Q: I am 22 years old and have been exercising for the abs. I did some 20 push ups, but forgot to wear a supporter. I did this exercise for 2 days. After the second day, when I woke up in the morning, I saw that my left testicle was hanging lower than the right testicle. This was not the case before exercising. When I felt the bottom of left testicle with my hand, I felt something inside it, which was also not there before exercising. Now I have pain in the same region and it feels like some veins. I feel shy to tell this to others. What should I do and whom should I consult? Is it a serious problem? I can see a thick vein when the testicle hangs, but not in the tight position. Is it because of not wearing a supporter?

A:The painful testicular swelling of short duration that you have, with feeling of weight and hang-down, could be an inflammatory swelling like epididymitis, swollen veins in scrotal sac called varicocoele, or abdominal contents coming out of abdomen called hernia. While the first two are unrelated with exercise and could be coincidental, a hernial swelling may indeed appear suddenly after increased intra-abdominal pressure, as in kind of exercises you were involved. Diagnosis is straightforward with a clinical examination, but the treatment would vary. Medical treatment and scrotal support for the inflammatory swelling, a conservative or operative approach for varicocoele, and surgical repair for hernia may have to be recommended.