaxing. I believe the "workout" that you get from the Aneros could help CPPS sufferers to relax.

Anyway - just my thoughts and personal experiences. It's my intention to give the Aneros a go...nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I'll let you know if I make any scientific breakthroughs!