You should view testicular pain as an emergency until proven otherwise. Call your health care provider for guidance if you develop pain.

If you cannot contact your provider after you develop this symptom, go to a hospital's emergency department.

In general, see your health care provider immediately if you have sudden onset of testicular pain, particularly if the pain is severe or associated with nausea.

• Apply an ice pack to your scrotum to help relieve pain and swelling. Ice packs have been shown to increase the time that a testicle can survive with decreased blood flow. Wrap the ice in a cloth. Do not place the ice directly on your scrotum.
• Pain medicines such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) and acetaminophen(Tylenol) also may help temporarily.

If you had surgery for testicular  torsion  or a hernia  , you will follow up with your surgeon.

If you were treated without surgery for epididymitis   or torsion   of a testicular appendage, you should return for medical attention if the following occur:

• Symptoms do not go away within 1 week
• The pain increases
• Symptoms change in any way
• You have any other concerns

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Most causes of testicular pain cannot be prevented. The exception to this is epididymitis (some cases), which is caused by a sexually transmitted organism . Safe sexual behavior (use of condoms) greatly reduces the risk of acquiring sexually transmitted diseases  .

If you have testicular torsion, your recovery depends on how long you waited between the time you felt symptoms and sought medical care and surgery. The chance of saving a testicle decreases as more time passes.

• If surgery occurs within 6 hours of the onset of symptoms, the rate of saving a testicle nears 100%.
• Between 6-12 hours, the saving rate is 70%.
• Between 12-24 hours, the saving rate is 20%.
• After 24 hours, the saving rate approaches 0.

If you have epididymitis (an infection of the testicle), you generally recover without complication. Rare complications occur if you go without treatment or have one of the following:

• Weakened immune systems   (for example, HIV/AIDS  , cancer  , taking steroids
• An abscess   (infection)
• Serious systemic infection (sepsis   or orchitis  , for example)

If you have torsion   of a testicular appendage, you will nearly always recover without complication. The pain generally goes away within 1 week.

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